Life Between Vacations

Fall Pictures

2011-11-19T05:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween

2011-11-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

I carved the most non-scary pumpkin face I could think of. They both have a crooked smile. :)

Mazy wouldn't reach in to clean out the seeds, but she loved eating them once they were roasted.

"Evey is a nice spider" Mazy said.
Mazy loved knocking on doors in our apartment complex. She would moo at the people to get the candy and even wiggle her tail.

Look at all her loot!

Miss Evey

2011-10-24T13:44:00.001-07:00

Evey is now 7 months old! She is so much fun to play with. She loves to giggle and laugh at Mazy. Here is a video of her first 3 legged crawl.

Marker Mayhem

2011-09-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

I stepped out of the room and came back to find Mazy like this. She will never be allowed to wear black lipstick, she looked so old. I think this picture could pass as a mug shot what do you think? Can you say TIME OUT?

Oregon Vacation

2011-08-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

We visited my home in Oregon for Mike's week long "summer break". We attempted to take some family pictures but Mazy and Evey wouldn't smile....not even when bribed with CANDY!
Here's what we ended up with.

My sister was able to join us from Texas with her girls and Will and Marissa came down as well.

Super sweet!

Dad's motorhome at the lake during our cook out.

Evey and Marta are 3 weeks apart.

We cooked out at 4 mile lake. It was lots of fun to roast dinner over the fire and throw rocks in the lake.

Mike pushing the Oregon trail cart my mom's class made. He tired out before the girls did.

Best of buds

Grandparents pushing the little girls on the ranch.

"I love doggies"

Emmaline with the guinea pig and great Aunt Gabbie.

My own guardian angel

2011-08-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the wonderful ladies at Park Forest who cleaned my house. I came home from Oregon at 1 AM today to find my apartment spotless! These gals did everything from cleaning my carpets to doing my laundry, a task above and beyond friendship. It has been aobut 10 weeks from my surgery and the recovery has left my house a filthy mess so I greatly appreciate it. No one besides family has helped me out like this before. So to all who helped out.....Thank you SO much!

Bows for Tori

2011-08-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Which one do you want for the dresses? I think I like the big gerber daisy for Marta and Evey, then get two smaller daisies for Emmaline and Mazy.

We have a future!

2011-07-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Mike will be working as an orthodontist for Comfort Dental in Glenwood Springs Colorado when he graduates this December. I am super excited to get out of the midwest and away from all the humidity. Here's some pictures I took when we visited Glenwood springs.

Blessing, Birthdays, and more!

2011-07-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

WOW it's been a long time and SO much has happened. I think I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

MAZY'S 2nd BIRTHDAY
Mazy turned 2 on May 9. She requested her party have balloons and silly hats.

We had some friends over for a hand painting party, even Elmo came...but he didn't leave....yum! :)

Grandpa holding our little gnome.

"All our friends" says Mazy

Evey was blessed April 28th.

COLORADO
We took a trip to CO to view a potential practice for Mike. It was lots of fun and the girls did great for the most part. Here are a few pic of them lounging around in the motel while Daddy looked at the clinics.

Evey's 3 mo and enjoying her jumper for the first time.

Mazy was singing on our trip to Colorado, but quickly lost interest when she saw the camera and wanted to take a picture.

I had my surgery on June21st, things went well and Mom is hear the rest of the summer to do all the stuff I'm not suppose to...which is EVERYTHING!!! This is how I like to recoup.

Happy Easter

2011-04-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

We had a rainy Easter so the bunny rabbit was forced to hide the eggs in the living room, not too exciting but when you have a toddler that discovers that there is candy inside the egg it doesn't matter where it was found.

video of Mazy searching for eggs.

Over Easter weekend we traveled to Memphis TN to look at a possible associateship opportunity for Mike. We thought it would be a nice little trip, only 4 hours away, but it ended up persuading Mike and I to never travel again unless necessary!!! Mazy wouldn't sleep in the pack and play and quickly discoverred she could climb out of it. Such knowledge she retained once home and now climbs out of her crib. We are in the process of transitioning her to a toddler bed and she is causing me to have less sleep than Evey!
Slide at a park in Memphis, Mazy liked this one the best.

The motel we stayed at didn't have a tub. Evey's getting so big she almost didn't fit in the sink. She had her 1 mo apt and is 95% for weight and height!

