1 year and a few months...

Maisy is 16 months.

Johnny is almost 7.

And Kristi has been horrible at updating her blog!

The winter was filled with illness and ebay sales and it took up much of my extra time. Maisy and Johnny are both so much fun right now, to be honest, I've been enjoying them and haven't felt like writing about it!

Maisy is silly, cranky, fussy, naughty, happy, spunky and just plain adorable. She's a little bit of a monster too! She bites, she hits, she kicks, she steals toys, she hits with the toys she steals, if you try and steal her toys she'll screech like a howler monkey. She's starting to talk and says Mama and Mommy, Daddy (day-yee), Johnny (Nonny), Don, Cat, Dog and all those other words kids start talking with. She also says Thank you, which is shocking and I'm never sure if I heard her right. She babbles alot and talks alot of trash as Papa would say. She walks around saying "dobby, dobby dobby dobby" all the time. We aren't entirely sure what it means. It has different inflections, different tones and different exclamations each time! (we equate this to Cassidy's saying "oh-ba-dah" as a toddler). Maisy loves to go outside and climbs everything. She's really strong and coordinated and fearless. We were spoiled with Johnny. He was far more interested in digging in the dirt then climbing to the sky.

Johnny is doing great in Kindergarten. He's made some very good friends and is learning to read and write. He LOVES to draw and will take any opportunity, and blank piece of paper, to draw an alien he's created. He's got his entire life planned. At 13 he'll be able to make youtube videos; 16 he can drive a car and begin learning animation; at 19 he can begin making his own toys and tv shows which he will make in his toy warehouse. He's going to sell some of the toys, but keep most for himself to play with. Alex just turned 13 and Johnny is very excited that he will now be able to create youtube videos on his own. Johnny started karate at Premier Martial Arts and LOVES it. He'd like to get a black belt someday, but REALLY wants a green belt. (it's his favorite color). His favorite part of karate is a game called dodge pad that they play at the end of each class. Johnny has decided when he gets older he wants to be in a band. He's going to pay the microphone.

I have sat down to write this post for months and months and get distracted and never finish. Most of these pictures are old, but if I don't post it now I never will.A year of Maisy in a stocking!

Maisy got this ladybug for christmas. She can barely touch the ground, but she loves it. Watch out when she drives by - she might run you over!Maisy's new carseat...the girliest print ever! Daisy Head Maisy It was time for a haircut! Her first!
Momo cut her hair

Maisy decided to do a taste test on the hairNot exactly a taste she enjoys!Finished product!If Johnny is sitting on the floor, Maisy will back herself up to him and sit on him. It's the cutest thing. Sometimes I find them sitting like this and can't resist a picture. If you leave the bathroom door open, Maisy will TP the house in seconds. She loves to wear her earmuffs around her neck while she works!


Here is Maisy's 1 year video that I never posted! It's long, get some popcorn, put your feet up and enjoy!

11 months

Maisy is 11 months!

(i know...she's almost 1, but sleep is rare around here and it actually takes brain power to type these and i find that i have very little when i don't have much sleep!)

Turn your back for a second and you are liable to find her like this

She got all bundled up in her snowman suit and watched me deck the halls!

She is donning her gay apparel, and her Grinch diaper cover in honor of the holiday spirit!

She visited Santa for the first time and was mostly very confused by him.

Her hair is getting longer and I am having a great time fixing it. I'm pretty sure she's enjoying it too!

Johnny and Maisy had a great time looking through all of our Christmas toys.

I'll admit it, I made her a new Santa hat!

We bundled up Maisy and Johnny and took them to get our Christmas tree.

Johnny got right to work decorating.

Maisy got right to work undecorating.

Don went to sleep.

Eventually we did get the task completed.

(with nothing on the bottom half of the tree)

Johnny posed on a tractor at the farm.

Johnny still enjoys taking many many baths. At least one a day, usually more. Bathing is not a quick activity, lasting sometimes for hours at a time.

