The McGuire's plus one!

Our journey to Minnesota: Part 1 -Getting there

2010-07-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

Delaney and I had the opportunity to go back to Minnesota for my stepmom's family reunion and we jumped at the chance. Dan couldn't take any time off work, so we made the journey alone. Dad, Kim and Maddie flew out on Saturday and Delaney and I followed on Tuesday. I was very nervous about traveling all by myself with a 2 year old, but all in all, she did pretty well. However, we had some unexpected issues arise. We missed our first flight out of Sea-Tac due to a gate change and by the time we got there, they had already given our seats away. They were able to get us on the next flight out which only would have been a little over an hour later, but it was delayed three hours. So, we spent a total of six hours at Sea-Tac before ever getting on a plane. Due to the delay, we also missed the last flight out of Minneapolis to Grand Forks, ND so we were forced to stay overnight in Minneapolis. The airline wound up putting us up at the hotel in Minneapolis so it turned out just fine in the end. We caught a 10 am flight out of Minneapolis and were in Grand Forks by 11 am. We got there a day late and spend almost 24 hours traveling, but it actually turned out to not be too bad. I was absolutely exhausted, but Delaney was a trooper. Here are the pics from our travels to Minnesota.
Enjoying a burger at the airport. Watching all the planes.
This is what kept me going during our 6 hour stint with a very cooped up 2 year old at the airport. Oh coffee, how I love you!
Finally on the plane. It was already 6:45 pm when our flight left and Delaney hadn't napped so she conked out pretty quick. I turned on her beloved Monsters, Inc. once we were up in the air and put on her headphones and I think she may have made it about 15 minutes into the movie. She slept most of the flight and woke up when we landed.
It was almost midnight Minnesota time when we landed (10pm here) and we still had to go catch the hotel shuttle. Oh, did I mention we didn't have our bags because they were already in Grand Forks? There is nothing worse than traveling all day and then having to wake up and put on the same clothes in the morning. We went down to catch the shuttle at the airport and immediately Delaney started pointing out all the buses (aka shuttles). You should have seen her face when I told her we would get to ride on one! We had to wait almost 25 minutes for our shuttle and Delaney never stopped talking about all the buses while we waited. We finally got on ours and get on the road. The other group of people on the shuttle were talking about how good she was. She had been an angel. I looked down at her during the ride and she was beaming from ear to ear. She looked up at me and said excitedly, "Mommy, we on a bus!". I think this may have been the highlight of her trip. This was the first thing she told everyone about when they asked about our trip. We finally got to the hotel and got checked in a little after 1 am.
I had to be back up by 7 to get everything ready and get us down to catch the shuttle back to the airport. I woke Delaney up in the morning and she protested about getting up. I finally got her little butt up and she said, "Mommy, I napped". How true kid, how true. That is all that it felt like we got. Here is my little sleepy head trying to get some more sleep in the morning.
We got back to the airport and had no more issues. We ran into my aunt Peggy and her grandson who happened to be on our same flight to Grand Forks. Delaney did great on the plane and we finally made it. More pics and stories to come!

Farmer in the Dell

2010-06-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

So, just in case any of you out there forgot the words to Farmer in the Dell, here they are. Well, some lesser known version of it at least...

Farmer in the dell from Laneysa McGuire on Vimeo.

Happy Father's Day (a little late)

2010-06-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Happy (belated) Father's Day to all you dads out there! Each Mother and Father's Day, Delaney makes something special for the celebrating parent. I love that her daycare does that! I had a nice card with her handprints on it with a little poem. This year, they made a little shirt card with their favorite thing about their daddy in it. I couldn't help but burst out laughing when I opened it up in the car when I picked her up. Here is what it said: Is it wrong for me to be a little pleased with this one? I loved it and so did Dan.
Happy Father's Day!

Delaney's playhouse

2010-06-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

Delaney got a new playhouse for summer. It is awesome. We had a nice weekend a few weeks ago and it made us all ready for summer. Unfortunately, we have not had the nice weather since. Here she is seeing it for the first time.
She is quite proud of it.

It has little shutters that open and close.

And it even has a working fountain.

It makes her very happy.

Here is the full view.

However, the box is just as much fun.
There is a new pool too. We haven't put water in it yet, but with the little slide, who needs water?
Our little one.

She showed Dan all around her new little house. Now, we just need some sun to get back out and enjoy it some more...

Ah, the little things...

2010-06-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

This went on much longer than this video even captures. I wish I was entertained so easily. Oh wait, I was.
On a side note, please ignore my giant ET finger. Phone home!

Untitled from Laneysa McGuire on Vimeo.

Snake Lake

2010-06-05T08:51:00.001-07:00

For the long Memorial Day weekend, the weather was not too cooperative here. But, Monday, the sun started shining and we took the opportunity to get the little one out of the house and free to run. We were trying to think of somewhere close that wouldn't be too crowded. Snake Lake! It was like a flashback to a 4th grade field trip. Now it is actually called Tacoma Nature Center, but it was perfect. There was hardly anyone there and Delaney could run on the trails. She had a great time pointing out all the tree shadows. Almost every picture I have of her looks like this. She was so cooped up from the time at home with the rain, that she ran as much as she could.

Checking out the ducks.

Here she is running towards us while keeping an eye on those ducks.

We even saw a turtle!!

We did the whole loop up onto the hillside and Delaney did the whole thing by herself. She never once needed to be carried. She was starting to slow down by the time we got to the car, but she never stopped.

Running down the trail.

My two favorite people wandering off on a trail.

A great (and free) outing for the one nice day of our long weekend.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T19:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! This was actually our first "normal" Mother's Day. My first one was right after my grandma passed away and last year all three of us were horribly sick. So, it was nice to have a nice, relaxing, uneventful Mother's Day. We got up, went to church, came home and had lunch, did a little shopping with my mom, and played outside in the beautiful weather. This last year I have had so many quintessential "mom" moments. Delaney can now listen to an entire conversation and only pick up on the one phrase that is not appropriate for her to repeat and then repeat it 17 times. She lost her temper and tried to hit me when it was time for her to stop playing in the sink (a huge favorite right now) and when I calmly asked her what she was doing, she calmly replied, "I hit mommy". Now, while she was being mean, she said it with such honesty and without any sense of shame about it that I couldn't help but snicker once she had her time out. She plays make believe now and loves to make imaginary tea for me. She sings songs all the time except they are all to the tune of "ABC's" and "Twinkle, Twinkle little star". She helps me bake all the time but absolutely HATES the hand mixer. I try to find recipes that don't require it, but sometimes it just can't be avoided. I could go on and on about her, but I won't put you all through that. So, here are some pictures from Mother's Day of my sweet little girl and my reason I get to celebrate. I couldn't imagine life without this little nugget.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Some other April happenings

2010-05-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

We planted some seeds last month so Delaney could help grow something and they have been sprouting. She wants to be held up to see her plants everyday and we are just waiting to transplant them outside. She is having fun watching them turn from seeds, to plants, to (hopefully!) some fruits and vegetables.

I also finally got around to making some McGuire Irish soda bread. I don't think I have made it since Delaney was born. I meant to make it for St. Patrick's Day and that just didn't happen, but I had the supplies and Dan was really dropping some hints for it, so one day, I had Delaney help me make it. She finally got to try Irish soda bread and the verdict was thumbs up. Here she is trying her "yummy" bread. Our yard.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her.

We had some fun in the yard recently with the nicer weather. She would live outside if she could.

Me and my girl.

The Spring Fair

2010-05-05T19:12:00.001-07:00

We took a trip to the Spring Fair this last month too. Delaney wanted to go see the animals and we figured she could go on a few rides too. I wanted fair food. So, we headed out as soon as they opened and hoped to be done by around 1 so Delaney could still hopefully take a nap (which did not happen despite her laying in her crib for an hour and a half). Anyway, as soon as we walked in the gate, Delaney saw the carousel and insisted on riding the horsey. So, that was our first ride of the day.

This is the face after her first drink of lemonade.
A rare picture of Dan.

We had to get some corn since that is one of Delaney's favorites. I had a couple of bites and Delaney polished off the rest.

My mom and I.

She went on the balloon ride with her daddy. Her head never moved from this position. I don't know if she just wanted to see where she was going or if she loved the wind in her face, but she was frozen in this position for the whole ride.

She loved it though and talked about it for the rest of the day.

She was very tuckered out by the end of the day. We had a great time though. It is so much fun now that she can get excited about things and enjoy herself.

A belated post about our night out

2010-05-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

My mom and I think alike. So, this last Christmas we were both so pleased with ourselves for the gifts we got each other. A few weeks before Christmas we called each other to brag about the great "thing" we got for each other. After a few minutes of conversation, we both stopped and jokingly said, "I hope we didn't get each other the same thing". Since we were both SO confident in our purchases, we shrugged it off and waited until Christmas. Well, Christmas morning came and we opened our last gifts and sure enough, we thought alike. We both bought each other 2 tickets to the Michael Buble concert in April. Our plans for the night changed a little since we now had 4 tickets, but in the end it worked out great. The only downside was that we didn't get to sit together. So, on the night before Easter, my mom, my aunt and Dan and I headed up to Key Arena to see him in concert. Now, I will admit that Dan was not a huge fan, but in the end he really enjoyed it and Michael Buble put on a great show. If you ever get the chance to see him in concert, GO!
Here is Dan and I in the car on the way up. Can you tell we don't get out much? We turn into complete geeks once we experience life without child. It is blurry, but it is the only picture of us at the show.

He had a great band with a full horn section.

He came out into the audience at one point and was very close to our section. We got to see him up close for a few songs.

It was a great show and a rare night out for Dan and I. Sometimes it pays that my mom and I think alike. Even if it does mean we buy each other the same gifts.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-07T20:19:00.001-07:00

We had a mellow Easter this year. I had a migraine so we took it easy in the morning. We had my mom and grandpa over for brunch. Here is Delaney helping me crack some eggs to make scrambled eggs. We did a little Easter egg hunt in the living room for her. She had a blast and found all the eggs all by herself.

Enjoying her basket and eggs.

Angus didn't want to be left out, so he jumped in her basket too.

Here she is in her apron getting ready to color some Easter eggs.

All ready to go. Her attention span for this was about 3 minutes. She kept coming over to see how we were doing, but she didn't have much interest other than that. But she looked adorable in her little dress and apron.