Tah..dah... definitely bath time.

I couldn't find Mazy one afternoon. It was not easy getting her out of the basket under our new double stroller.

Baby Evey first baby shoot - 4 days old

2011-04-06T16:25:00.001-07:00

I'm bored at school and have a lot of bandwidth for uploading, so I thought I would throw some of my favorite pictures from baby Evey's first photo shoot! only 4 days old!

Updated pictures

2011-04-04T12:18:00.001-07:00

I'm not the best blogger to begin with, but add a newborn with GERD and a toddler who isn't adjusting well to the decrease in Mommy's attention and you get even less pictures! Here's a few updates. We are on survival mode, but doing fine. Enjoy the pictures.

First time Mazy came to see Evey in the hospital. She automatically claimed the balloon and pink bear Mike's classmates bought for Evey.

Mohawk after first bath at home.

2 weeks old weighing in at 9lb 2 oz. Bye-bye newborn sizes!

For more professional pictures of Evey just 5 days old go to following website:

http://danicanelsonphotography.com, click on the "Clients" tab and enter the password: mcewanfam.

Evey Sargent McEwan - 3/13/2011

2011-03-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

We are proud to introduce everyone to our new precious girl, Evey Sargent McEwan. Born Sunday, 3/13/2011; 7lbs. 10oz.; 20.5 in. Mom and baby are health and happy.

More details to come, enjoy a few pictures. More are on Facebook.

Mazy dosen't want to sleep, she wants to DANCE!

2011-02-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

So Mazy was still hyper when Mike came home late from school and a dance party erupted.

Friends

2011-02-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

I have such great friends here in St. Louis! Several of us live in the same apartment complex and we all have 2 kids or are expecting our second baby soon. Three of us are due in the next month or so and we were thrown a baby celebratory breakfast. Here's the slideshow that Diana made for us. Mike was very good about keeping it a secret, I had no clue. I am the last of the three (around minute 4 on the video).

Thank you Mike for your sweet words. I love you SO MUCH!!!

Christmas in Texas

2011-01-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

My entire family was able to meet in New Braunfels, TX (about 45 min from Austin where Tori lives) to celebrate Christmas this year. We stayed in my parent's timeshare for 1 week. It was a fun time getting the girls together and the 7 1/2 month pregnant ladies too (Tori and myself). As you can tell from the pictures Mazy LOVES Emmaline and had to do everything that she did. It was a nice change for me because Mazy was entertained all day long, sure wish we could have taken Emmaline home with us. She was very patient with Mazy and shared all of her toys and personal space.

Enjoy the Mazy and Emmaline picture show!

Matching princess jammies. This was Mazy's first introduction to princesses and so far she's hooked.
The girls woke up the whole house chasing each other on their "bikes".

Matching Christmas dresses, I made the hair bows.

Sadly, this is the best picture we got of the entire family and poor Mike was taking the picture. Maybe looking into the sun was a bad idea (no shadows but no eyes either)!

Mazy loved opening presents. She opened all of hers, mine, and most of Daddies.

Matching Christmas jammies thanks to Grandma. Tori and I also got ones to match the girls. Some things should not be made in adult sizes. :)

Our family has the Christmas tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve then open stockings on Christmas morning. Attached to the stocking is a ribbon that you follow to find your last present.

The bears were at the end of the ribbon. As you can tell from the smiles Santa did good this year.

Adorable lion hats from Aunt Gabbie.

Mazy wanted to do everything that Emmaline did from reading books on the couch to eating dinner in the same chair. Pretty safe to say Emmaline is Mazy's favorite cousin.

One day we took the girls to the Children's Museum.
I don't think we are quite as cute. Tori is due 1 week before me. We are both having baby girls!

We enjoyed the San Antonio Zoo on Christmas day. It was surprisingly busy and cold.

Petting the pygmy goats at the petting farm.These goats were much more tame than the ones we had growing up.

Mazy was tired by the end, but she wasn't the only one. Emmaline ended up in Mazy's stroller and Tori enjoyed the convenience of an electric wheelchair. This picture is a little scary and hopefully holds no future predictions. :)
Anyone up for a race?

Video of Emmalines trike and sparkle buggy in action!

Video encouraging bad habits.

