11 Month Maggie

Miss Maggie is 11 months! 

The baby books all say that you can "start to really see your child's personality" at this age. Umm....yeah....we got another pistol.....and I LOVE it. 

Maggie is an adventurous little ball of smiles with a curiosity for almost everything and a desire to "talk about" it while she explores. She is HILARIOUS. She is a walking maniac...and she apparently sees no limits....like stairs, steps, etc. Therefore, like Frances, she constantly has a bruise on her face. Her smile is the best....it is the perfect mixture of bubbly happiness...with a little bit of mischief thrown inside.

Henry at 11 Months:

Frances at 11 Months:

Hood River Surprise!

On Friday morning my sister Jenny surprised me by telling me that they were making a last minute flight and coming down for the weekend. YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She also had us set up to stay in a hotel in Hood River. YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As always, Hood River was pure bliss and the kids were inseparable. Maggie was very excited to show her cousins her mad walking skills. Henry had his first official root beer and loved it...so much so, he wanted to take the bottle home. Alrighty then.  All in all, it was pretty amazing to spend Mother's Day with one of the best mothers I know -- my sister.

Turks and Caicos + College Friends = Heaven

Last May (2011)when I was BIG and waddling pregnant my college girlfriends had the BRILLIANT idea of getting together....in Turks and Caicos...in May 2012. I said yes before I even knew where T and C was located. 


When I told Mark., he said " you are going to leave me with three kids?". I forgot that me being pregnant meant that indeed, in a year, we would have three kids. Oops.  As the trip neared I feared leaving Maggie given that I am still nursing....and then my INCREDIBLE mom offered to come and take care of Maggie. Problem solved.


This last week we finally made the voyage to the Caribbean.  Holy moly beautiful. 


Five days with thirteen women in an idyllic setting.  When people have asked me how it went the best way for me to describe it is that every single night when I went to bed, my cheeks hurt from laughing so much. I knew I had an incredible college experience at the time, but in reuniting with my friends, I am astounded by the incredible people that I had fortune to meet and that will be in my life forever.  They are smart, funny, thoughtful, kind, HILARIOUS, outgoing, unique and so much more.  Per the girl rules for the trip, I am only posting a couple of group-approved pics from our dinner night out.  What happens in Turks stays in Turks......


Maggie was a SUPER trooper and amazing traveler. She loved the Caribbean and is my first child to like sand and water at young age. She also LOVED the Caribbean men...like I wanted to take one of them home with us to be our babysitter. 


I am so thankful to my mom for supporting me through coming and to Mark for holding down the fort and taking the kids on many special adventures during my absence.


I am feeling pretty grateful for my life. Bring on the next trip in 2014!!!