A little girl time

2010-03-29T20:49:00.001-07:00

This last Saturday, Delaney and I spent some time with my mom. We went shopping in the morning and to her house for dinner in the evening. With Dan's new job and working opposite shifts, he is lucky to see Delaney for a few minutes on our way out the door in the morning. It is not ideal, but once again, we are so very grateful for his job and he is really enjoying it. However, this does not leave me much time for anything, especially any pampering. So, my mom had us over so we could have a little girl time with facials and pedicures. Here is Delaney at home in her new headband we picked out that morning. Looking out the window at my mom's house.

I didn't think she would sit still for my mom to paint her nails, so I was shocked when she sat perfectly motionless while my mom went to work. She carefully inspected everything she did.

She helped her blow on them when they were all done to help them dry.

Pink is not my first choice when it comes to colors, but of course Delaney and I had to match.

And just to prove she is not too much of a girly girl, here is the outfit she picked out the next day. Notice the crazy colored clogs, courtesy of cousin Harper to top it off. She found the hat in her drawer when we were cleaning her room to polish off the ensemble.

Time out and other such things

2010-03-28T18:35:00.001-07:00

Delaney has reached the "terrible" twos and she has been testing the boundaries more lately. So, she experienced a time out. It has been a week and a half and I still have not heard the end of it. The other night she got my attention because she wanted to show me her animals. I asked if she lined them all up and she told me they were in time out because they were naughty. She went down the line with each one and told me "piggy in time out, piggy was naughty, puppy in time out, puppy was naughty" and the list went on until each one had been accounted for. She actually thought it was pretty entertaining and I couldn't help but find it that way too.

Along the lines of her animals in time out, they also need their diapers changed periodically. Here we have several of her animals after she changed their "dirty diapers". She is quite the little mommy to her animals and it is amazing to watch.

I guess I need to be careful how I parent or who knows what these poor animals will have to endure...

Hello Spring!

2010-03-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

We had our first 70 degree day here in Washington this spring and it was about time for me to post some pics of our time outside lately. We have had a few nice weekends here over the last few months and we have used the time to do some work outside. Delaney was introduced to earthworms last month so we go looking for worms whenever we are outside. Here she is holding her first worm ever.

My awesome cousin Aaron got us these sweatshirts from Dutch Harbor, Alaska after some heavy hints. ;) Delaney loves her crab shirt and points out the crab several times whenever she wears it. You are awesome Aaron!!

Helping me look for some more worms.

We found one!

All of our camelia bushes are in full bloom too so I took advantage of it and had Delaney stand by it for a few pictures. The back of her coat was coated in pollen afterwards so we haven't gone by them again since. This was her mischievous pose.

She is growing up so fast and is so much fun to spend time with. We love her to pieces.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day! We had a mellow one here in the McGuire household. We are adjusting to Dan having a new job (yahoo!) so he didn't get to be home to celebrate with us. Dan and I decided very early on in our marriage that Valentine's Day was definitely not our thing, so we have always treated St. Patrick's Day as our special holiday. We usually get each other a little something and go out to celebrate. However, this year was different since we didn't really even get to see each other. We are so very grateful for the job that it doesn't even matter though. So, to celebrate, I took pictures of Delaney in her special St. Patrick's Day shirt. She thought it was hilarious to run around while I tried to capture some images of her. Oh, and she had a mouthful of cracker. Sorry. But here is my little Irish lass celebrating her 3rd St. Patrick's Day!

Yeah, this is how she rocked it. She loves these red sweat pants. She had a little pair of jeans and a green hoodie on over the shirt and it was adorable, but she came home and wanted her "comfy" pants on. So, green and red it was. It was like Christmas and St. Patrick's Day all rolled up into one.

A very special thank you to cousin Harper for passing along the shirt. Delaney loves that it came from you!! We love you!

2nd birthday party

2010-03-06T17:45:00.001-08:00

Delaney had her 2nd birthday party on here a few weeks ago and it was quite the Elmo affair. I even sat the night before and made Elmo cake pops, an idea from Bakerella. Here is Angus keeping me company while I make Elmo pops. He actually really wanted the jelly beans and M&M eyes much more than his desire to keep me company, but whatever, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Delaney's big Elmo with all his little Elmo heads.
The whole army of them.

She got an Elmo tattoo too!

We decorated while she was down for her nap and she woke up to everything birthday. She ran around looking at all the decorations. It was really cute.

Finding more Elmo.

Delaney and my little sister, Maddie.

Playing with the Big Bird car that was on her cake.

Birthday cake. I don't think she took a bite. She isn't much of a sweet tooth.

She did attempt to bite the head off of Elmo though. In the end, she mostly just ate his eyes and was done.

Poor Elmo.

So, I was busy and didn't take any pictures of all the wonderful grandparents and great-grandparents and such that came over. Sorry you are not documented, but we so loved that you all made it. It made Delaney's day so very special.

The next day she had another party with more of my family for all the February birthdays. Here she is with the kitty cake.

And here she is with her new puzzle.

Thank you to everyone who helped make Delaney's 2nd birthday special. We love you all!

The random February catch up post

2010-02-28T19:54:00.001-08:00

Well, third time is a charm. I had trouble loading the pictures one time and the other time I somehow got them in reverse order. So, I think they are finally here. I have a few posts that are behind including the birthday pictures, but here are some random February pics from our past month.
Here is Delaney in her kitty raincoat and boots just getting back from a walk with daddy. Valentines Day with my little sister and Delaney.

Delaney got to ride the quad for the first time on Valentine's Day with my dad. She hopped right on and got in this position and then would not move or adjust at all.

Those little hands stayed in this position the entire ride. She got off and back on for one more ride and then that was enough. She even told my dad, "Papa all done too".

She can open the refrigerator all by herself now. This is what ensues.

Happy Birthday 2 year old!

2010-02-20T14:03:00.001-08:00

How has it happened? My little girl is 2 and it seems to have flown by. Two years ago, at 5:22 in the morning, our little girl was born. For the last two years, our lives have been filled with a joy we never knew. Two short years ago, a little person came into our lives and changed them forever. Delaney is growing up and it is incredible to see the changes.

To my Delaney:
I love the way you sing your alphabet and only know the first few letter and the ones at the end of a line (G, P, V...)
I love the way you read your Monkey book to me on the way to daycare.
I love the way you snuggle before bedtime.
I love they way you have no fear when you play and will climb on anything.
I love the way you softly pat my cheeks when you give me "Soft touches".
I love the way you insist upon music in the car and it is usually songs I like too.
I love the way you tattle on the cat when he is doing something wrong.
I love the way you fold your hands when it is time to pray.
I love the way you love to help me cook.
I love the way you say cheese for pictures.
I love the way you are independent and stubborn.
I love the way you are so proud when you accomplish something.
I love the way you say "Night Night Mama" and "love you Mama" when I put you to bed.
I love the way you worry about others when they get hurt or sad.
I love the way you point out every single school bus and truck when we are in the car.
I love the way you giggle and laugh over the simple things.
I love the way you talk on the pretend phone and then say nothing on the real phone.
I love the way you melt my heart with your smile and hugs.
Most of all, I love you for being you.
Happy Birthday Delaney!!

It's like it happened overnight...

2010-02-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

I get her out of the tub one night and she actually lets me brush her hair. Well, "lets me brush" really means didn't fight me tooth and nail, but there were still some tears and a great deal of whining. But, once it was done and her hair dried, this is what transformed. I don't know how she got to be so big or her hair so long, but my little baby is growing up. I am still in denial that she turns two in a mere couple of weeks. She looks so different with her hair down and since she rarely lets me have it down, it warranted some pictures. I still didn't think it was this long already.

It's been a while...

2010-01-30T20:58:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I've posted anything and mostly because our household has been dealing with sickness and other such things, so I have been remiss. Anyhoo, here is the post. There were so many Christmas pics to choose from that I decided just not to post much at all. I will try to e-mail some pics out to the different families of the respective Christmas festivities. But, here is Delaney Christmas morning in her new kitty pajamas opening her first present. She got stickers. She shared them all with me.

We have done some outings despite the wet weather. Here she is very excited about going to the zoo. She and I went all by ourselves since Dan had come down with something. She had been cooped up in the house for a long time with her double ear infection and it was just a necessity to get her out for some fun, rain or not.

She had fun even with the wet weather.

She even got to try her first hot chocolate.

One day we also got out to Owens Beach. Here she was picking out the perfect rock.

Our little girl is getting so big. Where does the time go?

Delaney also caught a stomach bug this last month. We knew something was wrong when she fell asleep in her beanbag chair. She NEVER falls asleep in the living room. But it was cute.

And she got another boo-boo at daycare. She fell off the slide and smacked her cheek. It just looked a little scraped up at first and then it bruised pretty good after that. It wasn't the worst she's done, but it caused some soreness for a few days.

Our nice little girl is almost two and we are seeing it. Her development has taken such leaps and bounds lately and with the good, comes the bad. We are seeing the tantrums and most of the time, it is hard not to laugh. So what do we do? We take pictures. Here is one from last night. Two minutes later she was up laughing and giving us hugs again.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

I would love to post a long eloquent post about the new year and resolutions and what the past year has been for us, but I am too tired from having a little one with a double ear infection who can't sleep all week. So, instead I will say that our New Year's was spent sleeping except for waking up for the sound of all the fireworks in the neighborhood. However, not to be left out, Delaney woke up and was up from 1 until 5 due to medicines, ear infection, digestion issues, etc. I will say that the last few days have probably been my most trying days as a parent so far with Delaney extremely crabby and fragile, but it has been good for teaching me lessons in patience and I have gotten a few extra hugs and kisses from her. Today, due to Dan catching her cold and the utter need for Delaney and I to get out of the house, she and I went to the zoo all by ourselves. We had a great, yet cold time. Delaney even got to try her first hot chocolate.

It is back to the routine starting tomorrow and while I am sad the holidays are over, I am ready to get back into the swing of things. Right now, I am just hoping for some sleep and wellness for all of us. Well, I hope the long eloquent post is still coming sometime, but I will make no guarantees. Christmas pictures are coming as well, but sometime when I can think clearly and not be running on caffeine along. So, we hope you all had a Happy New Year and wishing you all a wonderful 2010!

