Go ahead and push play on both the song below and the slide show. The slide show however is MUCH LONGER then the song. I just pulled in every single picture i had of the two of them. My two boys are peas in a pod and this song just says exactly what I think. If we're lucky Ty will be Anything like his Daddy. The end of the song just kills me. Sounds just like Ty's sweet little voice.
She is such a mover these days. She crawls everywhere, she pulls herself up on couches and chairs, no shuffling along things yet. I give her only another month though before she figures that out. She is doing things so much sooner then Ty did so it always surprises us. She LOVES food and gets jealous if we are all eating when she is not. More often then not I end up feeding her almost everything off my plate. She got her two front teeth about 2 weeks ago, although you can hardly see them because they are still growing in.
Showing her two front teeth... and her knack for getting her hands on anything.
She has decided not to enjoy sleep so much and threw her nap schedule out the window. She wants to sleep all day and stay up all night. I blame it on the teething. So we try to keep her up during the day so maybe she'll sleep better at night.
Three nights ago was the VERY FIRST time she ACTUALLY fell asleep in my arms. She was running a temperature and was waking up every 30 minutes or so. I tried everything Tylenol, snuggling, pacifier, diaper change, nothing helped. I finally went into the living room with her and we fell asleep on the couch together. It wasn't a bad way to sleep though, snuggling with my not so snuggly little lady.
She loves Ty and has actually started trying to play with him, she'll follow him around everywhere. If he is on the floor she'll go over and sit on his head or crawl up on him. Then Ty will start wrestling with her, of course she starts crying because Ty is too rough. I still haven't quite figured out how to parent that one...
Most times during the day however she goes into Ty's room and plays with all his toys by herself. Luckily Ty doesn't mind and she makes a HUGE mess in there. I don't mind since it's in the back room.
She still gets complements everywhere we go about how beautiful she is and what big blue eyes she has. I always say "yep she got them from her Daddy"
Maylee loves to jump and will jump her little heart out. She is also quite persistent. She'll start going after something, so i'll move it somewhere else (usually in a cupboard or behind something else). This doesn't deter her at all. She'll go right where I hid it and try to find it. I have started putting things up on the couch but now she can stand up and reach for things on the couch too!
She doesn't have much stranger danger yet and will let most anyone hold her.
We switched insurance companies for the new year, so it may be a little bit before we get her in for her 9 month check up. Once we do i'll report her stats. I think she has grown quite a bit but she is still quite small for her age. :)
Grandpa Spence drove all the way from Texas to spend Christmas with us! He came in on Thursday. With a little time, the kids warmed up to him. Ty quickly learned what a fun horsey Grandpa can be!
Christmas Eve, Matt and Ty played outside while I tied up a few loose ends and got dinner ready.
Matt and Steve went out shopping for a little bit that afternoon and made it back in time for dinner. We had a yummy ham dinner. It was DELIGHTFUL!
That evening we drove down to the OMNIMAX dome Imax theater to see "The Polar Express" Ty was pretty much the cutest kid ever.
He was on cloud 9. Luckily we had nice grandparents in front of us that thought Ty's enthusiasm was cute because he just couldn't contain his JOY of seeing one of his FAVORITES on such a cool screen! He kept saying "WOW! Cool! Mommy LOOK!" It was actually a pretty cool place to see the movie and the perfect thing to do on Christmas Eve.
Maylee was even perfect. She watched most of the movie and didn't make a peep.
When we got home we opened the kids Christmas Eve gifts...
May loves wrapping paper.
Of course we all know it's pajama's from my parents... Ty's were Thomas and he loved them! May's had a reindeer on her bum. :)
Kids with their pajamas on ready for bed.
Christmas morning Matt got up way early and flipped our couch around to face the tree and set out the stockings and boot for Steve over by the tree.
Maylee and I were still asleep together in our bed so Ty and Matt came in to wake us up. Ty said MERRY CHRISTMAS MOMMY! It was a perfect way to wake up.
We always look in our stockings and see what Santa brought us. Santa brought Ty a Thomas book and Maylee a new winter hat. Then we ate our Christmas Cereal for breakfast and got to opening the rest of our presents.
We opened presents and Ty of course opened his new talking Thomas and didn't really care about the rest.
He did help May open her presents though.
Whoops were out of order. Anyway, Ty helped pass out the presents.
May got a BIG Lady Bug pillow pet from my parents. She liked playing with the antennae. When we sit her on it, it was so big she could hardly crawl off.
