Adventures in Babysitting

Our friends had called us and wondered if we wanted to watch their 1.5 month old daughter while they could run errands at Walmart. I understand their pain - and how much easier it is to get things done kidless (is that even a word?!) Since DH was at work, I figured, "sure, why not?!" So they brought her over, and man, was I in for it.

First off, I brought up Macyn's bouncy seat for Abigail to sit in, but Macyn wanted to sit in it herself. She had a hard time understanding that its made for babies, not a 14 month old. But in the end, she ended up sharing her seat...despite her trying to push Abigail's legs out of the seat!It was quite the night since Abigail doesn't take a paci & likes to be held, she cried some. Every time Abigail would cry, so would Macyn. Its a vicious cycle. If I would hold Abigail, then Macyn wanted to be held....but Macyn did like her for the most part. She especially liked to poke her.I love the 2nd pic where she looks so ornery! Its fun to see those 2 interact together. Despite being a year apart, Macyn could still get Abigail to smile. More so than I could:After that, and a poopy pants change, Abigail's parents came to pick her up. After watching a 1.5 month old and a 14 month old by myself, I am definitely NOT ready for another kid....this pretty much cured my baby fever....for a while!

Day after Christmas

Whats the day after Christmas without ANOTHER Christmas to celebrate? Before we took off for DH's side, there are some priorities that Macyn had to get out of the way first.

1) Play with Polie Bear from Aunt Brooke2) See if you missed any presentsAfter that, it was a fun-filled time at Grandpa & Grandma VA's. She got a lot of toys, a pair of socks, 2 books, and some new pajamas. She is quite proud of the new vacuum she got. She loves to push that thing around the house. It's never to early to learn how to clean :)I didn't get too many good pictures. I think she was overwhelmed by the excitement of her cousins and the over abundance of Zhu Zhu Pets. Afterwords, it was time to come home, put on her pajamas, and take a stroll in the Cozy Coupe....where she figured out how to crawl in without using the door.

Christmas Day

We spent Christmas morning sleeping in & going to the Grandparent's for lunch. We then headed to South Dakota for a good ol' family Christmas. Here are some highlights from our day:Seeing our adorable nephew, Caden, on his first Christmas. I got him some shoe socks, an outfit, a Christmas ornament, and a custom made photo collage.Griswold Family Christmas photo op. We all got shirts like this for Christmas, believe it or not!
Brooklyn receved some plaid loafers and slippersMe with my two favorite babies.Awesome moon shot as we were driving home.

All in all, it was a great Christmas spent with family. I absolutely LOVE Christmastime!

Christmas Eve

We had our 2nd annual Christmas with Macyn on Christmas Eve. We started out by going to church, where Macyn made it through the ENTIRE service! This was a Christmas miracle in itself! After church, we opened up our presents to each other:
DH got - a pillow!I got a Family wall shelf thingyMacyn got crayons, a coloring book, snow pants, and a Cozy Coupe....but her grandparents are the one who got her what every 14 month old would want - a jungle gym!Technically, its the All-Star Sports Climber, but its nice because it has a lot of activities - rock climbing wall, slide, basketball hoop, football toss, and soccer goal. She instantly figured out how to climb up the wall & shoot hoops. It took a little bit to figure out the slide since trying to walk down isn't usually the best solution. She now proudly goes down on her tummy, feet first; and once in a while head first.Besides putting the jungle gym together, Grandpa and DH also put together the Cozy Coupe which I am extremely thankful for. I'm pretty sure we would have been divorced had we done it boy ourselves. I would have never thought in a million years how complicated a coupe would be. But, Macyn loves it & that's all that matters

How to stay busy in the car

It is very hard to entertain a 14 month old on a 4.5 hour car ride. Here are some successes as to keep her occupied - Taking all the Kleenex out of the box:And whoever is not driving takes them right backs, folds them, and puts them back in the box. The bonus? Both the child and non-driver are occupied.

Next up, since there are only really small towns on Hwy 20, we found a Dollar General that happened to be open on Sunday. We needed a rest and Macyn had a great time destroying the toy aisle. We bought her a puzzle and a mini Magna Doodle. She really went to town on her Magna Doodle. So much she fell asleep in mid scribble:Even though its hard to keep her quiet and entertained in the car, I can't complain that we only made 1 stop down and 1 stop back home. Not too bad for a 4.5 hour car trip!