Since there are no big loads of Christmas pictures, here is a short little video of my wee one being a ham and cracking me up~

Merry Christmas Eve!

2009-12-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

I have been behind in my blogging. Christmastime, working full time, and the general craziness that an almost 2-year old (how can that be???) causes has kept me busy. But, I wanted to slow down (while my cookies are baking) and make sure that I kept you all up-to-date. We had the wonderful pleasure of going to Delaney's Christmas program that her daycare put on. My sister was in it also and so it was a full family affair. Delaney's little group sang two short songs during which the majority of the kids cried. Not my Delaney though, she was busy trying to pick her nose (which, luckily, she never quite succeeded in) and trying not to fall asleep (it was getting close to bedtime). I did take some video, but you can only hear the kids crying and a little boy kept standing in front of Delaney, so it really isn't worth posting. But this was something I've looked forward to for months, so it was still wonderful to see my child take part in a celebration of the birth of Jesus and get dressed up nice for her little minute on stage. Here is a picture of her during one of the songs. Angus has settled in now as well. He is finally over the respiratory infection he brought home from the shelter and is now in full force destruction mode. When he isn't climbing the tree or trying to walk on the stove while I am cooking dinner, he is jumping in the shower when it is on, attacking Maisy nonstop, and generally causing havoc and mayhem every waking minute. But, last night, he and Delaney played for over half an hour and she was giggling until she was falling over. And that makes it all worthwhile. (I think).
Here he is being a good sport while Delaney piled movies on top of him. And yes, those are all Elmo DVD's. It is the only thing Delaney remotely cares to watch.

OOOOOOO, it's Christmas!

Our poor little bug came down with the stomach flu a few weeks ago. I had been in the dentist chair for 2 hours that morning and got to work with a TON of stuff to do and got a call a half hour later that Delaney was throwing up. Poor little thing got sick on pajama day at school. So, we were home for two days with her down and out. She did nothing that first day but lay on the floor with all her blankets. Luckily, little Angus was there to keep her company and he curled up next to her most of the day.

So, Merry Christmas Eve! We will be busy with all the family festivities the next few days so there will be plenty more pictures. Until then, we wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

Our very cold weekend

2009-12-06T20:44:00.001-08:00

The temperatures have dropped here in Washington and this weekend the temps maxed out in the 30's. Our drafty little house has definitely felt the effects and even Maisy and Angus have been forced to cuddle. But not Delaney. Our little mover and shaker gets cabin fever way too easy and has to get out of the house for some fun, freezing or not. So, we braved the cold and took her to one of the parks near our house on Saturday for a little bit. We bundled up, but it still took hours for my feet to warm back up again. Delaney had a blast. Here the sun has decided to cancel out Dan, but Delaney was all ready for her trip down the slide. They had one just her size at the park.

She wasn't quite as prepared for her trip down the bigger slide.

Swings are awesome. She would have stayed on them all day. They even had the little kid kind that you can strap them into.

Delaney and I enjoying our swinging.

Sunday night we had a lovely dinner with Jon and Melissa. Delaney loved spending some time with her auntie and uncle and we had a great Thanksgiving dinner (several days after the fact).

Delaney enjoying all of her Thanksgiving grub. Thanks for a great time guys!!

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime

2009-12-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

First of all, I hate that Christmas song. Ok, hate is a strong word, strongly dislike. Moving on, I love the holiday season: decorating the Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, drinking hot cocoa and peppermint mochas, and all of the other fun things that winter and the holiday season bring about. We have a busy season ahead of us with all of the families, but we are adding some new things to our activities. I am looking forward to Delaney's Christmas program through her daycare. I went to it back when Maddie was young and in it and I loved seeing all the little kids sing their songs about baby Jesus. I will make sure to catch it on video if possible for you all to see. Anyway, that is about all for this post. I just had to say aloud how much I enjoy this season: family, traditions, giving, and celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Delaney posing in front of our tree.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

We had a last minute change of plans this year and we stayed home from the Thanksgiving festivities due to Delaney having a nasty cold which also made her a major grumpy pants. I did happen to buy most things for a Thanksgiving dinner just in case when I noticed her getting a little stuffy early on in the week, but since we didn't decide until late morning that we were staying home, it was too late to start the turkey. We will just have turkey this weekend. We did have the rest of the fixings and even homemade pumpkin pie. Anyway, here she is wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving.

Meet Angus!

2009-11-24T17:28:00.001-08:00

This is Angus. He is the newest member of our family. We adopted him from the Humane society this last Saturday as a new playmate for both Maisy (our other cat) and Delaney. He has adjusted quite well and I don't think we could have asked for a better introduction. He and Maisy get along just fine, which is a stark contrast to when we got Maisy and couldn't leave her alone with Max for over a month because he attacked her. And as for Delaney, she LOVES her new kitty. When she says his name it almost comes out as "ernie" because she can't quite say the "g". So, she goes around calling him "baby angi". It is adorable. They chase each other all over the house and she has been giggling since we got him. He curls up next to her whenever she sits still (which is not very often) and he is the first thing she asks about when we get home or when she wakes up. All in all, it is a great match for our little family. So, here he is: Meeting Maisy. He is only 3 pounds and 2 months old, so he is a tiny little thing.

Delaney is already teaching him the wonderfulness that is Elmo.

Some reading time with Daddy, Delaney and Angus.

He climbed up here next to her on his own accord. We'll see how long that lasts...

We are so glad to have little Angus.

100!!

2009-11-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

100 posts! This blog has actually made it to 100. It has seen pregnancy, birth, loss, joy, injuries and everything else that life throws at us. As I looked back over the last 2 years of posts, it brings back all of the memories and experiences that we have been through. Our life has changed so dramatically throughout this blog and I love having this to remind me. Hopefully you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy making it (and let's face it, showing off my little one). I can't wait to see what happens over the next 100 posts!

Halloween pics

2009-11-09T20:19:00.000-08:00

Delaney had a good time this Halloween as a little garden gnome. I think she was surprised that people just gave her treats for no reason. She kept taking them out of her basket one at a time, examining them until every one was out of her bucket, put them all back in and start over again. We just went to a few family members houses and a couple neighbors that know her and that was our evening. She even got to enjoy a sucker when we got home that could not be pried away for any pictures, so that is why there is a sucker in all pictures at the end. Since she is not too much of a sweets eater (except for the sucker and a few other things she likes), Dan and I have been enjoying her candy loot. Thanks to all who contributed to our sweet tooth! Here is our little gnome. She counted her candy her at one stop no less than three times.

With the hat on and everything.

Enjoying her post trick-or-treating sucker. Here she didn't care about the hat as long as she got the candy.

The end result in an Elmo bucket (of course).

A video of the wee one

2009-10-29T18:32:00.001-07:00

Here is Delaney saying her name, that she is one year old and since I had promised it many blogs ago, the way she says watermelon. It has actually evolved slightly since her vocab is getting better, but still cute nonetheless. Enjoy!

The pumpkin patch

2009-10-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

We took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch today. We headed off to Scholz Farms in Orting again and this year Delaney was able to run around by herself. I will readily admit right now that I have included way too many photos, but I couldn't seem to narrow it down, so tough. You're stuck looking at all of them. We had a great time. Here she is checking out the donkeys. It is far away, but these two dwarfs never made it into the Snow White story.

Checking out the corn maze. We made our way without getting lost.

Picking out the right one.

She is a little bigger in the wheelbarrow this year than she was last year.

One again, there was not one family photo where she was looking at the camera.

Hmmmm, how will I choose just one??

Daddy and Delaney

Off to find the Great Pumpkin

Grammie Charlene and Delaney way out trying to find the perfect pumpkin.

I've got better things to be doing, mom.

I love her little look in this one. She looks bored and angelic at the same time.

Still not willing to look at the camera.

She is jumping. She just figured it out and it is her new favorite thing to do.

Picking out squash for great grandpa.

Daddy and Delaney off wandering.

Of course we had to have some corn on the cob. It has been well documented on this blog how much she loves corn on the cob. Well, today was no exception. She ate the entire thing all by herself.

Enjoying our treats at the end of the outing.

One last shot of our little family on the tractor. We were able to get a good break in weather for our little trip this year and Delaney had even more fun this year now that she could run around. She loved seeing the animals again, even little lambs that were just born last week, and being able to run around outside always makes her day. Another fun trip to the pumpkin patch.

Making Strides for Breast Cancer

2009-10-11T17:06:00.001-07:00

I participated in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk this past weekend. It is a 5k walk with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. As most of you know, both of my biological grandmother's battled this disease. Both were later in life when it was found, but both had mastectomys as the treatment. One lost her battle when Delaney was 10 weeks old. So I walked in honor of one and in memory of another. It was inspiring to see how many people turned out and even more inspiring to see how many women were wearing Survivor sashes. To see women with no hair from chemo with their Survivor sashes on, in the midst of battling this monster, it puts a face to why we do this. I hope by supporting this cause, it helps other women and families who are going through this, that it helps spread awareness and preventative testing, and may prevent future generations, like Delaney, from going through it. It was a great time and was worth every step and much more.
My own little cheerleader decked out in pink, just like me. Getting ready to start.

Crossing through the starting line.

These are just some pictures from along the route. It wound around old town Tacoma and was actually a really pretty walk with views of the water and Stadium bowl.

Almost done, right at mile 3.

And crossing through the finish line. We made it!

My mom watched Delaney while I walked and they were waiting with a picnic lunch for me when we got done. Delaney was wearing her new pink kitty hat (since it was not warm) and we had a nice lunch in the park before heading home.

My registered walker sticker. See, I was official!

The three of us after the walk. It was a good morning out making a difference.

Some September and October randoms

2009-10-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo this morning. It has definitely turned fall here, with the temps maxing out in the 50's so it is time to bundle up for our zoo trips. Here is Delaney and I in our matching pink hats. Checking out the elephant. Delaney is very into animals and the sounds they make. So far, she knows what a cat, dog, bee, sheep, cow, elephant and tiger all say. We have a set of animal magnets and she knows all of the different animals in the set, so trips to the zoo are becoming more fun as she gets more into it.This was also the very first time that Delaney went down the zoo slide all by herself. She loves slides and there were no other kids there this morning (a perk of the cold weather), so she tried it and loved it. She looked so little on the big slide, but she had such a great time and went down it several times with no fear whatsoever.