Christmas was so much fun, I can't wait till next year when there will be 4 granddaughters to play together!

Turkey Day 2010 and More

2010-11-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

We went to Mike's parents for Thanksgiving in Galesburg IL. Mazy had so much fun running around in the house and exploring all the new surroundings.
Yes Mom, I dyed my hair dark.

It got pretty cold there so Mazy wore her hat inside. I love this smile!

The first full day we were there Mike observed the local orthodontist all day and Sandy had to work so Mazy and I hung out at home. Here she is sitting in Rob's chair drawing.

Video right before we sat down for Turkey dinner. Mazy wouldn't eat a bite of anything except olives and clementines.

Video of Mazy demonstrating the proper body mechanics of how to lift a box.

THESE ARE OLD but I finally found them of our Halloween party...
Mazy and I are witches, Mike was the scarecrow.

Here's most of the kids that came to our Halloween party we held. It was impossible to get a picture of all of them looking at the camera let alone smiling.

This is at the Magic House when Grandma Sandy came to visit. Mazy liked playing in the sand.

All Hallow's Eve Preview

2010-10-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Our ward had a Halloween activity that Mazy got to wear her "fairy witch" costume to. The outfit was super easy (I made the tutu for her first birthday) and she loves wearing it. She enjoyed playing with the other kids, coloring pictures, and tasting her first candy bar. Here's the action shot Mike got while she played with the basketball.

Turns out she wasn't the only witch to crash the party. This is her friend Hannah

Sorry I can't rotate this one. Mike was all packed to go to an orthodontic conference with his bag by the door. I went into the kitchen and found this, she unpacked his suitcase and was hiding in it.

Here's the used picnic table I got that Mazy and her friend Max enjoy a good car chase on.

She was quite upset when I made her get off the table, it's her favorite place to stand and dance.

Doll Cake

2010-10-04T20:13:00.001-07:00

I was asked to make a baby doll cake for a 50th birthday party with a princess theme. Here's the result. The cake ended up being quite a hassle to transport to the party but I heard it was a great success.

Her dress is 4 layers of chocolate cake with cameo cake frosting.

Lake of the Ozarks, MO

2010-09-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

We got an early Christmas present from my Aunt/Uncle Mark and Gabbie, a weekend at the Worldmark timeshare resort in Lake of the Ozarks. It was so much fun and beautiful.

Hanging out at the condo with Mom.

We rented a boat for 1 hour and Mazy loved it. Driving the boat with Dad.

The engine ended up lulling her to sleep.

Here's the view from our condo patio window. Anytime a boat would go buy Mazy would run up to the window and say "boat, boat, boat!"

She smells Mike's feet and says "Ohh stinky!" (bored? skip to 1:20 for instant laughs)

Wearing Daddy's shoes. She loves shoes and carries them everywhere.

Yeah for pigtails. These lasted 1 hour which is a record for her.

Mom and Dad visit

2010-08-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

My parents drove the box...I mean motor home my Dad BUILT from Oregon to Texas, to visit Tori's family, then up to St. Louis. As always it was quite the road trip adventure from stalling engines, stolen car ramps, malfunctioning GPS, and a temperamental air conditioning system. But they made it out and were able to stay 4 days before they headed back west. While they enjoyed the mid-west humidity and heat we visited the arch only to remember that both of my parents are claustrophobic and Mom's scared of heights which means actually riding the tiny pod to the top of the arch was out of the question. We picked peaches at Eckerts farm, made multiple costco runs, and played with Mazy which was most important of all. I loved having them here and only wished they could have stayed longer, so does Mike because he already misses my Mom's cooking. My parents exchanged us vehicles so I could drive a 4-door explorer with Mazy instead of the 2-door. We got quite the upgrade with leather seats, latch system, and a back door that actually opens all the way. Thanks Mom and Dad you guys are the BEST!

Video of Mazy's new baby doll...thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

I'm not sure if any yogurt actually got in her mouth but she had fun feeding herself.

She is now 15 mo. At her Dr. checkup she measured in the 95% for height and 70% weight. Her vocabulary is growing and can let you know exactly what she wants, sometimes quite loudly. I'm amazed at how much she understands and will do what I ask, like put things in the trash or go get her shoes. Mazy has discovered the joy of climbing things...just when I thought my blood pressure couldn't get any higher. She likes to read stories, give hugs and kisses, smell flowers, and show you her belly. I'm really enjoying this time of her life, she is oh so sweet and I'm hoping the temper tantrums won't come anytime soon.