A Christmas Wedding

We had the honor of attending DH's cousin's wedding in Marshalltown. I was quite worried how this would turn out since bringing a needy 14 month old is always kinda iffy - especially for the 4.5 hour drive. She did okay with only 1 stop each way, but it definitely makes you say, "Are we there yet?" more times than usual :)

We decided to dress Macyn in her Christmas dress so she would get to wear it more than 1 time this Christmas season. It also matched the colors of the wedding - black & red, perfectly. She was quite happy about her dress, especially the sparkles. Myself and DH, however, were covered in them by the time the night was over.We were seating the 2nd row of the church, but that only lasted about 2 minutes before we decided it would be best to move to the back of the church. The church was absolutely perfect and there wasn't a bad seat in the house. We kept Macyn busy by eating Rice Krispie bars and playing with books. The service was short, sweet, and to the point with awesome music. It was just a great atmosphere and a beautiful wedding.

After the wedding we went to the reception where they had awesome food & music. We didn't end up dancing at all, though. Macyn was terribly fussy around 8:00 and had only napped once all day. So we were exhausted from traveling as well, and thought it would be best to head back to the hotel....where Macyn caught her second wind and stayed up until 11:00. We were able to snap some family pics and some with the bride before we left:

Congrats, Tim & Sara! It was a beautiful wedding!

Merry Christmas to Us

Josh and I decided instead of buying tons of gifts for each other, we would instead spend a day in Sioux Falls together and go to a Lorie Line concert. We took off about 10:00 AM and stopped to see our new nephew, Caden. He's still as precious as the first day we met him!Next, we went to the Cinedome at the Washington Pavillion. We ended up watching the movie, Alaska, and I ended up keeping my eyes shut most the time. If you don't know what a cine dome is, its pretty much this giant 1/2 sphere where they project a movie. I do not suggest going if you get motion sickness.....at all. I felt awful and sick the entire time, especially when they put you eye-level in the Iditarod. So I just kept my eyes closed :) Here is the best picture I could find of the cinedome:Next up, we ate at the Olive Garden where I accepted the waitress's offer of the sample wine. Boy was I happy I did! It is officially my favorite wine (besides Prairie Berry Black Currant). Its called Moscato. The liquor store did have this wine, but its just not the same. I am really hoping I get a bottle for Christmas :)We also splurged and got a dessert to take home. Man, was this DELICIOUS!?

It was called "Triple Chocolate Strata" Classic Italian chocolate torta layered with creamy mousse and topped with dark chocolate ganache.

After that it was off to the Lorie Line concert. We had a great time and was a great way to end the evening. I would highly suggest her concerts to everyone. It seems all age groups go to them and its definitely worth the price. You won't be disappointed! I love seeing her outfits and especially her shoes. The other musicians who perform with her are extremely good as well. Its just a great concert and we are considering making this a Here are some of the photos I took.All in all, it was a great day and really nice to have a date with Josh. I honestly don't remember the last time we did something together without Macyn. Don't get me wrong, we love her to pieces, but its nice to have a Mommy & Daddy night out!

First Haircut

Macyn got her first haircut Friday morning, and surprisingly, it went really well. At first she wasn't so sure about the whole spraying her hair, but we gave her some snacks to munch on and she sat mostly still. The entire haircut took about 10 minutes. She didn't have much hair to start with, but the mullet she was growing was starting to get iffy. The hairstylist just shaped it up in the back and now it is level with her ears. It already looks thicker. Even though I miss her long hair in the back, I think it looks a lot better...just takes some getting used to!

You Are My Sunshine(r)

Well, this is Macyn's 2nd shiner so far. The first one she got at daycare when she slipped pushing her toy outside. She got this doozie of one last night. She likes to push the glider rocker in her bedroom and often runs and plops on it. Last night, she ran, and pretty much missed the cushion part and took the wooden arm right into her left eye. She let out a pretty big wail, but didn't cry for too long. She got an instant blood blister when it happened too. Needless to say, she doesn't like to run into the glider anymore!

14 Months Old

A big milestone this month is walking without being too wobbly! She has also figured out the moonwalk (walking backwards) but she hasn't exactly mastered this skill yet. She likes to lean on anything she can, even it if isn't sturdy enough to hold her, which results in some "smart bumps." She enjoys chasing the dog and making messes.

She now has 11 teeth. Three molars have popped through- 2 on top and 1 on bottom. Hopefully this means a happier girl and a little less crabby! I am worried about how these molars have affected her when she still has to get one more on the bottom and her I teeth.

She also found her belly and bellybutton. If you ask her, "Where's your belly?" she will lift up her shirt and start playing with her belly and/or button. Its kinda funny, except when she has a dress on at church :)

Eating has become her favorite past time. No matter what you are eating she wants a piece, and when she is done eating she lets you know! The other night she had 2 roast beef sandwiches and a bowl of soup....and then threw a fit because she was "all done." She seems to chug apple juice and milk by the gallon. She also likes buttermilk brownies, but not a fan of pop or ketchup. With both, she tries to scrape it off her tongue. It's pretty funny to watch.