Santa came on a firetruck to Grammie and Grandpa's house. Johnny was too nervous to go see him. Just as I snapped this photo, Maisy started to cry. I guess she finally decided she's had it with being passed to strange men with big white beards.

Johnny is eagerly awaiting Christmas. This year he would like "The Ben 10 Alien Force Alien Creation Chamber and all of the 'Each Sold Separately's"

Johnny has been quite emotional recently and has many fears. We currently have an ongoing discussion, and crying session, around getting blood drawn and when you might need to have blood drawn. Johnny is terrified of the thought of having blood drawn and at any moment may breakdown over the issue. (Johnny has not had blood drawn since he was 12 months!)

The other day Johnny began crying because he was scared that he might have a beard when he is an adult and wouldn't be able to get rid of it and it might make his voice sound funny. After much discussion we realized that sometimes Daddy grows a Christmas beard and his voice sounds the same as when he has his shaved face.

At Bailey's birthday party Johnny announced to me that someone must have had gas because it smelled like "lots and lots of poop". I explained to him that it isn't polite to comment on smells. Weeks later we were in Target, browsing toys, and I became aware of an odor. Trying to figure out if I was going to need to change Maisy's diaper or take Johnny to the restroom, I asked Johnny if he'd had gas. He looked at me and said "remember mama, it isn't polite to comment on other people's smells". Lesson learned!

Johnny is really in the spirit of giving this year. High on his list to buy for...his blankets. Johnny has informed us that he would like to buy his blankets a Christmas present. What do blankets want for Christmas? Initially he thought they may enjoy something to snuggle with, like a stuffed animal. It quickly became clear to him that he loves snuggling with his blankets and why not buy his blankets something to snuggle with as well, like a blanket. So, he is shopping around to find the perfect blanket to give his blankets for Christmas. (I am confused by this on so many levels that I haven't even hit the point of being worried that my son wants to buy a present for his blankets!)

Maisy is doing great in every area, except sleeping. She still doesn't sleep well. She's sleeping better compared to the waking every 45 minutes, but I personally feel sleeping longer than 2 hours at a time sounds even better.

She's starting to talk and repeat what we say. This is all new to us. Johnny talked very very late (starting around 2½) and he never repeated us. He didn't say a word until he could actually say it and know exactly what he was saying and how to say it. Which is probably why we spent months upon months in speech therapy with Johnny never speaking to the therapist. (Finally she heard him talking to us in the waiting room and released us from therapy.) Johnny was about to jump off the couch onto Maisy and Gabe yelled "STOP!". Since then Maisy has been walking around yelling "OP!" very loudly. Anytime you say Johnny's name she begins saying "OP!". She also sat in front of his door one morning, while he was still sleeping, pointing to the door saying "don-ah" over and over again. I finally realized she was saying "Johnny" and I thinks he wanted to see him. It was very sweet.

Johnny and Maisy have a wonderful relationship. He has far exceeded my expectations as a big brother. He loves her so much and wants to spend as much time with her as he can. He can't wait to play with her and is always looking out for her. She lights up with excitement when she sees him. Honestly, this is probably my favorite part of having Maisy. The bond they share is something I had never expected to see and I feel like it's such a gift to have the opportunity to watch it develop.

On a sadder note, Don the hermit crab has passed on. I should clarify, Don, the larger of the 2 hermit crabs; the 2nd Don the hermit crab to join our family; who originally joined us in a rainbow colored shell and we called him "Rainbow Don" but quickly moved out of his shell becoming "Big Don" the hermit crab. He will be missed. Kind of. Actually probably not at all. He was like a pet rock that you have to put in water once a week. Don't worry, we still have our other hermit crab, also named Don. (not to be confused with Don the cat!)

