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!

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!!!)

The Anatomy of a Photo Shoot

Every month I take a picture of Maisy in the stocking they gave us at the hospital after she was born. As she gets more mobile, it's getting harder and harder complete this task.

I present to you, Maisy, trying to escape from her mother taking a picture in her stocking.

I never did get a picture I liked, which means I will not be posting her "9 months" post until she cooperates!