Video when Mike, Mazy, and I went to the Citygarden. She loved the water fountains out of the ground as you can see.

Randomness

2010-07-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

We bought a child bike trailer a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I haven't been feeling that well lately so we've only used it once, but Mazy loves to walk around in the house wearing her bike helmet.

Finally we bought Mazy (with the help of Sargent Grandparents) a chair of her own. She kept sitting at the base of the stairs because that was the only thing her size. She reads in her chair all the time. I had to get a sturdy one because she kept falling over in the foam chairs.

Here's a video of a lazy Saturday afternoon. She says "Daddy" at the end

Grilling on the 4th and the 5th!

2010-07-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

I got school off since the 4th was on a Sunday. We had a few neighbors over to test out the new grill. I've always wanted to try and do BBQ, so I got one of the iconic Weber kettle grills. It worked great, so I decided to up the ante and do ribs! Since we live in St. Louis, we had to do it St. Louis style. Thank goodness for the internet! I used the instructions at Amazingribs.com. What a great website!

I smoked the ribs in apple wood and kept the temperature low and cooked slow about 5-6 hours and they were delicious!

Even Mazy liked them and the only meat she eats is chicken strips and fish sticks!

Sargent Fun

2010-06-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Mike, Mazy, and I met up with the rest of the Sargent family in Oregon for Mike's one week "summer break". We had so much fun even though both the grandkids got a little fever for a few days. We went hiking, played at Grandma's ranch with horses and cows, ate lots of meat, and went to the temple to complete the work for my Grandparents. Hope you enjoy the pictures and videos.

Here's Mazy attempting to ride Dali (great pyrenees dog) neither one were keen on the idea.

Mazy can say puppy and she is always trying to get you to take her outside to play with the dogs and cats (and cats and more cats) my parents have.

She loved playing with Emmaline in the front yard where there were flowers to sniff, dogs to follow, and water hoses to play with.

At the ranch with horses, cows, and Aunt Gabbie!

Normally I like to hike up by four mile where there's lakes you hike to, but the road was closed due to 4 feet of snow (in June) so we were forced to go exploring on new terrain. We went hiking in on a few trails, service roads, and even a little bush whacking. By the end Mazy was tired of the pack and Emmaline wanted in, as you can see.

Mt. McLoughlin in the background, many moons ago when there wasn't snow on it's peaks Will and I hiked it.

Tori (sister) and Emmaline stopping for a scenic view

Will (brother), Marissa, and Emmaline taking a pretty cute picture!

Ahhh, I just LOVE Oregon! The mountains and trees have a calming influence over me and I am so happy when I go back as you can tell. I really hope I can call it home again for keeps.

Here's the entire family minus Mom (who's taking the picture, of course) and Royce (Tori's hubby who had to stay in hot Texas, poor guy). This was taken just before we gave up on one trail to find another.

Mazy enjoying the easy life on Daddies shoulders.

The girls love boxes, this one kept them entertained for days.

The girls playing with a water hose on the front lawn.

Great Aunt Gabbie helps Emmaline bottle feed a calf. The annoying squeak you hear is Mazy playing with the gait, she was more interested in that then the calf.

I love my family so much and miss them all the time. I wish we lived closer so we could spend more time together especially now when it's so fun to watch Mazy grow and experience new things. Thanks for the memories!

Oh Raspberries!

2010-05-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Mazy loves blackberries so I bought some berries at Costco for her to try. She loved the raspberries the best. I couldn't even get them to the kitchen before she started eating them. This clip is after I'd given her about 10 already. I love giving her new foods to try. At costco they had mini dill pickle samples and she ate one as we shopped. It was so cute I was tempted to buy 2 big jars of them, the only thing that stopped me was the fact that we're moving in 2 weeks and I don't want to haul pickles to our new apt in the moving truck. She has just enough hair for a mini piggy tail now.

Mazy turns ONE!

2010-05-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, May 9th, Mazy turned 1. We had a little party for her complete with cake (I made) and ice cream. We have such great friends in St. Louis and are grateful to have such a turn out. Mike's parents drove from IL to spend Mother's day weekend with us also. Since Mazy's turned one something catastrophic (at least in the mind of her mother) has happened.