She had a huge grin on her face the whole way down every time. I was worried it would be hard to pry her away, but offering a ride on the horsey (aka carousel) made it fine to leave.

Oh, and she insisted upon climbing on her own bench at the play area. She couldn't sit with us, she had to sit on her own bench all by herself.

They both look surprised I'm taking this picture. And when I say that she wants to ride a horsey, I actually mean she wants to ride the puppy. There is one husky dog that she insists upon riding on. She then says "puppy" throughout the entire ride.

Her anti-gravity hair after bathtime.

Having some snuggle time with daddy.

Just a happy girl.

Hugging the fan. She loved giving loves to the fan all summer. This was taken early September when we still needed our fan. The fan always had to be on and she would go and stand in front of it and then randomly give it hugs. What a little goofball...

My latest creation

2009-09-27T08:51:00.001-07:00

I made a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake. And may I just say, whoever thought of combining peanut butter and cream cheese...Thank you! The cream cheese frosting was delicious. This was my first time making this cake and I'm sure it won't be the last. It was also the first time I made a ganache for a cake (also chocolate and peanut butter) and it added this wonderful fudgy layer to the cake. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the inside once it got cut, but I was very happy with how it turned out. I got this recipe off one of my favorite websites, Smitten Kitchen. You can find the link to the recipe here http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/

Do the Puyallup!

2009-09-24T19:26:00.001-07:00

We went to the Puyallup Fair last night. Dan hurt his back, so he had to stay home, but Delaney and I braved it anyway. We were able to meet up with Grandma Marlene once we got there to wander around and look at all the animals. Then at dinnertime, Grandma Charlene was able to join us too for the festivities. I didn't know what to expect with Delaney, but she really seemed to enjoy all the sights and sounds. There was the major meltdown when it was time to get back in the stroller after the must-have Krusty Pup, but other than that, she did pretty well. She was even able to go on a couple rides (although we had to tell the guy that she was 2 since all kids are supposed to be 2 to ride any of the rides). This was Delaney's first time to the Puyallup Fair since we didn't take her last year and I'm positive she will have even more fun next year. Here she is right after we got parked and ready to go in. I think she was excited to see where we were going. I picked her up early from daycare and we usually don't get to go on many errands during the weeknights, so she knew something was up. She gave me this big grin when I asked if she was ready to go to the fair. Here it is: Looking at the little chicks. These were the naked neck chicks (that was the official name, I'm not making that up). They had, you guessed it, naked necks.

She liked the chicks. She liked looking at all of the animals. I don't think she realized horses were actually that big in real life. We went and looked at the Draft horses and I think she was amazed at how big they were. But she just waved and said "Hi horsey" and "Bye horsey" to all of them.

The little piglets.

Delaney being a goofball when she realized Grammie was taking a picture of her looking at the piglets.

Delaney and I enjoying our corn. Well, I only had a couple bites and Delaney polished off most of it all by herself.

She LOVES corn on the cob. Even better at the fair!

We rode the train around Sillyville. This was the ride the guy asked how old she was before we could get on. We sat on a bench and rode around on a train. I don't think a few months made much of a difference...

The last ride of the evening, the carousel. Yes, we go on it at the zoo all the time, but not at night at the fair. She said "horsey" every time she saw the carousel so I knew we would wind up on it. By this point, it was past bedtime and she was running on fumes, but it was a good end to a fun outing. Thanks to both Grandma's that were out there. We had a blast!

Someone turned her "ham it up" button on

2009-09-18T20:49:00.001-07:00

Delaney was in a particularly good mood tonight. We watched a little Elmo, played outside, had some watermelon (or as she calls it A-num-num, a video is coming soon that shows how she says it), and hammed it up for the camera. As soon as Dan got the camera out, she would stop and do a big cheesy grin at it. Her eyes wound up shut in most of them, but here are a few. Man, this kid is a goofball.

Maisy getting some good night loves. With Max gone, Maisy has now had to learn to put up with a lot more loves. Max was the patient one who Delaney could love on and he just sat there. Maisy is still learning, but it seems like she has resigned herself to the job of getting hugs and kisses several times a day from Delaney. I could definitely think of worse things to tolerate than that for sure.

Ouch.

2009-09-12T19:36:00.001-07:00

So, this morning Delaney got her second fat lip. She tripped and fell and hit her face and her tooth actually punctured all the way through her lip. I knew we were in store for a fat lip as soon as I scooped her up and the blood started flowing. Considering how bad it was, it stopped bleeding fairly quickly and she was perked up by some "Elmo's World". This is a picture of it once the crying and bleeding stopped. It didn't swell up as quickly as the last time, but it isn't quite as obvious because it is her bottom lip. Here you can see where the tooth poked out the front of her lip. We didn't even realize that it happened until later when the blood kept coming back on the front. We just figured she was drooling for a while.

After naptime, the swelling had gone up some. She has been a pretty good sport about the whole thing (I don't think I would be quite as chipper). Her lip is a little black and blue tonight, but some ice cold watermelon has helped. Hopefully, this will be the last fat lip for a while...

The August catch-up

2009-09-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

I am finally catching up on the last month. We had a very busy end of July and August with a trip, wedding, birthdays, and the general craziness that a one-year old causes. Delaney and I spend two days home this week because she got the stomach flu and was not feeling good. I came out Wednesday morning to check on her while I was getting ready and usually she is wandering around with her bottle and watching Sesame Street and I came out and found her just laying on the floor on her blanket and hadn't touched her milk. I knew she wasn't good then, but then the throwing up started. I will spare the gory details, but there was a LOT of laundry to do after that morning. She had perked back up by evening and was pretty much back to herself. We stayed home Thursday too since she still had a little fever, but she is getting some molars too, so the fever could even be from that. Anyway, here are some pics of her from this past month. I can't believe it is already September!
Check out our long-legged little one. Surprise, surprise, we spend some time at the zoo. I know, its shocking. But here she is showing no fear with the goats.

Peek-a-boo!

Her is our big girl on her half birthday (August 20). This makes her an official 1 1/2 year old.

Her daycare had a luau day one day and the kids got to have some special treats (have I mentioned I love her daycare?). Anyway, I picked her up and they had put some flower combs in her hair and she had a little lei that she could take home. Here is our little Hawaiian girl.

And, here she is after pudding.

I have no words...

Why wouldn't you ride a pink pony with no shirt on and sunglasses? Why? (Ignore the fact that she had just taken all her dirty clothes out of the hamper and sprinkled them around her room.)

Oh, and Dan and I celebrated some special birthdays this August, I turned the big 3-0 and Dan hit the 35 mark. So, to celebrate, I surprised him with a room up in Seattle and tickets to a favorite comedian of ours, Demetri Martin. We were in a time crunch once we got to the hotel because we had to get checked in, go have dinner, and get to the show by 7:30, so of course we didn't bring the camera. So, this was one of the only pictures of our little weekend away. My mom was kind enough to watch Delaney for us (although I think Delaney had a grand time being spoiled at Grandma's) and it was nice for us to get away. This was the view from our room at the Hyatt.

There, now I am officially caught up on pictures!

Ben and Sarah's wedding

2009-08-29T19:34:00.001-07:00

Man, those California posts really put me behind in my blogging. So, BJ and Sarah got married back on August 7th. They had it at a beautiful place in Poulsbo called Kiana Lodge. It overlooked the water and they had different areas for dinner and then cake and dancing. A fun time was had by all (along with a great deal of wine). Here we are at the rehearsal before she officially became my cousin-in-law. All the girls back in the room at the Clearwater with hair and makeup done.

The multitasking bride.

The couple right before they become husband and wife.

The troublemakers, also known as the groomsmen.

Us girls all dolled up and ready for a wedding.

We stole the boys' cigars for this one.

The whole group of us. I don't know if one of these turned out because we never got warning from the photographer when he was taking shots. I know I blinked through several.

The ceremony.

Me and the hubby. We clean up well when we need to.

One more since most of our pictures are now usually of a sticky little one named Delaney and don't include both of us. We figured we better take advantage of the opportunity while we can.

The newlyweds, Ben and Sarah Kitchen.

My boys and I.

Dan, the bride and her beautiful daughter Emily.

Enjoying the open bar with my cousin Sam.

My cousin Kelli and I.

My wonderful mom and cousin Sam.

One more at the end of the night. Dan had been up since 1:30 that morning for work, so I continued on to the casino with some of the wedding party and he had to go back to the hotel to get some rest. It was our first night without Delaney since she was born, so I was making sure I lived it up while I could. Dan's mom watched her for her first overnight sleepover and she did great. I missed that little booger a ton, but I know it was good for her. We had a great time at the wedding and so glad to see these two tie the knot.

California by Mike

2009-08-26T19:10:00.001-07:00

Finally. I have been having trouble loading pictures for this post, so it is finally done. Here are some pictures from Mike that he took in California on his nice camera (that I drooled over many times). He got a few pics that I didn't get including a whole group photo. Here is Delaney in the pool. All the kids enjoying the kiddie pool. Well, and I guess Karry and I were enjoying it too. Um, and I am going to bravely point out that I actually had a little bit of a tan (for me) in this picture and I am still blindingly pale. I will gladly accept the title of "Ginger" that the Kitchen boys have given me.

The castle at Disneyland. If you click on the picture, you can see the lot of us standing there on the right side. This was right before the glitter fairy sprinkled Pixiedust on the kids' heads which stayed there for weeks. Even with Delaney swimming everyday the rest of the trip and getting a bath every night, that Pixiedust lasted for weeks. Every once in a while, I swear I still see a little glimmer of something on her head.

See, I told you earlier that she had a good time on the carousel.

We had grand ideas of group shots of the kids that never seemed to actually work. I can't imagine why two 1-year olds and a 3-year old don't sit perfectly still for pictures whenever we ask them. :)

A nice shot of Dan, Mike and Ronan at the GardenWalk.

Ok, here is a group shot of the McGuires that actually shows the true nature of the group. These were just practice shots for when the lady came in to take the real photo, but I like that the candid shots are so revealing of us.

Here is the nice group shot of all of us. Somehow, everyone cooperated, no one was blinking, and the kids were even looking at the camera. It was a miracle!

Here is Mike, Karry, Harper, Ronan, Dan, Delaney and I.

The three of us up in the presidential suite.