She now sits forward in her car seat and I think she likes it A LOT better. She seems to jabber more in the car, but it can also be a distraction for Mommy too. I'm waaaay more tempted to turn around and see what she needs all the time instead of just "waiting it out" until we got home.

Another exciting event happened this past month too - a new baby cousin Caden! I am sure those two will have a great time playing together when he is a little bigger. (blog post coming soon!)

Progressive Destruction

...notice how in the last picture she's smiling? She knows she's naughty :)

Caden Michael

I am proud to introduce....my new nephew! He was born on December 11, 2010. He has a cool birthday too - 12.11.10. Hes such a precious baby boy and loves to cuddle. I am excited for him to grow up to see what kind of trouble Macyn and he can get into. Macyn likes him too, but she gets a little jealous when I hold him. She got mad in the hospital, so DH took her out to the waiting room. I went out to go check on them, and this is what I find:
How cute is that?! Welcome to the world, Caden. We love you a lot!

Sunday Best

Today for church we decided to take out Macyn's "little black dress." Hey, your never too young for one :) I picked this one up at a rummage this past fall. It was brand new with the tags still on for $3. Can't beat that for a velvet dress! She paired it off with some baby pink tights and her Mary Jane shoes.

We did figure out she learned a new trick after church. While we were chit-chatting with others she was running around and lifting up her dress up to her head, leaving everything for the world to see. Other people thought it was funny. I think I may need to teach her this is not acceptable before she embarrasses herself (and us) when she is old enough to be in the Christmas pageant!

I thought it was quite funny. After all, this could make for some good memories & pictures!

How to Waste a Friday Night

By watching YouTube Videos. What was I watching, you may ask? See for yourself!

First up, a high school recreating the Okay Go with Treadmills video:


Next, the evolution of dance:


Fred Goes Swimming:


Fred's Mom is Missing:


Lego Tetris:


This kid singing Teenage Dream:


And "Should've Said No"


Then some GOOD singers:




Yup. That's what I was doing all night. Pretty nerdy, I know!

She Strikes Again

Today Hurricane Macyn demolished the alphabetical organization of the DVD tower. She literally pulled down the gate and went to town. After some re-alphabetizing the cleanup of the destruction is finished. Its only a matter of time when she strikes again!

New Game

Items needed: Blanket and walking toddler
Objective: See how far your toddler can walk with a blanket on his/her head without falling over or knocking herself out
Disclaimer: No toddlers were harmed in this video. Only play under adult supervision and protecting your little one from dangerous falls.

Take one:


Take two:


The funny part is, she wanted to do this over and over and never cried one bit - only laughed!

Is your house on fire, Clark?

"No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights." - Christmas Vacation (If you have no idea what I am talking about, WATCH IT! BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE EVER!)

Anyways, we put some Christmas lights up on the house this past week and we decided to put up a few more. Since it was such a nice day on Saturday (try 45 degrees), we all went out and got some fresh air. Macyn was a big help with the candy canes:We were going to put them into the tree since the ground was frozen, but we nixed that idea since it would be too much work. Maybe next year. We also added some lights to the garage, but when the box says 11 feet of lighted length and the TOTAL STRAND is only 9 feet, well, you come up short. After seeing that the shortness of our lights looked retarded on the garage, we decided to put them in our bush instead. Since we majorly failed on lights, here are some other non-light highlights of our day:

Macyn having a good time on her riding toy:Macyn enjoying Mom's crazy driving of the stroller :)

John Phillip Souza - What Does He Sing Again?

Title of my post = one of my favorite quotes of all times...thanks to the lady who came and visited on Black Friday! My coworker and I got together with my former coworker who now lives in Florida. It was great to see each other again and it was certainly hard to believe it has been a year already! We pretty much just chilled at the mall while Macyn acted like a terrible 2 year old. And then came back to my house where we hung out and watched my coworker's toddler, Ryan, bust some moves appropriate for high school dances. All in all it was a great day and fun to just kick back and relax without a work atmosphere!

Black Friday

I'm not a big Black Friday shopper since I hate crowds and waiting in line, but I do like to look at the ads on Thanksgiving Day. So we bought a paper and skimmed through, and I found that Kmart was having a sale on their Cozy Coupes for $15 cheaper than usual. I was planning on getting this for Macyn anyways, so I figured I would just go to WalMart in town and have them price match instead of driving all the way to Sioux City or Sioux Falls. I went to WalMart around 8:00 and could not find a Cozy Coupe...at all. I asked someone and they were completely sold out and may not get another shipment in before Christmas.

I quick jumped online to see if it was available at another WalMart 20 minutes away and they had 2 left! So we made the quick trip and got the Coupe at the discounted price. We came home and I have a feeling Macyn is going to LOVE her Christmas present - see for yourself: