Celebration

Thanks for making it to the big celebration! Brian, Tasha and the boys got up at 5:30 AM, just so they could be here for Maggie's first birthday party. Grandma and Grandpa came out the night before. Here are pictures for everyone who wanted but couldn't be here.

We celebrated Tasha's Birthday too!

Sara's handy-work

Polka dot party banner (how-to)

Birthday hat provide by Tasha.
Polka dot dress provided by Grandma.

Birthday party minus Chase who was sleeping.

Grandma and Brayden

Presents galore

Cake from scratch to zero in two seconds!

Still eating the scrapes!

Testing scientific properties of Cake!

Tasha's boys.

We finally got Maggie a phone.

Hijacked!

Have you noticed that Sara's blog has been hijacked? Yes, originally this was her idea and I was only going to help out with the technical stuff. But the reality is Sara doesn't write blogs, she reads them. She reads about her friends, family, my friends and even strangers. Then she tells me what is going on in the world. I really like this way of seeing the world. Our cyber roles have emerged. She comments. I post. Occasionally we might break the rules but that is just the way it is.

Even though Maggie is already one, she is still our chubby baby.

A few weeks ago Maggie walked across the room while we both were daydreaming.
She has been walking steadily ever since.

Maggie's First

Maggie was a little bemused by the fuss this morning. It has been a year. It is hard to imagine that last year we were sitting in the hospital and by evening, a group of nurses would be gathered around Sara: one to pat her forehead with cool rags, one to coach her through the ordeal and one to give a last acrobatic push. Finally she was here and the doctor handed me the scissors to cut the cord. What a day!

Iconic Candle

A quick breakfast celebration!

Anthem East Trail

I went hiking with Maggie to celebrate Jonny V's birthday. It is great discovering something only ten minutes away with an awesome elevation gain and an assortment of trails. I am sure it wasn't the best thing for Maggie's little cold but it was worth it... she babbled the whole way down.

There was this huge power pole we stopped at.

Maggie didn't put a single rock in her mouth.

The round base was like a race track,
Maggie crawled around it a dozen times.

Sara just washed those!

PS. Happy Birthday Jonathan!

Be Mine

It doesn't make sense how some holidays start... to celebrate St. Valentine. hu? Well I guess it doesn't matter... I enjoy it, especially with Sara.

Maggie loved her Mom's card; she wouldn't put it down.

Grandma engineers her cards to perfection.

Sara's family is gift givers.
Any holiday is a good excuse to wrap a present. We love it.

Our Valentines Cards.

Ever wonder what is like being married to Martha Stewart?

The best part, it taste good!

Redrocks, Lost Creek

A few weeks ago, the weather was perfect so Maggie and I biked the Redrock loop. I packed everything I could think of, except extra water. Near the top of the first hill I gave Maggie her bottle and decided to bike up to a better resting spot a hundred yards up. By the time I got there Maggie was drench in leaking milk and freezing. The weather was nice but not that nice. I stripped all her clothes off only to discover the extra clothes I thought I packed were missing. So I wrapped her in the only warm thing I had, my hoodie. It was the perfect little blanket and she stayed toasty inside her trailer. I however was freezing and I thought I might die at the twelve mile marker because for some reason I thought the loop was twenty-one miles, fortunately it is only thirteen. I was so so happy to see the exit. No pictures though... I was in survival mode while Maggie dosed into a pleasant sleep.

Last week we returned with my cousin Jenna to go hiking. It was the perfect hike for kids. Two-year-old Cooper ran up the trail without any major problems. Maggie loved climbing around and eating lots of rocks. It was fun to get out the house. Muchas gracias cousin!

Birthday Month

Sara started asking for special favors under the guise of birthday month but somehow it has become part of our tradition. Anyway, I rather enjoyed my month of special meals and unnecessary praise. February belongs to Maggie. She turns one.

So here are some of her latest discoveries. Her new word is "WOW!" I guess she couldn't say "Hi Dad" indefinitely. It makes me laugh just hearing her excitement. She still prefers crawling to walking. She has a big smile especially right after meals. Her new favorite food is frozen pees but she likes all food. Michelle and I tested her abilities by feeding her a lemon and she didn't even flinch... oh, ya she eats rocks so why would a little lemon hurt her.

She loves danger. I taught her how to jump off things into my arms... so far I haven't dropped her but occasionally she will jump off things when I am not anticipating it... thankfully my reflexes are average but I am rethinking my methodology.

She still loves piling books off the shelf but now she will help gather them up so we can put them back on the shelf. For awhile I would squeeze the books in so tightly you couldn't removed them but that doesn't work anymore. The book shelves have all been reordered so that cooking books can be found on every shelf in the house.

She loves hiking and going on bike rides... as long as we are moving. She enjoys the swings at the park and recently started crying when I pull her out after a thousand oscillations. I thought she would be happy to get out but I vaguely remember swinging for hours as a kid... oh, how quickly we forget the things that entertained for hours.

She is our special treasure. We love her mischief and discoveries. It really is worth all the troubles and frustration, even after finding your favorite book torn or losing a good nights sleep.