California: Chapter 5- Family and Fun

2009-08-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

The most important reason for our trip to California were these crazy people. We were able to spend some quality time with the whole McGuire clan for a week. Delaney and Grandma Marlene reading together.

I could just eat this cute little booger up.

My wonderful sister-in-law Melissa with D and I. Melissa was a HUGE help on the travel down since Dan wasn't with me and I needed a little extra help. Thanks again Melissa!

A few precious moments between Ronan and Delaney.

Four generations of McGuires. Great Grandma Poe, Grandpa McGuire, Dan and little Delaney.

A few of the crazy McGuire men.

Delaney finally let her Uncle Dave hold her on the last night. He even got a good night kiss. Lucky guy.

Oh, and Delaney discovered the toilet paper on this trip. Luckily, this little habit did not follow us back to Washington.

We had a great time on the trip, but it wore us out. We miss all you McGuires we don't get to see very often!

California: Chapter 4- GardenWalk and Downtown Disney

2009-08-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Right next to the condo, there is a mall called Anaheim GardenWalk. It is an outdoor mall with a beautiful fountain. One morning, we gathered up the kids and took them there for a walk before the mall opened so they could run around and get some fresh air. It worked out perfect because nothing was open but a coffee shop, so we got some coffee and the kids could wander around. Here is one out in front. Dan was taking the picture, so we are short one. Wandering around the fountain with daddy.

It was a little hard to keep her outta there.

Ronan couldn't quite get the glasses off of the statue.

Delaney tried picking her nose, but to no avail too.

The kids were psyched about the shark, can't you tell?

One afternoon, we also wandered over to Downtown Disney. My lovely sister-in-law, Kathy, was our tour guide and led us around. It is a neat little area of shops and restaurants right outside of Disneyland. We took Delaney to the Disney store to let her pick something out and I needed to get a few souvenirs. Delaney had a little trouble picking just one thing as you can see from the picture. In the end, we wound up with a baby Minnie Mouse that you can wrap up in her blanket.

Our little family at Downtown Disney.

My awesome sister-in-law and tour guide extraordinaire, Kathy and I at Downtown Disney.

Happy half birthday

2009-08-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today, as of 5:22 this morning, Delaney is officially a 1 1/2 year old. One and a half sounds so much older than one. Anyway, I just needed to take a break from California posts to point that out. She has really been growing up lately. She can now lead us around to show us what she wants, she helps around the house with little things, she says "No" when she doesn't want something and "all done" when she wants to get down, dances to music and claps when the song is over, can fall down at the end of "Ring around the rosies", loves reading books, is now interested in Sesame Street, and continues to amaze us everyday with what she learns. She had a fork last night and I told her to go put it away. She walked into the kitchen, opened up the silverware drawer and put it in there. Nevermind that the fork was dirty, she knew where it belonged because she loves to help me unload the dishwasher. She is our little miss independent and fights hard to do things herself. It is amazing how much she has changed in leaps and bounds over the last 6 months and I can't wait to see what she accomplishes over the next 6 months.

California: Chapter 3 - Pools and Presidential Suites

2009-08-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

The condos had a little kiddie pool which was perfect for the wee ones. It was 1 1/2 feet deep all the way across so they could stand up and walk in it. Plus, they had it as warm as bathwater, so it wasn't too bad for the rest of us to sit in either. The kids had a grand time in the pool which was an everyday occurrence. Here is Delaney enjoying the pool with her Aunt Karry and I. Splashing is fun!

Once Dan arrived, he got to spend some time in the pool with Delaney too.

One night towards the end of the trip, Mom and Dad McGuire were able to score a presidential suite for the night. These were beautiful condos on the top floor. Delaney and Ronan spent some time out on the balcony 14 floors up. Even though there was absolutely no way they could fall through the bars, it still made my knees a little weak when they walked over to the edge. Delaney, on the other hand, loved the sun, breeze and view from way up there.

Looking down at the pool from 14 floors up.

Sunset and the view of Disneyland from the suite. Delaney didn't quite make it late enough to see the fireworks from Disneyland that they do every night, but she was up late enough our first night there to see them. I don't think she cared.

California: Chapter 2- The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-08-18T20:17:00.001-07:00

Disneyland! Disneyland was actually not on the agenda when we left for California. Yes, I know, we could see it from our condo and we traveled all that way, but the idea of Disneyland with two 1-year olds and a 3-year old didn't exactly spell out a fun time for us parents. However, some other McGuires (who will remain nameless) caved and decided to go. I still was hesitant because Daniel hadn't even gotten there yet so I would be braving it alone (plus I didn't want him to miss out), but he convinced me to take Delaney with the others. It actually turned out great and the kids had a good time (I think). Dave and Kathy were excellent tour guides and got us to all the important stuff quickly so we never spent more than a minute or two waiting in line. We had gotten in several rides and mouse ears for Harper in just a couple of hours. The kids were all asleep on the walk home, so it definitely wore them out. Delaney will not remember it, but at least we have pictures from her first trip to Disneyland. Here is Delaney showing how excited she is to be entering Disneyland.

Harper taking it all in.

Ronan and Delaney were keeping their eyes on something. They are trying to contain all their excitement. They were playing it cool.

Um, trying to take pictures on a carosel while it is moving up and down and spinning is hard when you are also trying to hold on so she doesn't fall off her horse. Don't blame me for the blurry picture.

The Dumbo ride changed Delaney's view on rides. She did not like Astro Blasters and in fact I wound up with a claw mark on my face from the meltdown on that one. The carousel was ok, but Dumbo, well Dumbo was awesome. She was grinning the whole time. After that, rides were fun. I thought she might freak out a little on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, but she had a blast. She like the Roger Rabbit ride too. She loved the music on It's a Small World and all the different scenes (although the consensus with the adults may differ on the song). That is stuck in your head FOREVER after that ride. Here she is on her favorite ride at Disneyland.

Mike and Ronan on the tea cups. Mike and I were the "No Spinning" cup since we had the kids (although I think we both would prefer to not spin even if we didn't have the kids). Dave, Kathy, and Karry went all out with the spinning. Some didn't look so good halfway through. We laughed in our stable and nausea free cup.

Some of the McGuire girls in jail where we belong.

Delaney exerting her independence at Toon Town. This was one of our last stops and there was a minor meltdown when it was time to get back in the stroller. I do think she had a good time and it gave her some new experiences. I wasn't too thrilled to be going, but I will admit that I got a little excited about it once we walked in the gate. I guess Disneyland is still magical no matter how old you are.

California: Chapter 1- Getting there and meeting the cousins!

2009-08-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to posting some pictures from our trip to Cali. Delaney and I left on Wednesday and Dan met us down there on Friday. All four of the McGuire boys were there with their families. Thanks to Mom and Dad McGuire for helping plan all of it! I was relieved to be leaving the unbearably hot weather up here for the air conditioned airport and pleasant weather of Southern California. So, here is the first installment of some pictures. This is Delaney "helping" me pack. It would have been cuter if it wasn't 87 degrees in the house while I was rushing around trying to get things packed. I would put something in the suitcase and come back to find it had been removed. Delaney was crabby from the heat too, so it made for an interesting and stressful morning. Finally nice and cool at the airport and enjoying some chicken nuggets.

She had discovered airplanes not long before the trip, so she had a great time looking out at all of them. She waved hello and bye-bye to all of them.

Keeping an eye on the planes.

Getting set for Delaney's first trip on an airplane. I was very blessed and she fell asleep about 10 minutes into the flight and woke up right when we touched down in Long Beach. She was an angel.

Checking out Long Beach from the airport baggage claim. It is outside which I found weird, but I'm from Washington. (Not that being from Washington is weird, but we learn not to trust being able to do much outdoors around here).

Getting all cleaned up from the long day of packing and traveling.

Getting her first glimpse out of the condo windows at all the palm trees.

And Ronan and Delaney meet for the first time. They were not too sure about each other. Then Ronan stole half her waffle.

Then it was off to play. This was one of the few moments of civil play between the two. Not that they didn't like each other, they are just both 1 year olds who don't want to share toys. Well, at least Delaney didn't want to share.

Then cousin Harper joined in the fun. She didn't play too much with the younger two, but we did get a few pictures of all three together. Besides, why would she play with two little babies when she had her aunts and uncles to play with? I wouldn't either.

All three also went for a ride on the cart. Although, this was only the first of many for mister Ronan. Well, that was when he wasn't pushing it up and down the hallways. Man, that boy is strong.

Another installment of California pictures to come!

They're a comin

2009-08-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

We have been going non-stop since we got back from vacation. I was in Ben and Sarah's wedding this Friday in Poulsbo and had a bachelorette party earlier in the week. So, pictures from both vacation and the wedding are coming. I spent Delaney's naptime yesterday uploading everything and getting rid of red eyes. I have over 300 pictures to go through, so the posts will be catching up soon. I'm sure I will have to do several posts to fit in the California pictures. We are trying to catch up on everything, so I will find some time soon to sit down and start sharing some pictures!

Goodbye ol' friend

2009-08-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

Our little family isn't quite the same. You were a great little kittie. You were with me before I fell in love and got married, you watched us start our home and add our baby. You gave us a run for our money when we adopted Maisy (our other kittie) and eventually grew to love her. You surprised us by being so very patient and gentle with Delaney and provided her hours upon hours of entertainment. You very well may have been the world's best snuggler. The house is a little emptier and sadder without you here. You will be missed very much Max.

How is California cooler than here?

2009-07-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

It has been obscenely hot here for us Washingtonians with the temps reaching the 100's today. Luckily, we are escaping to the nice pleasant weather of Southern California. Yes, it is in the low 80's down there right now. I haven't written anything lately just because I haven't had the energy. Our house gets so hot. It was 89 last night and the night before last inside the house. With the temperatures only cooling down to around 68 at night, the coolest our house has been the last few days is 83. So, we finally retreated last night and sought refuge with Dan's parents in their air conditioning. Delaney got a good night's sleep before we leave and it was quite pleasant. Now, coming home and packing in an 85 degree house, not so much fun. I will have plenty of pictures to post when we get back. Dan will be meeting us down there later on. Hope you all stay cool!

We LOVE watermelon!

2009-07-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

And that is all I have to say about that.

