Snow!

When we got up this morning, there was snow on the ground. We've had a little snow a couple different times in the last month or so, but this was the first time that it really stuck, so I knew I wanted to get Mara out to see her first 'real' snow. So after lunch, we bundled her up (her coat is way too big, but I wanted to make sure I got something that would last until spring!), and took her outside. She didn't really know what was going on, but looked around a lot and seemed to enjoy herself. She didn't really try to move from where we set her down, but maybe she just couldn't move because her coat was too big! We realized that she needs some 'winter' shoes or boots, and maybe some sort of snow pants, so that she can go out in the snow and play sometime.

We put up our Christmas tree this afternoon also. The snow made it seem a little festive, and I'm glad to have the decorating done (not that I did much besides the tree and a few lights in the window). Oliver loves to lay under the tree and chew on it. Picasso doesn't care much about it. Mara looked at it, and grabbed at it when we took her close enough. I wonder if she'll be crawling while it's still up. She's been doing a lot of 'rocking' when she's on her tummy, and was getting up on her knees tonight too. We may end up having to child-proof the tree I guess!

Seven Months Old!

Mara turned 7 months old on Saturday. I can't believe it's been 7 months since the day she was born! It has flown by so fast, and she has changed so much! She has such a personality now! She's so curious about everything, and loves to babble, smile, and laugh. She loves sitting and playing with toys, catching glimpses of herself in mirrors, reading books, jumping, and pulling my hair. She is a fabulous sleeper, and rarely fussy or in a bad mood. We are so blessed!

Like Mother, Like Daughter?

Look at that smart little girl! Already enjoying Twilight! I'm trying to get Jay to read the book (it's a slow process, he doesn't seem too interested, which is driving me nuts!), so today he read some of it to Mara. She may have been more interested in getting her hands on the book than in what he was actually reading, but I can dream, right?

Maybe someday ONE of them will finally read it!!

Mara's First Thanksgiving

We spent Mara's first Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house. Despite her sober looks in most of these pictures, Mara had a good time, smiling and babbling most of the day! I had picked out a '1st Thanksgiving' outfit of her, and couldn't resist the little socks to go with it.

We didn't give her any of the food from our plates (although she stuck her hand in some of it a few times), but she did enjoy some baby food squash, to help celebrate! She had fun playing with her aunts and uncles, cousins, and Grandpa and Grandma. We are thankful to have such a great baby!

Sneak Peek...

I took some pictures of Mara for our Christmas cards today. I don't want to give too much away, so I'm just posting a couple of the 'reject' photos that didn't make the cut. I took quite a few, in a variety of outfits, and suffice it to say - if you think these are cute, you'll enjoy the Christmas card!

On a side note...yes, she has some cat toys in her hands in the first picture. She seemed pretty interested in them. I tried to get a photo of her with Oliver and Picasso, but Picasso bolted every time he was put near her, as usual.

An experiment

Mara's a good eater, and she's getting used to all the different fruits and vegetables that we've offered her. She always watches what we eat, so I wondered if she might be ready to try some 'finger food' herself. I figured we'd start with something easy and just see if she had any interest in it. So...banana puffs it was.

As you can tell...she really wanted the container. But, that's about it! I tried to get her to grab the puff out of my hand, but she didn't want it, or couldn't figure it out. So I put it in her mouth for her. And she wasn't too thrilled about THAT! She spit it out a couple times (notice it stuck to her chin in the second picture?), but I kept trying. She wanted nothing to do with it. I'm not sure if a different flavor would have helped or not, but I'm not worried. She's growing up too fast anyway, I'm not sure I'm ready for her to be THAT grown-up yet! I'm content to wait as long as she wants to!

Visitors

We had several people stop by today. After I ran some errands this morning, my parents came over to hang out and watch some of the Vikings game with us. Mostly to play with Mara I guess! She had a fun time keeping them entertained. After they left, she took a nice long afternoon nap (usually she takes a shorter nap in the afternoon, but they must have worn her out!). After she got up, my sister Jenna and her fiance Derek came over for a bit. Mara was a big fan of Jenna's fun and shiny purse. My baby girl, already wanting a purse. I don't know if I can handle it! She also enjoyed Derek's hat, and sat happily with them the whole time they were here.

Now that Mara's asleep for the night, I'm staring at my book, but thinking about my stocking....and wondering which will win out! Hopefully I'll get a little bit of each of them done!

