A Tribute to Alex

This post is especially for my brother Alex who thinks blogging is not cool. However, he is now on a blog so if he still thinks it's lame, then he must be too! Actually, today is his birthday and I told him I would do a post just for him. He just turned 15 and is growing like a weed. He's the tallest of all my sibling and my parents...and he's still going! The picture is from President's Day weekend when we were out at one of our favorite family restaurants, La Taqueria. Macie loves her uncle Alex. I am very grateful to Alex for introducing me to Guitar Hero II, which brings so much joy to my life. I ROCK!

Holiday Weekend

Yes, I do realize we are already on to the next weekend, but I'm doing my recap anyway. My parents came to visit from Genoa and we had so much fun. It was great because they got to be back in their old house and no one was crowded! Macie had a fantastic time and is a ham for all of the attention. Her cousin Bella was over the whole time too. The girls even had their first sleepover...in separate rooms of course, I'm not that crazy. We went out to dinner with some of our neighbors and Macie had her first taste of Luv-its frozen custard. I think you can tell by the picture that she absolutely loved it. We spent some time at the park and did lots of playing. Here are some pictures!

Mom: Magician in Disguise

As I was showering this morning I realized something. Macie was banging on the shower glass trying to get in, I was pinching my nose trying to stop a nosebleed with one hand, and trying to entertain Macie with a squeegee in the other...does it ever stop? I have developed some of those magical mommy powers that help you survive motherhood. You know what I mean. It's the ability to finish making dinner while playing with your baby and talking on the phone. Who would've thought I could be so great at multitasking? No matter what I'm doing I can tune in to Macie's "I need my Mommy" sounds, and tune out her loud gibberish. Who ever said life is easy for a stay-at-home mom obviously never gave it a try. It's a full-time job and then some. So hey, give moms some credit for becoming a magician in a matter of months. Just look at that face, who wouldn't do it for their own?

Trip to Disneyland

This past weekend we went on a family vacation to Disneyland. My grandma wanted to take all of her family for a De La Paz vacation. There were 43 people in our group! We stayed in the Disneyland Hotel and spent one day at Disneyland, and one at California Adventure. It was so fun and totally crazy with so many people. Macie did even better than expected and was an absolute perfect baby. She went on all the little rides with us, including Pirates of the Caribbean and the haunted house. She especially loved Small World; she stood up on my lap waving her arms in the air and yelling the whole time. Here's a few pictures from the trip. The first one is all of the babies and my grandma while we were waiting for the monorail to open, then our group shot in front of Cinderella's castle, our family, and Macie with a couple of her cousins. I was so excited to take Macie to Disneyland because it is one of my favorite places to go. She loved looking at the characters (from a distance of course) and being outside with all the people. It wasn't very crowded at all, so we got to go on all the rides we wanted without waiting more than 20 minutes. The atmosphere is so fun and we can't wait to go back again!

Thank Goodness for Sesame Street!

It is amazing how enchanted even a baby can be by good old Sesame Street. Macie couldn't care less about watching t.v., except at 1:00 every afternoon. As soon as she hears the opening song she flips out! We're talking laughing, waving her arms in the air, and dancing (bouncing up and down is what we call dancing); the girl can hardly contain herself. She watches the show for a little bit and then loses interest until Elmo's World starts. Then it's excitement all over again. The ending credits are equally as exciting because she loves the music. Anyway, it's funny to watch her and I'm glad to have something else entertain her for a little while. Here's a picture of her watching the show.

The New House

Macie had no problem adjusting to the move. She is doing great and loves all the room to roam around. She's already learned how to go up the stairs. I'm worried about her pulling herself up and cruising around on the tile floor because I don't want her to hurt herself if she falls. I know, I'm an overprotective mom, but what can I say. Since we've only lived in small places before I think Macie has gotten used to me being right next to her all day long. Now I can't go anywhere without her following me. Even if I put out her favorite toys in the family room and am in the kitchen, where she can still see me, she will follow me. That, too, is an adjustment. I posted a picture of her just because I think she is so cute. I haven't taken any since we moved in because our camera broke. Hopefully we'll get a new one soon.

Moving

As if life isn't busy enough already, we've decided to move this weekend! We decided to take advantage of the vacancy in my parents' old home and move in. Of course we love the area and are excited to be close to stores, more family, and 24 Hour Fitness. Since the house is so big and our home furnishings are so meager, to say the least, I'm sure we'll be echoing through the house. At least Macie will have lots of room to run around!

Rebel Game

Last night we went to the UNLV vs. BYU basketball game at the Thomas and Mack. It was fun to be right in the front row getting a good view of all the action. Macie cried when we first got there because it was so loud that it scared her. After a while she didn't seem to care and had a great time looking around at everything. Here's a picture of me and Macie with my sister Mel and niece Bella. Neither of them seemed to like the mascot much. UNLV ended up winning the game, but I have to say that I am a BYU fan. I know I grew up in Vegas, but how can I betray my cougars?

Macie the Daredevil

Macie shocked us all last night when she decided to get daring. We were at my Uncle Beto's house with Ben, Trish and Bella, and Mel and Kip. Macie was standing up to the coffee table and her cousin Bella was standing next to her. Macie put one hand on Bella's arm and then let go of the table and walked (almost ran) about 4 steps to over to the ottoman. We all looked at each other in shock! Macie does like to walk around when you're holding her hands but that was the first time she tried it herself. It is amazing how fast they start changing. All of a sudden she pulls herself up to everything and cruises around some. Now she's trying to walk on her own! She's only 9 months...she better slow down!!! I don't want a walking baby yet. Yikes!

Visiting Genoa

We had a wonderful New Year holiday spending the week with my family in Genoa. We flew up on Dec. 29th with Mel and Kip and stayed through the 6th. It is absolutely beautiful there. Genoa is a small town located just south of Carson City and down the mountain from Lake Tahoe. There is a lot of open land and gorgeous homes. My parent's home is in Genoa Lakes, a quiet area with a nice golf course. There are always deer on the golf course and even in my parents' yard. Josh and I would love to have a home there someday. Anyway, while we were there we had a fabulous time. Josh went skiing with my Dad, Alex, Melanie, and Kip. We went up to Tahoe one evening for dinner and saw the movie A Night at the Museum. It was a fun movie, I recommend it. One of the gifts my parents got for Christmas was a bike trailer for the grandkids. Eventhough it was cold we bundled Macie up and put her in. She looked so cute! She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but seemed to enjoy the ride. Here's some pictures from our trip.