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T21:22:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July to all! We had a great day, although we could have done without the stuffy house. We woke up this morning and the temperature in the house got down to 77 degrees before it started rising again. As I sit here typing this and it is so very pleasant outside, I am sitting in an 84 degree house with no hopes of cooling it down soon. Ah, the joys of an old house. We went over to my cousins house for a BBQ with the fam this afternoon. Man, Delaney would live outside if we let her. She spent most of the evening walking in and out of the house and up and down the steps on their deck. Great food, visiting with family, and me defeating Sarah in our ping pong battle rounded out our afternoon. Here are some pics from our 4th, and we hope you all enjoyed yours. I know we are biased, but boy, she is cute.
Here she is in the morning making sure that all refreshments were in order.

This is what she spent a lot of time doing. Laying in the grass looking at the sky. Too bad it was too early to see any fireworks. Maybe next year she will make it until dark...

Me and my little girl.

This is her special 4th of July dress. Thanks to Grammie Charlene for picking it out. I think she really liked it.

Playing peek-a-boo in the blanket.

Daddy and Delaney playing

Watching the other kids try out some fireworks. She finally just sat down on the walkway.

Here she is trying her first fireworks. She is throwing some Pop-Its. I didn't think she would throw it hard enough to actually have it pop, but once again, she proved me wrong. She had such a blast with it and was so proud each time she got one to pop. Sometimes it took several throws, but she was persistent. Once again, I am so proud of how big and independant she is getting.

Significant injury #2 and some other stuff

2009-07-03T21:12:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, I got a call from Delaney's daycare while I was at work. They told me that she bumped her head pretty good, that she was doing ok and I don't need to come get her, but they wanted me to be aware so I wasn't shocked when I got there and saw her forehead. I appreciate that they at least called to let me know, but part of me was just ready to leave work right then to go get her. I trusted their judgement if they said she was fine and went to pick her up in the afternoon. She had an almost 2 inch line across her forehead where she smacked it on the edge of their little table. I tried taking some pictures of it when we got home, but she was not in the mood and the pictures really don't do it justice because they don't show all the swelling she had. She is a tough cookie. As her daycare director put it, "God sure knew they needed tough little heads. Good thing He designed them that way". I concur.

So, here is one of the only pics I could get that showed the purple line. It was worse than it looks here. Not as bad as the fat lip, but still pretty gnarly that first day. Trust me.
Dan and I could hear pots and pans banging around one day and then some whining. This is what we walked out to discover. She opened the oven drawer, climbed in, and not only into the drawer, but she was inside a big pot. Then she realized she couldn't get out by herself. We laughed, got some pictures, and then rescued her. Hopefully, she will forgive us for the delay.

Delaney is very into books as of late. She will walk over with a book and demand to be picked up so you can read it with her. She has some peek-a-boo books that are pretty high on the list of cool right now.

There are some days where I am amazed and shocked by how big our little D is getting. Today was one of those days. She babbled with me the entire time at the grocery store this morning, she read some books and pointed out things I didn't know she even knew that well, played in the sprinklers for over an hour and then played really well all evening. But, after her bath, it is so warm that I pulled her hair back. Since it was wet, I was able to get most of it into a ponytail. My heart skipped a beat when I saw how much more like a little girl it made her look. She is just growing up too fast. I must put a stop to it...

P.S. - If you look close, you can still see the bruise on her forehead a week later.

What a day

2009-06-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

So, what a day. Today both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died. It always seems to come in groups like this, doesn't it? Ed McMahon passed away yesterday. While I understand that these are just celebrities, there is still something about losing someone who you watched on TV or whose music you listened to. Farrah was a little before my time, but it is always sad to see someone lose a fiercely fought battle against cancer. It is a wretched disease and could disappear forever and the world would be a better place. Michael Jackson had his share of issues in his personal life and I can't speak for his actions. However, most people my age grew up on his music and have memories attached to it. For that reason, people mourn his loss. Today will probably be a day that my generation remember the way that our parents remember the day Elvis died.

However, life goes on. There are more important things to dwell on and things to focus on in the here and now. So, here are some new pictures of our little Delaney. She is becoming quite the handful with the tantrums and independence. We had a second round of colds and pinkeye (well, at least Delaney and I got the pinkeye) again last week. I can say with great confidence that I hate pinkeye. I looked like I had been punched in the eye when I woke up on Wednesday last week and it was swollen all day. I am not brave enough to post the picture on here, but many of my work friends saw what it looked like and it wasn't pretty. We are finally on the road to recovery again with just a little lingering cold. Delaney is teething again too, which is not helping the mood and tantrums. She did let me feel her gums tonight and one has finally broken through the skin and another is incredibly close. This will be teeth number 5 and 6. It is about time to get a few more teeth in there. Anyway, enough with the talking, onto the pictures.

Here she is "helping" with dishes again during one of the sick days. This greatly increases the time it takes to finish dishes. She now has to hand me the dishes to put away. Actually, I think this will come in very handy in the near future...
Reading at Grandma Charlene's house.

She found these gloves at Grandma's house too. And the knit slipper boots. This is what it ended up looking like. This makes me laugh.

Having a blast at the grocery store.

Making sure the spaghetti is all gone.

Spaghetti face (aka sketti face). Have I mentioned she likes spaghetti?

A playdate and the consequences of no nap

2009-06-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am at home on a Wednesday morning so I thought it would be a good time to update the blog. Delaney got pinkeye again and so sure enough, so did I. So, we are enjoying our day at home with our contagious disease and trying to figure out what to do since I don't think I want to venture out with one eye half swollen shut. Anyway, on to the blog. This last Saturday we met up with Jodi and Shawn and their little guys, Austin and Riley. Riley is just 6 weeks younger than Delaney. We went to Chambers Creek and did the walk there and let the kids get out and play in the grass for a while. Delaney had a good time, but it wore her out (as you will see later).

This was about as close as Delaney and Riley got to each other. They made sure to keep some distance.

Delaney fell asleep in her stroller on the walk for the last 20 minutes and then woke up when we got to the car. We went home, had lunch and then she went down for her nap. Except she never napped. She laid in there for almost an hour and a half, but never slept. I would check on her and she would be playing and talking to her animals, but no sleep. Finally, I realized it was useless and let her get up. However, by about dinner time, Delaney was exhausted. She was eating her dinner and I was at the computer doing some stuff. I turned around and she was busy eating her veggies. About a minute later, I hear Dan say, "Delaney?" and I turn around to this. Poor little thing just couldn't take it anymore. This kid is dead to the world the first hour or so she is asleep. We tried to wake her up because we knew otherwise she would be up at about 3 am. There was just no doing it. We let her take a little cat nap and then she finally did wake up and eat some grapes and play for about a half hour and then was ready for bed for the night. My goodness, I don't realize how big she is getting until I see pictures like this. My little girl is growing up so fast!

The soggy zoo trip.

2009-06-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the zoo Saturday morning because the forecast didn't show rain and it wasn't 93 degrees anymore. However, it started raining on the way there. We debated turning around, but we were already there and Delaney wouldn't have been too happy just to take a car ride across town. The awesome thing about having an annual pass is that we went for just 45 minutes or so and didn't feel bad when we left.

Here is Delaney standing all by herself over in the goat area. We tried to spend the majority of the time in covered areas since it was raining. This was right after feeding the goats. She is so proud of herself for wandering over here, but this was also about 30 seconds before she bit it hard on the concrete. There were many tears, but by the time we wandered over to the meerkats she was good as gold.

We spent time with the goats. It is so different now that Delaney can walk around herself. She seems to enjoy it much more. She was able to walk up and pet the goats all by herself and she giggled the entire time. Here she is thinking that I was going to feed her the bite of goat food. Silly girl.

We checked out the meerkats. Now that Delaney is walking, she really wanted to spend more time here. We had our first zoo tantrum when we had to leave the meerkat cave. The first of many I am sure... (Ignore the fact that her diaper is totally hanging out. The kid has long legs so we buy bigger pants, but then they sag because she is long and lean. We still trying to figure out how to keep them up).

Eyeing the monkeys climbing the ropes.

The monkeys were chasing the porcupines around and it was hilarious. Ok well, Dan and I thought it was hilarious, Delaney found it interesting for about 12 seconds.

Finally back at the car. I think she was very ready to go (as we all were). Even soaking wet she is adorable though.

A wet trip to the zoo can really tire you out.

Goofball

2009-05-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Poor pitiful eyes, dejected face, slouched body. It looks like Delaney is suffering from her first time of being put in the corner. Just kidding everyone! I had you fooled with my puppy dog eyes, but I put myself in the corner and made sad faces. Here I am two seconds later proving that I tricked you. I was just busy playing with Dad's sandals.

Fun before bedtime in our watermelon pajamas.

My two favorite people! Delaney decided she wanted to cuddle with her daddy today. Here's the proof.

Delaney got some new sunglasses and a hat today. She loves them.

Geez, remind me to wipe that kid's face once in a while!

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T19:59:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had a good Memorial Day and enjoyed their day off (except for Dan who had to work). First, we would like to take a moment to remember what this day is all about. We want to thank and remember all of the veterans out there who proudly served and sacrificed for this country. We know firsthand what a big sacrifice that can be, and for many it was the ultimate sacrifice. We are grateful for all of these servicemembers for giving us the freedoms that we have today. Delaney will grow up knowing that these are true heroes.

We enjoyed our three day weekend. Well, Dan just had a normal weekend and had to work today, but Delaney and I enjoyed our extra day off. Saturday, she got her first sandbox. I had one growing up and would spend hours in it. Delaney wasn't too thrilled at first and didn't want her feet to touch the sand. Eventually, she warmed up to it, but doesn't actually like the sand on her. She will sprinkle sand on her legs and then immediately brush it off. She is definitely an outside girl and will do anything to spend some time out there. Here she is being adorable in her sandbox.

We set up a new pool for Delaney yesterday and I think she had more fun playing in it empty. Oh, and we blew this whole pool up with a small hand pump. Note to self: Next time buy something a little more powerful to blow up an inflatable pool with inflatable roof! She immediately went over, leaned against the side, and put her arms up on the sides like she was just relaxing as always. Pools are fun!

Grammie Charlene was there to help too!

Today we put some water in the pool and actually let her try it out. Unfortunately, it wasn't as warm today as it has been so it was a little chilly in the pool. Delaney had a grand time sitting on the edge with her feet in and splashing the water around. Plus, she got to try out her new bathing suit! We will try again on a hot day...