Maylee got a light up star ring tower that she enjoyed too until Ty decided it was exciting and took it from her. Yeah we'll need to work on that.
I was SUPER SUPER SSSSSUUUUUPPPPEEEEERRRR spoiled by Steve and Matt, tons of new clothes, a beautiful new coat and perfume. WOW! Matt got a black Skinny Tie that he's been wanting for years, a noise machine with 12 different sounds so he can sleep better at night and a new coat too! We were spoiled beyond spoiled this year.
Ty watched BOLT, one of his new movies that the Wu family gave us for Christmas while we got ready for church. The Wu's also got Matt some Stroopwafels, the big ones from Costco. They were SOOO good. I bet they'll last longer since they are the real size.
We got all ready for church and Steve suggested a we take a picture. My mom made May's outfit and bought Matt and Ty matching ties for Christmas. Luckily my new coat matched perfectly too. I think we're a pretty cute family :)
Grandpa Steve!
We had a friend take a picture of ALL of us at church.
We came home from church, took naps, cleaned up and ate some left overs. I made some phone calls to my family then we skyped with Jordan and Nate's families and we got to talk to Braden in Mexico! He told us to call at a certain time and we had some serious technical difficulties. Turns out Braden didn't give us ALL the numbers, just the Mexican number not to area code or the country code. Once that was all figured out Steve got through to him he had time left to talk to Steve Matt and I think they worked out a way for Jordan and Nate to talk to him too.
Ty and Maylee loved all their new things and the wrapping paper, eating all the cookies and candies and playing with family.
We get one more day with Steve before he takes off to Pocatello to spend time with Jordan and Nate's families. Not sure what we're doing tomorrow, probably just milling around and enjoying one another's company.
It was a perfect day today. Being together with family and going to church... I couldn't think of a more wonderful way to remember the birth of our Savior.
January- We went as a family to Bear River snowmobiling. Ty learned how to sled and Matt started his last semester of school. Mickie prepared for the idea of having a girl by making hair bows and sewing dresses and worked her last day for Garbett Homes.
February- Ty decided to sleep in a big boy bed all on his own. Mickie was put on bed rest and read a ton of books. She also had a fabulous Spa Baby Shower. Matt began the interview process with Fisher Investments.
March- Matt flew out to Vancouver WA for the final of four interviews for Fisher Investments on the 22nd and came back just a day before our Maylee Elizabeth was born on the 24th. She was 6 pounds and healthy. Mickie turned 26 on the 30th
April- Matt found out he was hired at Fisher Investments and was cramming for finals. Mickie adjusted to being a stay at home mom of two. Ty loved his little sister a ton (and still does). Maylee continued to grow wonderfully.
May- Matt graduated with his Bachelors in Finance from the University of Utah. We blessed Maylee at church. We moved to Vancouver Washington from our beloved Herriman Utah home. Matt started his new job and said good bye to Morgan Stanley. Maylee smiled at Mickie for the first time on Mother’s Day.
June- We learned what a Washington summer is (non-existent at that point). We got acquainted with our new home and surroundings. Ty turned 2 on the 10th and Matt turned 28 on the 29th. Maylee started sleeping through the night.
July- We celebrated the Fourth of July with some family on both sides in Medford Oregon at Mickie’s parents house. Matt flew out to Iowa for his cousin Mandi’s wedding and loved seeing his Dad and brother Nate, plus family he hadn’t seen in about a decade. Maylee started rolling over.
August- Summer finally rolled around in Washington. Ty learned how to swim. Maylee started trying to eat rice cereal. Mickie’s sister Suzanne and her husband Preston came to visit. Matt gained independence at work and no longer works under his Mentor.
September- Mickie and Matt attempted to potty train Ty with no luck. Maylee finally grew out of 0-3 month clothes and on to 3-6 month clothes. Mickie, Ty and Maylee drove out to Idaho to visit Matt’s two brothers and their families plus Mickie’s Older Brother and his family. Ty discovers his obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine.
October- Matt played pick up football. Mickie, Ty and Maylee drove with her parents to Utah to visit her sisters their familes and her brother. Ty dressed up as Thomas the Tank Engine for Halloween and Maylee dressed up as a cat. Suzanne and Preston came to visit again and we went to a farm pumpkin patch.
November- We visited Mickie’s parents house in Medford for Thanksgiving and met up with Mickie’s brother Colton and his Girlfriend Maddy. Maylee learned how to crawl. Ty started talking a ton more. Mickie and Matt flew to Hawaii for a week and left the kids home with their dear friends, the Schmidt’s.