Johnny has informed us that his teacher told him that hermit crabs get lonely and we need to get Don a new friend soon. Also to be named Don. (we have never really known exactly why Johnny likes the name Don so much. After we went to Hawaii in 2006 Johnny began naming everything Don. For a while he called our car Don)

Don the cat recently jumped in the car while I was loading up the kids. We were going to dinner at Grammie and Grandpa's. Almost to their house a small "meow!" comes from the back seat. Don the cat was in the car. Worried that he might jump out at Grammie and Grandpa's house I exited the freeway and took him home. Unfortunately he has not learned his lesson and still gets in the car every chance he has.

10 Months!

Maisy is 10 months old!

She's walking all the time, it's her only mode of getting around. She looks like Frankenstein when she walks, very WIDE, stiff legs waddling side to side. It's very cute!

Sometimes Maisy gets very excited and likes to walk around flapping her arms and bouncing up and down.

I believe she's inherited a bit of Bailey's climbing gene. While at the grocery store, even though she was tightly buckled in, she managed to get her legs up and under her and stand on the seat of the cart, while twisted up in the belt. Her legs are so short that they don't really "hang" down, making it easier for her to maneuver herself into these precarious positions!

To get an idea of how short she is...today I realized she was standing underneath the toilet paper roll (and holder) and her head was just barely touching. No one should be able to stand up under the toilet paper roll! That seems wrong!

Johnny and I picked out this Halloween costume for Don. As you can see, he LOVES it!

We raked leaves last weekend and Johnny had a great time INSIDE the lawn clippings bin. He spent about ½ hour in there with the lid closed talking and playing. Don't worry - he had a bath after.

When I finally got a pile of leaves rakes I made Gabe bring Maisy out for a photo. She did not care for the feeling of the wet leaves on her feet.

It has been an exciting month of firsts for Maisy. Probably the most important is her first pigtails! Notice her long luxurious pigtails! She's very close to having all her hair up!

(I know it's exciting! Take a deep breath before looking at the pictures!)

Maisy has also begun playing in the Tupperware cupboard. A timeless tradition for all children. It has led me to ponder why I have so many containers. You'd think I cooked a lot and had tons of leftovers! In any case, Maisy is thoroughly enjoying how many containers her mother has.

She still falls asleep wherever she feels like it!

There was a time when I thought I'd continue taking her monthly picture in her stocking past her first year. As you'll see below, this is getting harder and harder to accomplish.

Here she is laying in the stocking...

She stands up...

She begins moving away...

She's now walking away from me trying to catch her...

She falls down...

She's up again ready to go...

Maybe they really are friends, here are Maisy and Don looking outside. (I didn't include the pictures of her grabbing his fur!)

You may notice that Maisy is already "donning her gay apparel"! She has quite a selection of holiday clothes and I want to make sure she gets a chance to wear it all, so we've begun early. I bought this outfit on eBay very cheaply and have been dying to put it on her. As she turned and walked away I realized it looked like I'd stolen the skirt from a Christmas tree and wrapped it around her waist. Still, totally worth it and she will "don" this gay apparel again!

Johnny's class was collecting beans and rice for a sensory table at school. While purchasing our beans Johnny asked why we were buying them. I told him that Mrs. M. asked us to bring a bag of beans for the bean table in class. He looked at me and said "Well, actually, I think I'll tell Mrs. M. 'no thank you because I don't really like to eat beans".

Johnny had a little cold. He came running in from playing outside and told me he'd dropped his cookie on the ground, but it was ok because he was already sick so he ate it anyway.

Johnny and Maisy are starting to play together. It's really fun to watch. They laugh at each other and he enjoys giving her toys to play with. He's really excited to buy her a Christmas present; and also excited to see what she's going to buy him for Christmas!

This past week I've gotten a few coupons and fliers in the mail for baby's 1st birthday cakes or other stuff around baby being 1. I must admit, I'm not ready. I knew she'd turn 1 eventually, I just didn't know it would only take 12 months! (and Gabe thinks he's the comedian in the family!!!)