We had breakfast this morning with Grandma and Grandpa Bell and Auntie Maddisen. Delaney and her Grandpa had fun wrestling. Although, their dog Scooter always provides much of Delaney's entertainment. This is a raccoon that is huge that I used to play with when I was little and so did Maddie.

Dinner tonight with the McGuires. It was a nice evening to sit outside and have a great family dinner.

Who are you and what have you done to my sweet baby?!?

2009-05-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

Who is this tantrum-throwing, whiny goofball that replaced my sweet little baby?? It is the funny, quirky, babbling, curious, helpful little toddler that my baby is turning into.

Happy Limerick Day

2009-05-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, today is Limerick Day. In honor of that, here are a few clean limericks:

There was a young belle of old Natchez
Whose garments were always in patchez.
When comment arose On the state of her clothes,
She replied, "When Ah itchez, Ah scratchez".

-Ogden Nash

A wonderful bird is the Pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belly can.
He can hold in his beak Enough food for a week!
But I'll be darned if I know how the hellican?

Now, while being a Bell, I know more than my share of dirty limericks (thanks to my Grandpa Bell), but I will keep it family-friendly here today. Anyway, we are all on the road to recovery. I will do another post about that once I am finally over all of it. Happy Limerick Day to all!

1 day, 3 doctors visits

2009-05-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

We all finally went to the doctors today since we have been sick for 6 days now and it has only gotten worse. I went in at 8:40 while Dan watched Delaney, then came home and picked up Delaney for her appointment at 10:30 and Dan left soon after for his at 11. Luckily, we were all able to get appointments this morning and had time to get all the antibiotics.
Here is the verdict:
Dan has a throat infection. It isn't strep (thank goodness), but it has moved beyond just a sore throat and has made his glands infected.
I have a very bad sinus infection and pinkeye.
Delaney has a nasty double ear infection and pinkeye.

So, there it is. We are all set to start our antibiotics and start feeling better finally. Hopefully by Mother's Day we will all finally be feeling more like ourselves again.

The sickness has invaded

2009-05-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are all sick again. Actually, we went a few months there without anything. We are unsure who brought this nasty cold into the house, but all three of us have it. Sunday, Delaney and I woke up with a stuffy nose. She went to daycare and I went to work on Monday, and then Monday night it got worse. Tuesday she woke up with a horrible cough and stuffy nose. We both stayed home that day. Dan has had the sore throat part of it, but he had to work 14 hour days on Monday and Tuesday, so that didn't help him. Today, Delaney got to go spend a couple hours with Grandma Marlene so I could go in and finish payroll and then we have been back at the house ever since. I am following her around with Kleenex everywhere or else we have little "snail trails" all over everything. She was up for a few hours during the night last night, but of course was still wide awake at 6 am. Hopefully, we will be reaching the end of this thing soon. She is still playing like normal and won't sit still for a minute, but she is slightly more crabby when things don't go just right. Even with the sickness, I am enjoying this extra time with her. Although being up with her at 2 in the morning is not the ideal, she was laying next to me and reached out and grabbed my hand and looked me right in the eyes, and I didn't care what time it was.

Oh, and I ate almost an entire pan of Rice Krispie treats while at home on Tuesday. Not proud of it, but there it is. I would like to say Delaney helped, but I think she ate maybe a square inch and that was it. Oh well.

Here's our little sickie:

Delaney discovered her nose...

2009-05-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Actually, Delaney figured out how to stick her finger up her nose. She did it randomly in the car on the way home from the grocery store this morning and I have caught her several times since with her finger shoved up her nose. I have spared the pictures I took in the car, but I'm sure they will still pop up on here sometime. Other than that, she has another tooth, is walking more frequently (but still only on her terms), insists upon going with anyone that is going "bye-bye" (she suckered Dan into that one yesterday on his trip to Costco), is quite vocal, and basically is just a goofball.

Delaney and I had an unexpected day off a few weeks ago. The keys got locked in the car on Sunday without us realizing it until Delaney and I were trying to walk out the door on Monday. Dan had the spare set with him on his route way up north, so we were stuck at home. We were playing with stickers (as you can see on Delaney's cheek). Unfortunately, I didn't take it off quick enough and it stuck to her poor little cheek and left a mark once I got it off. Needless to say, no more stickers on the face that day.

This is Delaney doing one of her new favorite things. She brings a whole armload of clothes and blankets out to the living room from her bedroom. She thinks it is quite funny. I think it is quite messy.

For some reason, she always sits still if I take a picture myself of the two of us. However, if I try to get one of just her, she doesn't sit still long enough for me to get many.

Her hair is getting really long and curly.

She was just so smiley yesterday I kept taking pictures.

Didn't you know we are proud endorsers of Gatorade?

This is her walking towards me. She is so proud of herself anytime she ventures to walk on her own. It cracks us up.

The zoo and a fat lip (not necessarily in that order)

2009-04-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

Delaney took her first good fall here on Saturday. She decided to play daredevil and kneel backwards on her little chair. As Dan and I were telling her to get down, sure enough she tipped over (in slow motion it seemed). She did a faceplant on the floor and I rushed over and picked her up to comfort her and a few seconds later, noticed the blood on both of our shirts. She cut her lip and it immediately started swelling up. She had to cry for a few minutes, but then it was over and she forgot all about it (although she did stay far away from the chair the rest of the day). If you can take it, here are some pictures of our poor little girl. It still makes me cringe to see it.

So now, to make up for that horror, here are some pictures from our trip to the zoo on Sunday. Delaney's lip was MUCH better the next day, and by today, it isn't even noticable except for the cut on it. She took it like a trooper and has already made up with her chair.

Delaney always likes to look at the meercats. They are so cute and they come up to the window when you bend down. Delaney thinks they are quite funny and giggles at them no matter what they are doing.

She calls them

"kitties". I guess I could see that. They were adorable all looking out the window.

Of course we saw the goats.

Help! Our dear sweet baby girl is being eaten by a hippo!

The zoo isn't complete without stopping for some snacks.

Fort Worden

2009-04-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

We spent Friday night and all day this last Saturday up at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend with the Bell family. The last two years, we have rented a big place up in the state park and the whole family has gotten together for Grandma Bell's birthday. Last year, Delaney was only 8 weeks old, so we didn't spend the night. This year, we were able to spend Friday night there and stayed until around 8 pm on Saturday. Delaney absolutely loved all the fresh air. She spent most of Saturday outside. Plus, that was the only way she would fall asleep. Once we got there Friday night, she wouldn't fall back asleep (she fell asleep in the car). We finally got her back asleep around midnight and sure enough, she was back up at 6:30. My dad was up too and made me a good latte to keep me going in the morning. It was a great time hanging out and having fun with the fam. Yes, I have included a ton of pictures. Be thankful I didn't post all of them. Here is a pic of just about all the Bell's (we missed those of you that weren't there!).

Yes, we did this to her. She actually didn't seem to mind the ears. It was just past her bedtime.

My goodness, she is cute.

Holly and Matt and the scooter. Once Matt got a hold of it, Holly never got it back.

Delaney and her Grandpa Bell enjoying their walk.

My cousin Holly came in from Boston again this year. She even brought her boyfriend, Matt, and subjected him to a whole weekend of the Bell family.

Delaney was tuckered out from all the fresh air. Plus, the fact that she only got a little sleep the night before. She slept like this for over an hour out on the back porch of the house.

These are just some cool pictures I took around the park. Some are from the bunkers that are located over Fort Worden that were built back at the beginning of the 20th century with the purpose of warding off any invasion attempts. The places where the guns were located were huge and it is amazing that anything that big could even stay anchored once it fired. It was a really fun exploration and I highly recommend it if you like military history or just a little kid who likes exploring. The bunkers are abandoned so you can explore all the dark hallways and stairwells. A little creepy, but very cool.

An actual picture of just Dan and I without Delaney.

Delaney took right to Uncle Bob. He was her buddy from then on and she thought he was hilarious.

Dad and I on the walk to the bunkers.

Kim and I on the hike back down from the bunkers.

Aunt Kathy and Maddisen teaching Delaney how to jump on the bed. You don't think they are having any fun, do you?

First steps!!

2009-04-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Delaney took her first steps today. In the same manner that she does everything else, it had to be her idea and it had to be on her terms. Mom and Dad were not right there desperately pleading with her to take steps or trying to help her along. No, she stopped by the couch to eat a couple graham cracker bunnies, made sure both Dan and I were watching, and then let go and took three steps before falling over. It was as if she was telling us, "See, I can do it myself". Then then just to prove that it wasn't an accident, she crawled over by me in the chair, pulled herself up and took another two steps. That has been it for the evening. Dan and I now know that we cannot persuade her, cannot coax her, and cannot bribe her to walk. She will do it when she wants and she will do it herself. That is our independent little girl.

The sneaky candy eater

2009-04-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Easter! We had a great weekend at Fort Worden and with the family on Easter. Pictures are coming. I need to get some pictures from others as well (hint, hint for those who promised me their pictures!!) so I can put them all on here. Delaney had a little Easter party at her new school on Friday and she got a little treat bag filled with eggs filled with candy. I walked in to pick her up right as they were sitting down for snack, Angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries as a treat for Easter. It melted my heart as all these 1 and 2 year olds sat with their hands folded and recited, "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. Amen." Precious. We took Delaney's treat home since we had to get on the road for Fort Worden. We were getting in the car and she wanted to hold one of the eggs from her bag. My mother's intuition made me think twice about it knowing that she could pop it open and get the candy out, but I pushed it aside and let her have one, hoping that any candy was wrapped if it did escape.

Well, we got about halfway home and sure enough, open pops the egg. I am watching in the rearview mirror as she pulls out a sixlets pack wrapped in plastic. Phew. She can play with it but not eat it. Perfect. We keep driving and I look back and see her little fingers pulling some green foil off a chocolate egg. I am driving with one hand, reaching back with the other demanding that she gives me the chocolate egg all while watching the road and the rearview mirror to see if she complies. In true fashion, our little D stood her ground and quickly shoved the egg into her mouth. I pull the car over and she immediately spits the egg into my hand. Foil was not exactly the taste she was hoping for. I searched for any more candy that fell out, but I didn't come across anymore. I pull back out into traffic and not 10 feet down the road, I see another piece of candy quickly shoved into her mouth. We pull the car back over and I look back to see a little stream of pink spit from the jellybean she just ate running out of her mouth. I feel around her carseat again to find about 8 other jellybeans just waiting to be sneakily consumed on the way home. We made it home without any further candy capers, but I guess I will need to be on the look out from now on. Delaney is not a big sweet eater, but I guess it is more fun when she can do it while mom is demanding for her to stop, but can't do anything about it.

