All Our Dead

Some random musings from church.

I love love love the song, "High On A Mountain Top," but I hate that it ends on the word dead. I don't think any song should end on the word dead. Even though it is a "happy dead," really no dead is a good dead. It's like a really good meal that leaves a bad aftertaste.

For once we had a good combined 5th Sunday meeting and it was all about being good visiting/home teachers. I could improve for sure, and so could Jeff, but I gotta say I'd bet a thousand bucks that our home teachers that we have had for like three years couldn't tell you my kids names. I always get above average visiting teachers though.

So my freshman high school English teacher was a real jerk! I hated this class and the teacher but one day he said something that I always think about. He was an avid people watcher and pointed out that if you watch people you tend to notice that more often then not the listener isn't really listening at all but just waiting to say their part. I have noticed this in others and myself. I am so so guilty of this at times. I recently had a very important conversation with someone in my ward, "(or at least I thought it was important,) and I gotta say that as I was listing my concerns I could see this firm steel wall in this ladies eyes. She was not listening to me at all. She knew what she was gonna say and was not hearing me at all. I almost wish she would have said that from the beginning, but that would have been really rude.

I love the classic lines of our church building, over all it is a lovely building where the Spirit is in abundance, but I need to be honest and say I really hate that Burgundy color of all the benches and seats.

Tee hee hee. I have brought treats for the Library the past few weeks and today when the Bishop came in he said I was magnifying my calling.

My friend Krista teaches Relief Society once a month and it is becoming my favorite week of the month. Her lessons are so touching without any gimmicks or tears. I feel really blessed to have her as a teacher since I am not getting to much out of Sacrament Meeting and I end up in the Library for much of Sunday School.

Mae goes into Nursery in March. I have been counting down for a year now.

Arg! So we now have sisters instead of elders and I want to have them over for dinner, but they don't pass around the calender anymore. Now I was told by the sisters this is because they were in such high demand that the calender was getting full before it got around. Okay, fair enough, but the solution was that the ward mission leaders wife now controls the dinners. NOT COOL! I have to call this chick up and what be deemed worthy to fill a slot? This is WAY WEIRD! It kinda reminds me of last Christmas when we had signed up to feed the elders on Christmas Eve and then got booted very rudely by another family who had a tradition of feeding the elders on Christmas Eve. Yeah well if it was that important then they should have signed up first! We were totally dumped by the elders to accommodate this family. Yeah I am still way mad. But anyway, I feel this is really uncomfortable and so I will probably not get to feed the sisters while they are here, which is sad cause I really loved having them here.

I hate when people ask me to cut strips of paper for them with the paper cutter. I have a HUGE phobia of paper cutters. My parents worked with a family business for many years durning my childhood and we were often in the office. My mom made a big deal about how dangerous they were and well, it stuck. Does anyone else remember a Josh Harnett horror movie called The Faculty? Well I didn't see it, but I remember the trailer where someone grabbed the blade off of one of those things and used it all machette like. I can't use them. If you need something cut please come and do it yourself.

April Showers Bring Mae Flowers

And Mae Flowers bring...pies and gift cards. I would like to thank you all for your comments and continued support of my blogging efforts. For the most part I do enjoy blogging and it just wouldn't be the same if I had no readers. Now as for the good stuff. I had a total of 15 entries in the contest divided between the local pie contest and the far away Walmart Gift Card Contest. Mae was kind enough to draw two names and the winners are ...

Far Away

My cousin Joe. (It probably didn't hurt that he got an extra entry for being the first to correctly identify the pumpkin.)

Local

My friend Hannah (Local being a relative term since technically she lives in Missouri.)

I am excited to deliver both these goodies especially since my cousin Joe is actually coming to visit soon! (Although I promise that this trip did not interfere with the integrity of the contest.)

Thoughts on your comments....

HA! Jason, I have always thought of you as the most Bad Ass person I know so this just added to that identity.

This was a good reminder of how sisters can always find/remember an embarrassing moment of your life to make you remember what an idiot you are. Thanks Lu.

My Uncle Karl and Aunt Barb must really love the beach boys.

Krista E. Yeah that totally sums up my memories of Young Women's leaders.

Kasey After my freshman year at the dorms I had a policy of paying more to not share a room. My first semester my roommate Leilani kept me up one night writing a paper, so I decided to listen to my garbage CD while she was studying for finals.

