curtains

Well, it doesn't look like I'm going to make anything for the baby before his/her arrival, but I did manage to make some curtains for Maggie's room with the help of my mom. They are the same style curtains we have in the baby's room with a different, more colorful fabric. Complements her room nicely, we think. Thanks for all the help, Mom!

hair cut

On Friday Mom and I took Mags to get her preschool haircut. As usual she was squirmy. I need to find a style for her that doesn't involve a straight bob with straight bangs. Too bad I like this one so much on her.

August birthday party

Despite the fact that August is statistically the month with the most birthdays (followed by July and September), only one of Maggie's friends had a birthday party this month that we could attend. (Her Papa - my dad - also celebrated his birthday this month, but he didn't have a party. Happy belated birthday!) Maggie's friend recently had a princess party complete with a backyard bounce house and plenty of friends to play with. Maggie loved it.

shoes

I'm catching up on Maggie's baby book and here are photos of her most recent shoes. The first group is from this past winter and the second group is her summer shoes. We had such a mild winter that she wore summer shoes in the winter too. Weird.

Book Sale

A couple weeks ago CBS47, Chad's television station, sponsored a community book drive benefiting the local county library system. The sale is taking place at a local mall (Sierra Vista, for you locals) this week and there are lots of great deals on books. We went with my parents and ended up with fun kids books and some great cookbooks. Go if you have the chance. The sale benefits a great cause!

movies

This summer I took Maggie to her first movie. Movies plural, actually. The theaters here have a special deal on Tuesdays and Wednesdays where they show children's movies at 10am and tickets are only $1 each. Maggie and I (and sometimes friends) got to see the following movies: Happy Feet, Hugo, Rio and Chimpanzee. Maggie loved the popcorn, the other kids in the theater, and the whole movie experience. Let's hope they offer the same summer deal next year. It's a fun and cheap way for us to beat the heat.

Dentist

Earlier this month Maggie had her third dental appointment. What a difference between this one and her last two (at 2 years and at 2.5 years)! She laid down patiently in the chair and let the hygienist and the dentist do anything they wanted to with her teeth. Yeah! They were able to clean and floss her teeth, perform x-rays and give her a fluoride treatment. At the end, as always, she got a bag with a new toothbrush and toothpaste, floss and lip gloss, a pink helium-filled balloon and a book. She chose a board-book about concrete mixers. Go figure. Oh, and because she has (mostly) stopped sucking her fingers she got a gift certificate for a free Jamba Juice.  I am so proud of her and how well she did at the dentist this visit.

a little celebration

Last Saturday my kind friends Amy and Katrina threw me a little baby shower to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our little squirt. There were 11 of us at the party and we had a nice time eating desserts and fruit, playing a game, chatting, and opening gifts. I had a great time and am thankful for my friends who put the time and effort into planning the afternoon. I also appreciate everyone who attended. A special thank you to my mom who drove up for the day and to Loren who traveled here for the weekend from the DC metro area. It wouldn't have been the same without either of you.

The top photos L-R are: the pregnant women at the shower and me with my hostesses. I wish I had a photo of the entire group of us, but I don't. Darn!

Mount Whitney

On Saturday Chad, our friend Andy, and two of our brothers-in-law, Todd and Jared, set off to climb Mt. Whitney. It was a grueling trek and a trip they'll remember for a lifetime. Three of them made it to the top and none of it was easy for anyone in the group. They were snowed on twice. Altitude sickness and/or delirium caught them all off guard. Basically, after 20 hours of unexpected twists and turns they left their camp, reached the 14505 foot summit and returned back to the trail-head. Many awesome photos were taken, but here are a few of my favorites from Andy's and Chad's cameras. Next time you talk to anyone in this group congratulate him on what an amazing job he did. I know I couldn't do it and I am so proud of them!

radishes

In the spring Maggie got to plant some radish seeds in little paper cups with the moms group. As soon as our seeds sprouted we transplanted them to the garden and let them grow wild. Since none of us likes to eat them we figured we'd just let them grow and see how big they could get before we needed the space to plant our summer garden. They got pretty big.

hammered

Lowe's offers classes to kids twice a month and occasionally I have signed Maggie up for them. My mom took her to the first one where they made wooden ice cream trucks. We both took her to the second where she (mostly me) made a wooden bomber airplane. Chad was the lucky recipient of the airplane--father's day gift--and Maggie thinks it's pretty cool. She's a little young to follow the directions for the kits, but she enjoys being there with the other kids, wearing her apron, and taking something home at the end. If you haven't been, sign your kids up for the next Saturday/Sunday workshop and see what it's all about.

zucchini

In June Chad and Maggie picked the first zucchini from our spring garden. Here is Maggie cooking it in her microwave and holding it. Ultimately the entire thing went into summer soup.