Sunday: her finger got slammed into a door jam, an ER visit to determine a fractured finger.
Monday: 3 shots..which to her were most unpleasant.
Tuesday: discovered she could not walk faster than gravity and slammed her forehead into the corner of our bed frame.
Wednesday: diagnosed with thrush secondary to taking antibiotics which were prescribed due to her fx finger.
Thursday: fell down a flight of stairs!
Friday: got a poor yeast infection also secondary to taking antibiotics...Dr. then unprescribed
Who knows what Saturday will bring???

Here's the tutu I made and onsie my sister made. Look at how big she's grown in just 1 year.
4 days old.

The day it all began...

Everything she holds she tries to put behind her head.

We are so blessed to have her in our lives, she brings us great joy with a touch of anxiety.

Happy Birthday Mazy May. I love you SO much, more and more everyday.

Mom :)

New movie "The Hero" featuring Mazy - site is very slow to load...

2010-05-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Check out this site with a movie clip featuring Mazy. Have patience! The site is slow to load (It counts down from 99)

Austin Texas

2010-05-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Mike had an orthodontic conference in Washington DC for 5 days so Mazy and I went to Austin Texas to visit my sister, Tori, and her family. She has a 4 yo daughter Emmaline, the girls really enjoyed playing together. Emmaline was a great cousin and let Mazy play with all her toys. It was a lot of fun, hopefully we can do it again soon!

Here's Mazy playing Peek a boo with Emmaline's sunglasses.

We went swimming and the girls had a lot of fun. Emmaline was a brave girl and went out in the deep (4 foot) end with an inflatable tube and Mommy.

I just love this girls smile and the best part is she does it a lot. Mazy walked around in the pool with my help, she didn't seem to even notice the cold water....I wish I could say the same.

Tori and Emmaline warming up in the sun.

Here's the tutu I made Emmaline. She thought it would be fun to put ALL her dress up clothes on, I don't think she'll ever be a fashion consultant. Mazy is posing in some fairy wings that she thought would look better in the front.

My parents sent the girls a box full of books, dresses, and toys.

I think they enjoyed the box the most. Emmaline would say, "does Mazy want to get in the box and play with me?" I think you know the answer by the look on her face.

Emmaline sporting her new swimsuit, hat, and shades.

Me and the girls, if you look close Emmaline's lips are blue.

Mazy sitting in Emmaline's soft chair. You can really see her 6 teeth in this photo. Don't let her sweet smile fool you they are very sharp and she's not afraid to prove that to you!

Here's the dresses my parents gave them. We just got back from church in this pic.

Mazy is still 11 mo (barely). She took her very first step on April 18th, look at her now in 2 short weeks.

Emmaline plays with Mazy after lunch

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Easter was a lot of fun this year, we enjoyed conference and had some friends over for Easter dinner. We put cheerios in plastic eggs for Mazy to "find" in the grass. Mike had spring break last week and we stayed home and visited all the local sights. We enjoyed the History museum, zoo, botanical gardens, hiking, Anheuser -Busch tour, and swimming at the YMCA. The weather was perfect and it was nice to have Mike home all day long.
We used our hiking pack my parents gave us on a hiking trail close to the Powder valley nature center. Mazy really liked riding in it. When she wasn't looking at the trees she was counting sheep.

Mazy really liked my lemon wedge, she'll eat most anything.

Here's Mazy walking with Mike at the botanical gardens.

Florida

2010-03-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Mike had an orthodontic conference in Jupiter Florida last week so Mazy and I tagged along. The conference was only scheduled in the mornings which left him free to play with us each afternoon. We stayed with Mike's Uncle Richard and Aunt Charlotte near Ft Lauderdale. Their kids at home, Jonathan, Christiana, and Darren enjoyed playing with Mazy and did a great job keeping her from tormenting the dogs and cat too much (though the animals did go into hiding). We had 1 beautiful day of sunshine and 3 days of rain and winds. We took Mazy to the beach twice and she loved digging in the sand and crawling after the seagulls. We went to the park almost everyday and Mazy liked playing "peek a boo" with Christiana. She "chased" after dogs, cats, and even got to touch a bird...very carefully! I had such a fun time watching Mazy discover new things, I think I'm just beginning to understand how children bring their parents joy.