Max also has songs he loves from Rock Band and Guitar Hero. He loves Slow Ride and Blitzkreig Bop. HEY! HO! LETS GO! He has also replaced the lyrics to Follow the Prophet with Star Wars the Clone Wars. Which is really great cause that has always been my most hated church song. No matter who sings it or how, it always sounds like chanting. Get the organ going with it and you have got a serious cult thing going on. And some of the lyrics are a bit glib so together it is just a really dark sounding song.

Yes, I don't remember what the occasion was, but we were in southern Utah and I believe Billy Jean was also not the Governor.

Lindsay that bathroom was awesome.

Don't Forget!

You can still enter to win a $15 walmart gift card or home made pie by going to the post, "Another One Bites the Dust," and sharing your funny/interesting music story. Family and friends are eligible to win, cause really who else reads this thing.

Hold On to Your Hats and Glasses

Cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness.

Ahhh it saddens me greatly that it has been over seven years since I have been to Disneyland, (Big Thunder Railroad is where the title of this post comes from.)

Often at night Jeff and I will look at each other and remark about how Mae's personality is defining itself more each day. While only a year old, it is quite clear that she has inherited her father's temper and her mother's stubbornness. Whaaat? Jeff has a temper, you ask. Yeah, me too, but he and his family swear it is so. I honestly haven't seen it in our seven years of marriage, but I am told it was really really bad, like get this kid to counseling bad. I am sure his family can fill up the comments board on this subject. Hmmm I don't suppose there will be any protests on my stubbornness....oh well. Mae will do what she wants when she wants to. And don't mess with her. As I have mentioned earlier I signed us up for Baby and Mom swim class at the fitness center as I did with Max when he was her age. She likes the water but that is it. She HATES doing anything. She doesn't want to reach and pull, kick her legs, or blow bubbles. When I try to engage her in these activities she just looks at me annoyed. At one point the teacher comes around with a bag of toys which the babies are to choose from. Mae likes this, until the activity continues. They are supposed to throw the toy around and reach and pull to get it. She does not want to throw the toy. She fights me and you can tell she thinks this is a very STUPID game. WHY ARE WE THROWING THE TOY JUST TO RETRIEVE IT?!?

This afternoon she had finished a snack and I detached myself from her to get her something else to eat. She started squawking as soon as I left. I was off and on my way back from the kitchen when I saw that she was walking after me. When she made eye contact with me she dropped to the ground and threw a tantrum. What are we in for? I suppose this is just what happens when you get one super mellow good kid.

Acceptance Speech

We won! A huge thanks to all my friends and family who voted for our picture. Our prize, a photo shoot with Erica that includes many free prints. (A several hundred dollar value.) I am really excited, but now stressed about what to wear and getting everyone haircuts...there will always be something to stress about. A few thoughts on the contest. I learned a lot about my self and others in this.

First, I need to read more carefully. I didn't pay that much attention to the judging part only the entry part, so I don't know if I would have entered a popularity contest.

As some of my family will recall I have never been popular. I was actually cruelly bullied in Jr. High School. This did bring up a few of those feelings of inadequacy and lameness.

But on the flip side, when people started to vote for me it was awesome. Just as I thought being popular is all it is cracked up to be. Good Self Esteem Boost.

Conversation between myself and a friend Friday....

ME: "I feel like I am running for Homecoming Queen."

MEG: "Yeah, but this is way better, you get a photo shoot and all Homecoming Queen got was pregnant!"

I was surprised by which people voted for me easy-peasy. My sister-in-law Megan was like the first person to vote. THANKS!

Some people were total BUTTS about it! Now I can understand if you do not look at your account that often. Some people don't, or if you have a hard time working facebook. But for the few of you who moaned about this, REALLY?!? How hard was it, you were already on facebook, just slide over a few pages and bounce your finger a few times. If you hate liking stuff then just unlike later!! It is so easy to hide feeds on facebook. One friend just out right refused cause he thought it would set a bad precedent of helping others....whatever.

But the large majority of my family and friends were very supportive. A big shout out to all my cousins! Toblers Rock! I knew having so many first cousins would pay off some day. And as promised, if I ever need a kidney, I will seek elsewhere. And I only had one side to hit up.

Another shout out to Jeff's extended family cause he isn't even as close to them as I am to mine.

A big thanks to my ward. See we were really working with a large disadvantage from the start. Most of the other entries came from the photographer's home ward. So people from her ward were already fans and getting updates so of course they would vote for her. Way to best the Cenerton Ward guys!

Thanks to all my friends who were friends with my main competitor who voted for me, or voted for me and her. Also I respect my friends who knew us both and just choose not to vote at all.

Dan Flemming you are dead to me. We have known each other for almost six years and you voted for someone else, they had better have given you a kidney! But thanks to his lovely wife Tara who voted for me.

It was a very close race, and I got a smidge desperate at the end. I promise that I will never hit you guys up for anything on facebook ever again. I really wouldn't have done it, if it wasn't so close and such a small race anyway. I mean I always enter my kids in the GAP KIDS model contest, but I never ask anyone to vote cause it is such a pie in the sky thing. This facebook thing was possible. And WE WON!

I am now going to retire a bit from facebook. I will post the pictures once we have them taken, and if you need me to vote for you for something feel free to email me and I will get on and do it. Thanks to everyone. And all my ward members can expect treats in the library today and probably for the next few weeks.*

(I do have a strict policy of not giving library treats to those under 18. That is what Primary and Young Women/Men is for.)

Yup, I'm that person

Yup, I'm the person who dresses up like a cow for free food. Cause hey, free food! I am the person who knows the names of the employees of the Walmart Associate Store cause I am there so frequently. I love a good bargain. Now I do have limits. I would not take a free left shoe if the right one didn't come with it.

A lady who was in my ward is a very talented photographer and recently had a "Christmas in October" contest for her business, Erica Kirby Photography. The rules were simple, take a photo of your family and somehow display the words Erica Kirby Photography or the letters EKP in the photo and be creative.

Yesterday, Jeff and I took our annual trip to the Right Choices Pumpkin Patch in Missouri and decided that their Cow Train would be the perfect back drop for our contest entry. I wish the words on the sign I made had come across more clearly, but all four of us are looking at the camera so I say it is a good photo. I think it clearly deserves to win the contest cause

A. it is the only photo that has both the whole family (some people just did the kids)

B. we embarrassed ourselves to show the sign, giving her the free advertising, (Most of the other entries photo shopped the words or letters in.)

There are only seven entries total, so I think we have a shot, but I need my readers help. It is so easy to help me. Go to facebook and vote for us. Two easy steps.

1. Become a fan of Erica Kirby Photography

2. Like our family photo in the Christmas in October contest.

You don't need to leave a comment or anything; just "like" it. And pass it on to anyone else who may know us, or people who you know who just do stuff like that. Do not feel like you have to strain any relationships over this. Special attention to my parents and Jeff's since they will no doubt be getting copies of the winning pictures.

BLOG CONTEST: Another One Bites the Dust

I love music. Yes, that was a really groundbreaking announcement. No other medium can get me to calm down a relax quite like music. Part of the reason I go into town almost everyday is because I love to hop in the car and listen to the radio. Yes, I could just listen at home, but then I feel like it is a waste of time. I enjoy it more if I am going somewhere. I love the memories that music evokes. The following songs remind me of loved ones and times.

My dad worked at Hasting Entertainment Store for several years at the end of the 90's and the beginning of the new millennium. So being forced to hear pop music he picked up a few he liked. Every time I hear them on the radio I totally think of him.

Closing Time by Semisonic

How Bizzare by OMC (he even bought the CD!)

and of course any CCR song

The summer I came home from my first year at BYU my mother added a new song to her aerobic routine. There is nothing quite like waking up to the walls shaking to Cher's Do You Believe, every morning. My mom and I also share a love of the Bee Gees and I always smile and think of her when they come on.

My sister Suzanne is a total romantic and her musical tastes swing that way, or at least they did in high school. Whenever I had the house to myself I would get out her CD's and pop in Sophie B Hawkins, As I Lay Me Down.

Krista and I have lots of musical memories. Driving home from Disneyland listening to the Wallflowers, One Headlight. (What happened to Jakob Dylan? I really liked him.) We first really started hanging out together in Provo my sophomore year of high school when Fastball's, The Way, was all over the radio, so that song is really special to me.

Remember when Ally Mcbeal came out and suddenly everyone had a theme song? Yeah well Krista's was The Police's, Don't Stand So Close to Me. Of course when she got her mission call to Brazil we switched that to Dave Matthew's Band, Don't Drink the Water. My theme song is Queen's, Another One Bites the Dust. Still fits after all these years.

Songs also remind me of specific places. I am sure you could do a study and find that at all times there is at least one Utah station playing the Cranberries, Dreams during the hour. I couldn't go a day at BYU without hearing this song. When Jeff and I first came to Arkansas The Reason by Hoobastank was playing here and I have always liked it since. My daily commute to and from teaching at my Utah alternative High School always forced me to listen to Pink Floyd's, Another Brick in the Wall. "HEY, TEACHER! LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!" Thanks oldies 103.5 that really helped me feel good about myself.

What about Jeff you say? Well we dated for such a short time, two weeks, that I don't really think of him separately. He likes Savage Garden, shudder, (I blame the mission in Australia for that.) but since I really don't I quickly turn from them when alone. Again our dating time was so short that we never had a song, so a year after we got married we came up with something we thought would be good to dance to on our 50th wedding anniversary, so our song is Hot in Here by Nelly.

So readers I turn this over to you. Today's post comes with a giveaway. Two actually, one for my local readers and one for those farther away. Rules, post a comment telling me about a song that evokes a memory for you. The funnier/unique/more bizarre the better. Now don't just tell me your favorite song, I want a memory and story. The Prizes: The local winner will receive their own Emily Apple Blackberry Pie. The far away reader will receive a $15 Walmart Gift Card, cause now matter how far you get from Bentonville, AR, Walmart will be there to get you. errr make that serve you. Submissions must be received by Saturday October 30th for a Halloween announcement. Winner will be picked randomly out of a hat by Mae. One entry per person.

The picture was of a pumpkin Lu and I dropped off at a friends house one Halloween in college. Bonus entry to the first person to recognize the pumpkin pop culture reference. Or to the first one of the poor ladies that got a fright from it, I think a few of them read my blog.

Height of Fashion

Mae has always been the height of fashion. Thanks to my friend Dandi, Mae is once again ahead of the curve. Don't you love these hair flowers? All designed and hand made by Dandi. This once again brings up questions of what exactly I do in my spare time while my friends are running business', running marathons, and remodeling houses. But that is self pity for another post... I will be posting a link to my friend Dandi's site and she is carried at the 3 Monkey's store in Rogers.

Things That Must Go XII

1. Non-acknowledging Pedestrians: I often swing by Jeff's work to say hello for a few min. when we are in town. This requires navigating the large Walmart ISD parking lot which has people coming in and out all the time due to it's size. What I really hate is when you are stopped at the crosswalk waiting for John Doe to cross and he just continues walking at his slow crawl oblivious that you are waiting from him. Sure he has the right of way, but that does not mean his time is more valuable then mine. Ideally I want an increase of speed, but will settle for a wave and faux hustle. I am the queen of this. Acknowledge with a slight head bob then put a slight spring in one of your steps, or swing your arms a bit. This makes the driver feel valued, and that can only be good. This is similar to the wave you give when driving and someone lets you in. (Tee Hee Hee just after writing this I picked Jeff up for lunch and got a faux hustle from an overweight Indian.)

2. Line Cutters: There will be a special level of Hell reserved for the people who cut into a merged highway line. How do these people live with themselves. This is perhaps the highest level of rudeness I can even imagine. You know, you're sitting in your car and see that everyone in merging into one lane. You do the right thing and move over. Soon things empty up in the cleared lane and everyone must wait for traffic to move ahead past this problem. Then some self centered numskull scoots all the way up to the point of merge just expecting to be let in. Yeah I would rather risk killing myself and my family then let these guys in. I sit myself right on the bumper in front of me cause this behavior is just not acceptable from grown adults.

3. People who move furniture in pick up trucks: This is so reckless and dangerous. Last week Jeff was driving home and actually had to swerve out of the way of a falling queen mattress. Most people just think that the worst thing that could happen is that their stuff will fall out and break. It isn't about the stuff it is about the people who hit the stuff. Cough up the 50 bucks and rent a moving van people!

4. Defensiveness: Now sure, I am totally guilty of this. That is kinda the point of Things That Must Go, it is a spot to question, gestate, and hopefully evolve. The following example comes from a few recent events surrounding my feelings of slight (also a bad behavior)from the male population. Remember the whole "only a man in our ward can say the opening prayer thing?" Yeah well as noted in the comments section of that post, that is nowhere in the Bishop's Handbook, just stupid tradition. Well so flash forward to my new calling as librarian, Jeff was called in first to approve/disapprove/give permission. So I asked about the prayer thing and the permission issue. Jeff was just as curious as me. I think we asked very calmly if I do say so myself. Well, you would think that I had slapped this member of the bishopric in the face. He got very put out and defensive, and then brushed us off as heathens. Well so lets move forward to a few weeks later when a friend informed me that a couple is supposed to meet with the Bishop before getting a vasectomy (Tee Hee Hee, you should have seen the way I tried to spell this before spell check got to it.) At first, as always, I got a bit riled up. That didn't seem right that the man gets to decide. So I was talking to my incredibly wise sister who gave me a new perspective. That it is actually helping the women protect their right to reproduce by keeping the men from just going off and getting this procedure done. I hadn't even considered this because Jeff would never do such a thing. I will totally admit that I am human and have a hard time seeing outside of my limited experience. That is why I just need an explanation sometimes. And yes, I do realize that there are some things you just do and accept on faith, but I firmly believe that it is okay, that it is in fact our duty to ask for explanations when we do not understand. Maybe if someone, i.e. my bishopric leader could have gently explained why they feel my prayers are not as Spirit evoking as Jeff's, then we all would have felt better. Yeah this is something I need to work on too. I do give an excellent faux hustle though.

Sisters

A bit of trivia for all my readers outside of Arkansas. Here in Northwest Arkansas we are actually part of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Mission, being only two hours from there and three and a half from Little Rock. Well, while I knew there were sisters in the Tulsa Mission, in the past five years we have never had any over here, until this month. We now have sisters! Funny that I put an exclamation point there cause to be honest I never really cared. We fed the Elders about once every other month and they were fine. The last few were great because they were all big sci-fi geeks like Jeff, so everyone had lots to talk about. Wanting to be different, we always serve the missionaries breakfast food; waffles, pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon. It is cheap, easy, filling, and different. But would girls want that? I mean I like it, but girls can cook and generally have a more refined pallet right? Well I went ahead and made waffles and the ladies seemed to like it, but you never can tell with missionaries. I greatly enjoyed the conversation and maturity of the sisters. The evening went well and I hope the sisters enjoyed theme selves and I plan to have them over again. Okay so SUPER boring post. This is why I don't post daily. I promise to devote some nap time tomorrow to an installment of Things That Must Go, and don't forget to tune in on Friday for the giveaway announcement.

Intervention

I think it may be time for my friends and family to hold a hoodie intervention. They may need to retain the services of Clinton and Stacy (from What Not to Wear,) because I need professional help. It is not that I think hoodies are the height of fashion. They are just comfy, cute, and have pockets. Last count and I have seven in rotation. So since I know this is a problem why do I keep buying them? Well, I can't stop. Yesterday the GAP had a 40% off everything sale, now how could I pass up a purple hoodie on sale? Do you have a fashion violation that you are aware of? What would your loved ones say?

Sunshine in October

I just returned from a kiddie group soccer game put together by my lovely friend Jill. Never have I known a woman so devoted to giving her children amazing experiences. Jill is a superior example of motherhood that I am grateful to have in my life. My memory is a bit fuzzy on how we met, but it seems like ages ago. Jill was one of the first friends I made here in Arkansas. We have been each other's visiting teacher at different times, she threw me a shower for Max. I remember how helpful she was when I had Max. She took me to Target a few weeks before he was born and showed me around the baby section, teaching me what to buy and basically raising my parenting level to competent. It was so helpful! Jill never has a bad thing to say about anyone, (I am shocked we have anything to talk about!) I never feel judged around her and that says a lot cause she knows so much about me. A few months ago when I went crazy I was driving around not sure what to do crying and driving, generally going nowhere, and when I called her she directed me to her house and took me in. She then watched my kids while Jeff took me home. Jill has excellent taste. Her house is lovely, warm and always smells good. I know that last one sounds weird, but houses' smell, some good some not so much. One nice thing about Jill is she is married to Nate. We seem to be hit and miss with couple friends, but Jeff and I love Jill and Nate. We even went to Dallas together, 10 hours in a car with me will test any one's friendship. Two years ago when our power went out in the great ice storm we were taken in by the Messicks and kept warm. (Hence the above picture.) These guys love game nights and we are so excited every time we get asked over. Jill rocks.

Fight Entropy

I must compose at least two or three blog posts in my head each day. I spend a lot of time mentally adding things to Things That Must Go. Yet, my laziness usually keeps me from posting. I have a goal this week of posting something every day. This will be a small way for me to fight my laziness, mental discipline if you will. This week will be reserved for my thoughts and musings, and will not be about the kids unless something spectacular happens. I think I will also add a give-a-way at the end of the week so watch out for that also.

Random thoughts for the day....

1. Despite my new calling as ward Librarian, I have absolutely NO power to order or do anything other then make copies and hand out chalk. This was made VERY clear to me on the first day, so I am making a conscience effort not to care. So that being said, it was not my fault that there was no toner today.

2. I have always been rather snarky about Fast and Testimony meeting. I appreciate a really good testimony, but those seem to be few and far between. I often feel that it is more like Open Mic Night. The worst is after youth conference or the camps when all the weepy girls get up cause they were coached to. Yuck! I do like it when someone gets up there and says something crazy. Like a lady a few years ago who talked about the Negros in Northwest Arkansas. I mean who doesn't love a bit of entertainment? Anyhoo, I was wrongly skeptical today when a reactivated lady in our ward got up, I was genuinely moved by the loveliness of her testimony and will now try to rethink my preconceived ideas of people and their testimonies.

3. Having won all the hair products this weekend, I decided to blow dry my hair. This is something I do so infrequently that I actually had to search for the dryer. It looked fine, but I guess it looked fantastic to everyone else, cause everyone was complementing me on my new haircut. All everyone said to me today was about my hair, which leads me to the following possible conclusions...
a. my hair looked better then I thought.
b. my hair looks so awful most of the time, that people feel the need to encourage me with praise when it does look good.
c. most people have nothing else to say to me and this is the best they can come up with. (I know this sounds snarky, but I have been known to do it to others.)
d. I am a very forgettable person, and people aren't sure how my hair looked last time they saw me.
e. my hair looked better then the fat rolls beneath it.
Honestly I think it is mostly c. I come to this conclusion because I am in the library and I have noticed that many people feel they need to add chit chat to their chalk orders. Don't get me wrong, I like the chat, but if you have nothing to say to me that is cool too.

As a special treat for you all I am enclosing a recent picture, as I have noticed that I don't have many on here of me. Max took this last week. It is small, cause I look fat and the smallness helps with that.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!

It has been quite the week of luck and prizes. Last week I attended the grand opening of an Ulta store, (it is like a big Sephora, but with less expensive brands and more drugstore stuff,) at the Promenade. The lady in line in front of me got a $50 gift card, I got a $5 card and the lady behind me got another $50 gift card. Oh well. I bought some stuff and filled out random stuff. Then proceeded to forget all about it. Well I got a phone call on Friday saying that I won a gift basket in the drawing! Whoot! So I head down not sure what to expect. When I inform the ladies at the register that I am here for my prize I do notice this HUGE basket behind the counter fill with awesome stuff like a CHI straightener and full size perfumes. I was hoping that was mine, nope, the ladies went back and brought mine out. It was full of lots of nice stuff; all their own brand of hair products. The thing is, I don't really use a lot of product. So hey, free stuff, but I just hope this wasn't my life's best win.

Also a winner this week was Jeff's co-worker. Apparently this guy and his family eat a Chick-Fil-A a lot. So much so that they we in a special exclusive club and won a free dinner for family and friends! And we are their friends! So here we are at Chick-Fil-A yesterday, the tables were set up for us and menus laid out. Our orders were taken at the table, and weirdly enough Max was not seated next to either Jeff or me. Well not to worry for Max. Not known to us at the time, Max just pointed to what he wanted when the waitress came to him. You can always count on Max to take care of his own food. I love free food. We had so much food. Yum Yum Yum!

Sunday Morning

Baby Alert!

I see that Mae's Birthday post got hijacked by a grandparent's visit post, so I think I need to share a bit about my favorite girl. Mae went to the doctor and is in the 50% for weight and height. She is a bit of a chunk, but it is all of the fun to squish kind. Mae is one and already has her own distinct personality. She wants to do things her own way. She wants to feed herself and dress herself and she gets frustrated when we have to help her.

She wants to know what is going on and follows me everywhere I go. When Jeff or I go into the other room we often send out baby alerts to let the other know we are being followed. When she hears these alerts she speeds up cause she knows she is about to be caught. She loves to take the books off our bookshelves and loves to play with toys. She can spend an hour or so just playing in Max's room.

Grandpa Tobler amused her with making a clicking noise and she was determined to figure out how he did it. She would stick her hand in your mouth trying to solve the mystery. This led to me almost choking when I yawned and she shoved her arm in my mouth. She has now mastered the sound and loves to make it.

Mae isn't perfect she makes a really ugly squawk when she is mad. She is the world's lightest sleeper. She sleeps not in her pretty nursery, but in the spare room downstairs and wakes up if you try to go downstairs at all. She still loves Max. Last night she and Max were in the bath and Max decided to spout water in her face. She laughed so hard I was afraid she was gonna fall over into the water and drown. We all love Mae and look forward to what the next year brings us.