Lazy Saturday

It was a lazy Saturday at our house yesterday. For the first time in several weeks, I was home on a Saturday, so I took full advantage...and stayed in my PJs all day! Mara has a cold, but had fun playing, and took a couple good naps. I cleaned up a bit, made some food, and read for awhile (ok, I finished another book).

Mara played some video games with Daddy, and played with Oliver (I can't believe he just let her yank on his tail, he has surprised us a lot with how much he likes Mara!). After Mara went to bed, Jay and I watched a movie.

It was nice to have a lazy day! Today will probably be more of the same (although I think I'll actually change clothes today!), and I'm looking forward to a short work week!!

Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight!!

In case you've been living under a rock (or maybe just completely ignorning me), I have a small obsession with a little book called Twilight. Ok...FOUR books. And now a movie!

The movie opened today. I was planning to go on Monday (to avoid the crowds of teenage girls), but realized that they were having matinees today, since the movie technically opened last night at midnight. So, I decided I couldn't wait - so, we went this afternoon! I had no idea if it was going to be busy or not, so I bought tickets ahead of time, and we got there early. And....it was empty. haha. A few other people came in before it started, but it was a pretty small crowd, so that was kind of nice!

I enjoyed the movie! They changed a lot of things from the book, and moved a few things around. Some of the effects were a little...weird. The movie was made with a pretty small budget, but I think they did a pretty good job. A couple scenes were kind of weird (there were a few moments when I wanted to laugh, and it wasn't because it was a funny scene!), but it all pulled together. I was hoping for a bit more story and character development, but since I had read the book, I at least knew the additional pieces that weren't shown. I was a little nervous about a couple of the people that were cast in certain roles, but overall I was pleased. Some of them seemed perfect! And Robert Pattinson as Edward turned out to be great, for the most part! Some definite eye candy there!!

It went so fast...I already feel like I need to see it again!

Oh and yes...Jay thought it was pretty good too. I explained a few things to him a little further afterwards so they made a bit more sense. I'm going to try to persuade him to read the book...we'll see how that goes! And maybe I can drag him to the movie with me again at some point too! ;)

Mara's Stocking

I've been looking for awhile, and finally found a stocking kit that I liked. I want to make this for Mara, and I want it done for THIS Christmas (yes, the one that is only a bit more than a month away!!) I ordered it online and got it last week. So far, all I've done is open it up and look at all the pieces. It looks a little overwhelming! I just need to get started on it, but it looks complicated, and I keep putting it off. Every day that goes by, I'm reminded that I have one less day to get it finished before Christmas! Somehow I need to find the motivation to sit down and start working on this...

Red Lobster

We went to Red Lobster tonight. For those that don't know us well -- we LOVE Red Lobster. We go there for every occassion. But, we've only been there once since Mara was born, and this was Mara's first time there! Sadly, I'm a bad mommy, and forgot my camera! Obviously, I love to document EVERYTHING with pictures, but, no pictures from Red Lobster. She even sat in a high chair for the first time there! (Well, she has used our high chair at home, and one at daycare, but never at a restaurant!). She looked so cute sitting there too. She was a pretty good girl, she sat ok for awhile, then we held her for a bit, and she sat in the highchair again. She grabbed my salad when I accidentally let her get too close, but otherwise it was a pretty uneventful dinner. Thanks to Uncle Larry, we had some gift cards, so that made it even better!! Mara checked out the lobster tank when we left, and giggled at the hostess when she said hello. She seemed to enjoy watching all the people, and checking out everything around her (can you tell we don't eat out much lately?) I did take a picture when we got home...she fell asleep in the car, and woke up in a smiley mood. I'll just have to remember to bring my camera on her SECOND trip to Red Lobster I guess...

Grandpa and Grandma

On Tuesday evening I brought Mara over to visit Grandpa and Grandma. They hadn't seen her for a couple weeks, and she changes so much every day it seems! She had fun playing with them, and trying to get food off my plate while I ate (she loves doing this lately -- she's sneaky and quick!!). I gave Mara some peaches while we were there - her first fruit! I thought she'd love it, because she's used to veggies, but she was indifferent, and acted like she was going to gag a couple times. But, she managed to finish it, of course! Maybe she was just showing off for Grandma!

Lydia Louise

Today we finally got to meet baby Lydia! She is 12 days old today. She is so tiny and sweet! I couldn't believe how small she was! I'm sure it's just because Mara is so big now, and Lydia is smaller than Mara ever was, but she seemed just teeny tiny! She is doing well, and Maggie was feeling pretty good too. She is a proud mama! And Marshall is a proud daddy. It will be fun for Mara to have a little girl to play with in the coming years! Kiley and Jeff were there today also, so Mara played with Kaisen. It's fun now that they're both sitting up and interacting a lot more. They are both talking a lot and had fun playing, although Mara was a little fussy today since she has a slight cold.

I was happy to get a photo of the three of us girls with our little ones. Hard to believe that just a few years ago we were in college and living together! Things sure have changed!!

Mara really DOES have a little lamb...

Jay wasn't thrilled when I first brought this home... My lovely friend Andrea gave it to me (since her husband was trying to get rid of it!!). I know we don't really have room for it, but I just thought it was funny, and had to get a picture of Mara with her little lamb! Don't worry, she only balanced on it for a few seconds, and Jay was right next to her the whole time. I'm sure she'll be able to enjoy it a little bit more once she can actually sit and rock on it by herself!

Mara and Oliver

Last night Mara was kind of quiet, I suspected she might not be feeling well. She hadn't eaten much either, which is unlike her. She usually has a ton of energy, but she was happy just lounging on the floor quietly. Oliver joined her after awhile. He puts up with a lot from her already -- she is constantly grabbing his fur (and for those that know her well, you know how strong her grip is!). He doesn't mind though, and will often sit next to her, or walk by her, hoping to get pet. She will usually giggle when she sees him walking towards her, and he will nudge at her with his head, and purr. It's so cute! Last night he plopped down next to her on the floor and hung out.

Picasso is a different story! He keeps a safe distance, and still looks distressed if she's crying or screaming (which she loves to do lately, just for fun!).

By the way, Mara is fine today, and did perk up a little bit last night. Must have just been having 'one of those days' I guess!

Feet!

Apparently feet are an exciting thing lately.... Mara loves when her feet are bare so she can play with her toes! She spent awhile this evening playing with this 'free' toy!

Otherwise today was a pretty quiet day. Jay and I cleaned up downstairs -- moved some of the toys that Mara has outgrown out to the garage, and got things organized a little better so the house isn't so cluttered! Watched the Vikes miraculously beat the Packers, and I ran a few errands around town after the game.

Finishing up some laundry now, and thinking about going to bed a little early again tonight. It seems to be a trend!!

Is it too early to listen to Christmas music?

It definitely felt like winter today! Before I know it, it will be Thanksgiving...and then Christmas!

I feel like I've been really busy lately, but then realize that I've accomplished nothing. After work I get home and hang with Mara until she goes to sleep, and then I'm usually tired and have no motivation to get anything done...

Today I went to visit baby Will Lane...what a cutie he is! So tiny! Got to hang out with Lili too (oh yeah, and Andrea and Shelly!). In a few days we're going to go visit baby Lydia, so I'm looking forward to that!

I didn't see Mara much today since I was gone most of the day, but tomorrow we plan to stay in and 'play' which will be fun!

Elections and Babies!

November 4th 2008 was a fabulous day!!

Maggie and Marshall had baby Lydia Louise at 4:20pm. I can't wait to meet her! I was so surprised to hear it was a girl, and so excited for the two of them! I'm excited for Mara to have a new playmate, and can't wait to snuggle a tiny little baby again!

And America made me proud and happy when they elected Barack Obama as President of the United States!! I couldn't be more thrilled about this!! What a historic moment, and I'm so glad Mara will grow up in a time like this!

I can't stop smiling today!!

Mara the Monkey

Friday was Mara's first Halloween! The weather was beautiful...I couldn't believe how warm it was! We were so excited to get her dressed up and show her off! (Having a baby is sort of like being a kid again yourself!!). We took a few photos and then headed out. We made stops at Aunt Jenna's house, Cousin Bonnie's, and Grandpa and Grandma's house. Mara was thrilled with the bucket that Grandma had her candy in...not interested in what was in it, but loved the bucket (Jay and I were more interested in the actual candy in it!) Quite entertaining for all of us! We also went to visit Great Grandma. Mara was pretty tired by this point (it was after her bedtime), but she still had fun! As you can see from the last photo here, she did start to get a little crabby towards the end of the evening! Overall I'd say her first Halloween was a success! I wonder what she'll dress up as next year...