I love this picture with her cute sandals in the sand. Cousin Emmaline gave her these.

Our first day at the beach , it was pretty windy and the water was surprisingly cold. That's saying something because I am use to the North Pacific Ocean.

Mazy at the park. She loved to stand and play peek a boo through this.

Mazy in her duckie bathrobe after getting all the sand off of her. Diapers and sand is not a good combo!

Christiana and Mazy going down a slide, Mazy was along for the ride but didn't really understand what was going on.

Christiana, Charlotte, Mazy, and me.

Jonathan (holding her) and Derran entertaining Mazy

Florida was colder than expected so she didn't get to wear her cute swimsuit. She enjoyed digging in the sand and "chasing" after seagulls. She cried anytime she stood on the sand without wearing her sandals. Mazy tasted sand once and had enough of that, which I was grateful for.

CAUGHT crib chewing!

2010-03-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

Last week Mazy woke up with small black specks on her chin, I couldn't figure out where they came from. Later that day I noticed the side wall of her crib had scratched marks and realized she was chewing her crib. Not just a few scratches but the entire side had been gnawed through the varnish and to the wood center! I took a picture after one night of "feeding". That day I went to babies R us for some plastic crib protectors. We always knew Mazy wasn't a picky eater. Mike said at least is wasn't a dog biscuit (family joke).

Happy 30th Birthday Mike!

2010-03-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Here's the orthodontic cake I made for Mike's big 30th birthday. I had such a difficult time putting on the wire "braces". Mike kept saying I was bending the wire to much, I gave up and let him do it. It took him 5 seconds and was perfect his first try, course he does bend wire all day long! We got a babysitter for Mazy (first time ever, she did great) and treated ourselves to a couples massage. Some of his classmates got together later to celebrate and we played rock band. It was a birthday success, a special thanks to the family for all of his gifts!

Mazy the Vegetarian?

2010-01-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

Mazy enjoys all the fruit and vegetables that we have given to her this far. Here's a video of her trying chicken for the first time, so far she's not a fan. You can hear Mike and I laughing in the background, I feel bad that we do but her face is just too funny!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to putting up our Christmas photo's. We got a real tree this year since we didn't go to Oregon. The best part about Christmas was having Mike home for 2 weeks all day long. We enjoyed some of the free sights around St. Louis like the art museum and science center. We hand dipped pretzels in caramel and chocolate and delivered a goodie bag to our friends and neighbors, watched movies, and took naps as often as Mazy would allow. For Christmas we drove up to Henderson IL to spend Mazy's first Christmas with Rob and Sandy. We all made out like bandits...Mazy is now fully stocked up with toys! Here's some photo's of Mazy "opening" her presents, dressed in her Christmas dress and playing with a bear great-Grandma/Grandpa got her, and her talking to the tree through a wrapping roll. She still gets a little "goopy eyed" after a nap and looks a bit like she just got into a fight in one of the pictures.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

We went to Mike's parents house for turkey day. I made Grandma's fruit salad and Aunt Gabbie's rolls. We went shopping on black Friday with Sandy and found Mazy her Christmas dress, we couldn't decide between two so I posted pictures of her in both of them for you to decide (even though I've already taken the tags off one). Mazy discovered that she likes the microwave light and is trying to either kiss it or eat it, I'm not sure which one.

Oregon Trip

2009-11-29T15:50:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures from when Mazy and I went home to Oregon. The first is a pic of us walking on my Grandparent's ranch.

2009-11-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

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Here's the birthday cake that Diana and I made for Laura (a friend in the ward) For those who know how well my sister Tori makes cakes I'm ashamed to publish these pictures of my feeble attempts. The duck tub was given from Grandma Sandy - Mazy loves it! This is my latest bow. Mazy is starting to realize that something is on her head and takes it off. So sad, are the bow days starting to dwindle to an end already??? Her latest favorite thing to do is ride on dad's shoulders and grab his hair.