December- Matt continues work hard at Fisher Investments. Mickie prepares for the holidays by baking, sewing and wrapping presents. Ty finds the simple joy in Christmas lights. Maylee starts eating more and more food and zooms around the house getting into everything.
This afternoon I had a little bit of time. You see, our family didn't have stockings. I was trying to figure out what to do since my family grew up with boots. Matt's family had stockings but he doesn't have his from when he was young. Also, we have always had Christmas at someone else's house besides our own so I haven't worried about it. Until this year! We're staying home!
Turns out I had some extra fabric (wink wink). I thought LONG AND HARD about how to make these. I am not an intuitive sewer it takes lots of thinking and preparation to sew something. This time I had a pattern sent to me by e-mail from Michaela, but my printer went berserk so I didn't even have THAT! After talking with a few family members and googling some instructions, I finally decided it was time to do it. I drew my own pattern up, measured, cut and sewed away...
Not bad for a first try I think! I am going to put name tags on them tomorrow. I think they are SO CUTE!
Ty asked me if Santa would bring him treats in his sock. I've been talking to him a lot more about it lately. Sounds like it's sinking in a little.
GO COUGS! Right? I figured using that fabric would work out JUST fine.
I didn't mess up once! I never thought an expletive or wanted to throw anything out the window this time. I even started caroling along with ole' Bing Crosby on Pandora while sewing! Talk about holiday spirit! Never thought I would have anything but EVIL spirits inside me while I was sewing. Look what a lot of thought and a little practice can do.
Anyway, I just wanted to bragg a bit about my latest and greatest sewing project :)
We went to an AWESOME Tree farm just a few miles from our house. On recommendation from some friends of ours. It was a WONDERFUL place to get a tree. Perks of living in Washington I guess but they were quite inexpensive AND we got free Hot Cocoa and Apple Cider AND Santa was there!
Ty tried to figure out how to get Rudolf a flyin'.
Ty wanted DADDY in the picture too.
It was chilly so Matt showed Ty to put his hands in his coat pockets.
There she is! Isn't she a beauty? Never mind that we didn't look SUPER hard at the almost bare backside of the tree. We'll say that Ty helped up pick it haha.
It was a U-Cut place. They supplied the saws you had to cut it and carry it over to pay for it. I told Matt to go ahead and cut down the tree... Wrong Tree Matt. He did wonder if anyone did cut down a little 12 inch tree, would they drag it over and say "Bag it and put it on my car for me!" Hahaha
Ty watching closely how it's done.
Tree, conquered.
We brought it over to the shed area where they offered to Shake and Bag your tree for you and cut off the bottom and extra limbs for you too. Pretty awesome I had never seen a tree shaker before. It's to get all the needles that are loose off and maybe any critters living in there too.
While we were waiting for our tree to be "shaken" we had a quick visit with Santa. Ty wasn't so sure so we all got in the picture. Ty doesn't say Santa, he calls him Claus. Funny.
As I mentioned in an early TMT post. Our friends drove up in their truck when we were there and offered to bring our tree home for us. SO NICE! Thanks Again Sautters!
Matt tried so hard to get the darn thing to stand up straight. It was a little heavy on one side though so we never did get her to stand perfectly straight. After about 30 minutes (seriously) we decided to just get it somewhat straight and call it the Dr. Suess Grinchy tree.
Ty loved decorating the tree with Dad while May and I played. Ty doesn't bug the tree too much and May stays away for the most part too amazingly, since that little lady is into EVERYTHING else.
Ty was toting around our star for DAYS before we got our tree, so it was only appropriate that HE got to put it on. He LOVED doing it too.
He also takes it upon himself to always turn on the lights to the tree every morning. Plus we have lights that have 16 different twinkle, blink, fade and continuous options. He knows where the buttons are to change them so often through out the day we have a disco party going on in our living room with the various strands doing different things. He loves the LIGHTS however and he doesn't bother the tree at all so I let him take charge of that. I have even religiously remembered to give it water and it's STILL sucking up two 24 ounce cups of water a day... usually I forget by now so that is QUITE the accomplishment. Our tree wont be dead by Christmas :)
Hope you all are ready and gearing up for the big day! I don't think Ty and for SURE Maylee, will even KNOW what to think on Christmas morning. I am excited to see Ty's reaction though. Before Christmas we plan on going to see none other than THE POLAR EXPRESS in the Omnimax Theater big screen awesomeness. Pretty sure that will put Ty over the top excited for Christmas :)
