Las Vegas/Easter

Here we are on the flight out to Las Vegas - it was super early ( 4am wake up call ) so kiddos stayed in their jammies for the flight out. It didn't surprise me that Anna was such a good sport - after all, this made her 14th flight in 4 years but Charlie absolutely adored flying. He sat by the window and looked out the entire flight - making comments teh whole time about what he saw. For a mama with severe aversion to heights, this made me rather quesy but I tried to be strong for the little guy. On the flight home, it was so bumpy that I was practically in tears, but Charlie was tough, his were the only words you could hear on the flight and they were somethign like this ' wee - FUN, up, down - weeeeeeee'... It did sort of seem like a roller coaster and his comments were the only thing that kept me sane. The pilot liked it too, b/c when we landed we got a tour of the cockpit for being such fantastic passengers.

This is Maggie's first dip in the pool... she wasn't too sure about it but did enjoy sunning herself afterwards with Charlie. Anna and Charlie proved themselves to be quite the fish, we didn't do much other than swim while we were in Las Vegas, which was ok as the Strip really isn't all that kid friendly ;)


Uncle Eric and Aunt Jen got married about two hours outside of Las Vegas at the Grand Canyon West Ranch.. we got there early on the wedding day to partake in ranch activities. Turned out to be a fantastic time.. here we are trying on hats and saddles... playing with cattle and streams... the scenery wasn't too bad either!

And, here we are patiently waiting for the wedding to commence.. after all the playing in the dirt, the cousins lined up to see Eric and Jen get married. What a beautiful ceremony! We loved being able to be here for this moment.

Where we left off......

It was winter - and then I blinked and now it seems like it is nearly summer. Let's see. Charlie turned 2, Anna turned 4 and Maggie started crawling at the ripe ol' age of 6 months! I don't even think Anna and Charlie were rolling over by this point! ( they were much fatter than little Mags is.... let's just say she's a teeny thing! ) Anna's first year of preschool is coming to a close and she's such a big kid now. Playing soccer and signed up for the swim team ( yes, the real swim team, not swim lessons! ). Charlie is your typical 2 - learning at light speeds about everything around him but still a baby in my heart, I love to cuddle on him and he still allows me to be close. Maggie - as previously mentioned is crawling like a pro, trying to catch up with her big brother and sister, whom she delights in...and 'talking' a blue streak. I know it's hard to say that Maggie might be louder than Anna but she has a serious voice already and a real funny bone. I think she's going to be very funny in a year or two! We spent Easter in Las Vegas with the Alt family for Eric and Jen's wedding and the kids were amazing travelers - far better than mommy! Pics to come of our spring.....

Winter pics

Anna, Charlie and Maggie at 12 weeks old. I can't believe that Maggie is already past this point. That bear has gotten a lot of use over the past four years!




A few things we've been busy with this winter include lots of baking. Both Charlie and Anna love to 'help' me in the kitchen, which always includes lots of licking of the spoons and frosting as many cupcakes/cookies as possible. *Charlie loves sprinkles * We've also learned that Charlie hates to be cold - he refuses to go outside for more than a few minutes but I did manage to get him bundled and capture a rare photograph of him in the snow.

Spring is that you?

It is gorgeous outside. I went home for lunch today and the kids were eating outside on their picnic table. I love it! It's only Feb. 17th but the car thermometer said 68! I packaged Mags up in the bjorn and went for a walk on the golf course path to enjoy some sun and get a little exercise. she loved it so much she promptly fell asleep! I can't wait to be really done with winter.

Almost 2

Our sweet little man is nearly two and I can't believe it. He's gone from a tubby nearly bald baby to a lanky toddler in the blink of an eye. He's working out the terribles now too - and goes from dancing around the living room to flinging himself on the floor in a rage quite frequently. He's still so sweet though and loves to give hugs and kisses, which I ask for quite often! How could I not! His vocabulary has grown immensely and he's almost got the abc song down. One of the cutest songs he does is 'wheels on the bus' and dances around in this crazy straight legged dance. At the end, his little 'tada' move just melts us all. Anna made up a stage name for him, "Paco Sillyman" and it's so appropriate. He's funny and so so silly almost 90% of the time. His love for all things Anna is still going strong. His first word in the morning is Anna and he always looks for her when he wakes up from his nap. I hope their friendship stays this strong throughout their child hood. Happy Birthday my baby boy. We love you so much.

Maggie Marie!

This is far over due - but, Maggie Marie was born on October 23rd, at 10:05am, weighing in at 7 lbs and 3 oz. She came a whopping 20 minutes after I arrived at the hospital. Karl wins the father of the year award for his heroics that day. I awoke feeling a bit more bad than normal ( and that was pretty bad, given my bedrest and contractions ).. at any rate, I just thought I had the stomach flu. We went to soccer practice with Anna and Charlie and I kept feeling horrible. Finally, after about 20 minutes, I realized that I didn't have the stomach bug, I was having a baby. My contractions had stopped and my water hadn't broken, but I knew suddenly that our baby was coming VERY soon. Karl hiked Anna and Charlie over his shoulders on the soccer field and we hightailed it to the car. Fortunately, Frederick Memorial is only a few minutes by car, but I screamed the entire way. Somehow, Karl managed to keep his cool until I was in L&D and they told me I was 9 cm dilated and baby was coming now. Nevertheless, he didn't panic and helped the nurses find a place to put our big kids while their sibling arrived. ( we really didn't need them to witness that! ).. he was the best coach, despite the fact I had no epidural. Maggie was born a mere 20 minutes later. We were very happy that it turned out the way it did. Because I was not medicated, I could hold her and walk around immediately. Anna and Charlie were able to see her quickly, and that made it a very special moment for the whole family. She was dramatic in the womb and made a dramatic entry and has since been welcomed happily by Anna and Charlie as the newest addition to their little posse.

Getting closer......

I had an OB appt today ( shocking, I know ). I have one every Monday for my 17P shot, but this one was a 'real' checkup. The OB spent more than 5 minutes with me too, which was such a treat. At any rate, the doctor said to me, I think we only have about 4 more weeks and it suddenly hit me. We're having a baby in a month. HOLY SH*T. I have so much to do. I spent the whole trip home in a total panic thinking of all the things I don't have, probably need to get, ought to clean, etc. and, then again, only 4 more weeks!!! ohmygosh, I hope I'm ready for this!