Excited for new budgeting software - YNAB V3

2009-11-23T16:54:00.001-08:00

Hey, we've been using You Need a Budget since we got married (a little over 5 years ago!). Back then it was just an excel spreadsheet. Anyway, it's getting a major upgrade and I'm excited! If you want to really get a handle on your finances and have your budget actually influence your purchasing habits you should check it out.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

We had a Halloween party at our apt and played games, ate food, and watched the Disney's version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Ichobad Crane. Sandy visited this weekend and helped out a bunch playing with Mazy while I prepared for the party. Mazy was a spider and Mike and I were her web. The adorable ladybug is Anna (one of Mazy's friends from church, she's 9 mo). I found a brain candy mold and made Zombie cupcakes...mmm....brains!

4 Months Old

2009-09-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Mazy went to Docs 4 Kids for her 4 month check up with Dr. LaBarge. In memory of our ever competitive Grandma we have to post that she is in the 95th percentile for height, 90% for weight, and 60% for head circumference. She now weighs 16 pounds and growing fast. Her favorite thing now is to blow "raspberries" and talk to herself in the mirror. If I find my power cord to the video camera I'll get her on video, until then here's a picture with one of the latest bows that I made (thanks to sumo's sweet stuff).

More of Mazy

2009-08-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

Towel head:Here's Mazy after a bath, I think she could be in Fiddler on the Roof. Red outfit: One of my former co-workers, Tami, from UIHC stopped by to play with us. Mazy and I put on swimsuits and played in the bath together, she was bug eyed and very alert the entire time. Pink bow: I am learning how to make baby headbands to go with my bows and this is my first attempt.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

2009-08-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Mazy and I went to the Missouri Botanical gardens with 3 other families from the ward. I was able to try out my new Ergo baby carrier, which I love and definitely recommend over the Baby Bjorn because it puts the baby's weight on the hips vs primarily the shoulders.

Emmaline at Grant's Farm

2009-08-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

This was funny!!

Fever, Family, and Fun!

2009-07-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Mazy with cousin Emmaline, Grandpa, sleeping through Mike's dental graduation, and in her blessing dress. She went to the hospital via the ER with a fever and stayed from June 27 through July 1st, but is now happy, health, and all smiles.

Made it to St. Louis

2009-06-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to St. Louis, wel actually we live in a suburb called Kirkwood. I'm currently "borrowing" the internet from some unsuspecting neighbor who has an unsecured wireless network...it's WAY slow though, sorry no pictures this post.

Everything is going great! We like the new place. It's a 3 BR townhouse that is pretty nice. It is tax-subsidized housing, so it's a great price to rent.

They call this place the "Mormon ghetto" because there is a cluster of other Mormon families (about 5?) who are all medical residents that live here also. Every one else is a minority, so technically WE are the minorities! But all our neighbors are very nice and we feel safe!

We left on Sat morning with Grandma McEwan helping (thank goodness!). I drove the 24' truck and Lea and Mom followed. Mazy did great and slept most of the way.

We are now just getting everything unpacked and organized, a tremendous task that will take along time. We bought a couch and loveseat, however it will take 2 weeks to get it. I also got bunny ears and a digital converter box - IT'S GREAT! We get like 15 over the air channels and they are crystal clear - and that is just with $8 cheapo bunny ears! I guess living in the big city has some perks.

Well, one more day until we take the train to bloomington and get picked up to go home and then it's off to graduation. I have my speech all ready! We are looking forward to seeing lots of family soon!

Mazy bath!

2009-05-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Mazy got a new bathtub.

Mazy's 1st photo shoot - 4 days old

2009-05-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

We had one of my dental school classmate's wife come and do Mazy's first photo shoot. They were all so good, but here are some of my favorites. To see them ALL go to our photo album!

Mazy's photo shoot preview

2009-05-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

A girl in our ward took these with her fancy camera. I'll post more when she gets the rest back to me. Poor Mazy had explosive diarrhea during her naked pictures and mommy had to change afterwords.

Hey, we've got cousins now!

2009-05-16T10:26:00.001-07:00

Mazy - 1st video

2009-05-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is the 1st video I'm taking with a little camcorder I picked up for $120 on recommendation from a friend for blogs, facebook, etc. Looks pretty good!

2009-05-10T11:47:00.001-07:00

It's a girl!

2009-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!! 7lbs 5 oz, 20.5" born 5/9/09 @ 8:30PM...name coming soon!

Graduation!

2009-04-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have to speak at this! Yikes!