Easter pictures to follow :)

Well, it's about time!

2009-04-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, Delaney's third tooth has finally made an appearance. This thing has been causing grief for months and it is finally through the gums. Most parents would not be quite so excited about the third tooth, but teething really does a number on D and it takes months of them pushing and then receding for them to finally break through. Plus, at almost 14 months, we were hoping for a few more teeth. She won't let me get a good look at it and keeps her lips glued together anytime I try to sneak a look at it or try to feel it, but I have managed to get her laughing enough that I can see her gums and there it is. The little tiny tooth that caused so much pain.

Mommy's little helper

2009-04-04T18:07:00.001-07:00

Delaney is learning to be quite the little "helper" lately. Anything that I do, she has to help with. She has to close the fridge and freezer doors if I open them also. She gets very upset if I close them for her. She is getting quite the little personality (and temper). She has also started narrating everything she is doing and we can hear this adorable babbling all over the house. This is Delaney helping organize the can drawer. Notice the stockpile of cans she has next to her that came out of the drawer.

This was the aftermath of Delaney "helping" put away Costco stuff.

Here she is helping make dinner.
And this isn't her "helping", but we did have our first beautiful spring day today so we had to go outside and play and try out her new pair of "big girl" shoes that we got this morning.

Some march randoms

2009-04-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

It has been quite an eventful week for our little D. On Friday, we said goodbye to her daycare, Good Beginnings, and Monday said hello to Immanuel. Good Beginnings closed down as of yesterday. We were so very grateful that she spent her first year at Good Beginnings with very caring teachers and lots of attention. They were a smaller daycare and once they announced they were closing a lot of kids left then. So, the last several months, Delaney has gotten a lot of special time with her teachers. While we were sad to say goodbye, we are so very glad she is at Immanuel. For those who don't know, my little sister Maddie (or Auntie Maddie to Delaney) has been going there for the last 7 years. Delaney couldn't start there until she was one, so the timing was perfect. The teachers say she is adjusting very well and I think she enjoys the more structured setting. She has to get used to a lot more kids around, but I think she is doing great so far. It is so nice to walk by and get a hug from my sister when we pass by her class in the morning and I know she is very happy her little niece is there in the Red group. I took Monday and Tuesday off to let Delaney ease into her days there, but today was back to the normal routine. I think it will be a great place for Delaney.

This was Delaney "helping" with laundry. After I folded and put all her clothes away, this is what I came back to two minutes later.

Delaney and I spent the night at Grammie Charlene's house on Friday night for some girl time. Delaney had fun swinging out back, even though it was very cold.

I love the cute innocent look. Don't let it fool you!

Hello again fever.

2009-03-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Delaney's nasty fever made a reappearance on Monday. I thought she felt warm during the night Sunday night, but I took her temp when she woke up on Monday and it was perfectly normal. I dropped her off at daycare and within 2 hours they called to let me know that she had a fever of 103. I called the doctor and they wanted to see her in the early evening. Poor little thing was pretty miserable once I got her home and shivered all through lunch. I was just hoping that the doctor would find something to explain this fever. Unlike last time when it could have been the shots, her cold, her ear infection, this time there were no other symptoms. She had been really fussy on Sunday, but that was it. We went to the doctor and he gave her a good look and said, "Well, I see one thing that could definitely explain this". Thank you! The verdict was: viral tonsellitis. He said it was the fourth case he had seen that afternoon. Tylenol is the only treatment to help with the fever and sore throat. She is back to her old self as of last night after a double helping of chicken and corn and is back at school today. Poor little thing has had a rough ride lately, but hopefully we can see a stretch of healthy here for a bit. I doubt it though with her starting a new daycare next week.
Oh, and the doctor also said her four top teeth are all pushing down right now, so her gums are probably very sore. Maybe one day one of them will actually pop through. We can only dream...

Delaney and her phone

2009-03-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Delaney has a little car with a phone that rings if you push it. One day when I pushed it to make it ring, she picked up the phone, put it to her ear, and said "Hello". She figured this out all by herself. Must be all those times I hold up the phone to her ear when her Grandma's call. Everytime I tried to get a picture of it or videotape it, she of course wanted nothing to do with it. She and I were having a really good playtime tonight and she was on a roll with the phone. So here it is.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a fun St. Patrick's Day! Delaney and I made sure to wear our green. Here are a few pictures of our Irish lass!

Standing on her own, eating a snack and making a face at the same time. Not an easy task.

Sitting in her big girl chair.

Trying to sneak some food out of the fridge...

And realizing she got caught...

Having fun at bathtime.

Little sicky again...

2009-03-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while and it is mostly because Delaney was sick and is just now getting back to herself. Right after her birthday, we took her in for her 1 year checkup. She got three shots and the next day woke up with a 104.5 fever. She has always gotten a fever from shots, but never this bad. I couldn't get it to come down, so the doctor wanted to see her right away. Of course, the fever dropped some by the time we got there, but she just was not herself at all. She was starting to get an ear infection so we were on antibiotics for a week for that. She also had a little bit of a cold, so between the shots, beginning of an ear infection and a cold, her fever was just out of control. They said if it didn't break in 48 hours to bring her back in. It broke about 46 hours later. Even though she got over the fever, she still hasn't been herself the last two weeks at all. I finally took her back in yesterday because of her irritability and she had been picking at one of her ears, but all was clear. They said it is probably just due to teething (which she is going through also). She has a really rough time with teething and one tooth was about to pop through last week, but it receded back up in there a little bit. It is like groundhog's day, I don't see a tooth, two more weeks of teething. Ugh.
But, we finally got our little D back last night. She finally perked back up and today she had her first good day at daycare since she went back after being sick. Anyway, to make a long post short, we are hopefully on the road to recovery and she can focus on those first steps which are coming quickly.

Trying to get our little fever monster to eat something. Applesauce, bananas, and formula was all we could get down her the first two days.

Our miserable little one.

We could get a few smiles out of her, but this is what she wanted to do all day long. Just sit and cuddle in the chair. Now, for anyone that knows Delaney, usually I can't get this kid to sit still for 2 seconds let alone cuddle. This was a big sign for us that she really was feeling pretty bad.

And here is one of our little girl finally feeling better last night.

1st birthday party

2009-02-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday we celebrated Delaney's birthday with a small family party. She had a great time (and so did we). She wore a birthday shirt, a birthday hat, ate good food, opened presents, played outside, ate cake and smeared it everywhere. All the makings of a great first birthday. I took a ton of pictures and here are a few of my favorites.

The birthday girl enjoying some good food.

Admiring her new bathing suit from Great Grandma Bell. You can also see her other birthday shirt in this pic.

Having fun opening presents.

I love this picture of the three Bell girls.

Delaney had such a fun time outside on the swing. Auntie Maddie kept her company on the swings and Delaney loved every minute of it.

All of the partygoers. Grandma and Grandpa Bell, Grandma Charlene, Great Grandpa Brown, Grandma McGuire, Great Grandma Bell and Auntie Maddisen. We missed those you couldn't make it, but you were there in spirit.

And one with Dan.

Just starting in on the cake. She enjoyed it, but I think she did wind up with a tummyache later on in the evening. She isn't used to that many sweets in two days. Between her birthday cake and the cookies that she took to daycare, she had more sugar than she has had all year.

Enjoying her cake.

This is what she looked like after cake. Poor little thing rubbed it into her eyes and they were a little swollen for the rest of the day. I was still wiping bits of it out of her eyes that night.

Playing on one of her new toys.

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-02-20T20:46:00.001-08:00

One year ago today, our lives changed forever. We welcomed Delaney into the world and it has been an adventure. She has brought joy that we had never known. We have spent the last year watching her grow and develop and have been busy teaching her things. Little did we know how much she would teach us. Here are a few lessons from Delaney: Labor is worth every second once you see that little baby.

Never take off one diaper without having another one right there ready to go because that will be the time they go.

Snuggles are few and far between, so enjoy those moments in the morning whey they snuggle tight.

Every book you can read will never prepare you. Oh, and babies don't read those books, so they don't know that they should be sleeping through the night and eating every two hours.

No-spill sippy cups can still spill when slammed hard enough onto the highchair or the floor.

Hugs and giggles are what make everything worthwhile.

Being quiet is not a good thing when they are playing. I need to find you and see what you are doing that you know is wrong when you are quiet. Usually it means you are trying to eat the cat food.

Toys are fun. Boxes and paper are more fun.

I never knew I could love anything so much in so little time. The love you have for your spouse is different than the love you have for your child, but both are what make everything so special.

You can never take too many pictures.

Finally, cherish every little moment because they pass by in a flash. One day you are a little newborn in my arms and the next you are getting around everywhere and don't want to be held.

Those are just a few of the MANY things Delaney has taught us. I'm sure she has millions of more lessons waiting for us over the next several years. Happy 1st Birthday Delaney!

p.s.- Happy Birthday to our niece Harper too! (She and Delaney share the same birthday).

Here are some pictures of the birthday girl and how she spent her day today.

Having a good time getting ready for the day!

This is the special birthday shirt she got from Aunt Karry, Uncle Mike, and cousins Harper and Ronan. She wore it all day today.

This is the birthday card that Delaney's teachers made her. I love the teacher crouching behind it! We brought in a special treat for Delaney to share. She had a good day at school.

Delaney and her friends at school enjoying the birthday cookies. Aren't they adorable?

Meow meow was waiting for her in the car which made her very happy.

Enjoying a good dinner at Joeseppi's. Delaney loves the pasta there, so Grandma Charlene and I took her there for dinner.

Playing with her new Elmo

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T12:33:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. We had a mellow day and relaxed and did some errands. Everyone is FINALLY feeling better again. After the last post, Dan came down with a horrible episode of throwing up for 24 hours. We thought that maybe he had caught Delaney's bug, but now we think it was food poisoning. We are all finally feeling good again, although Delaney has started teething again. She was teething for weeks and weeks before the her last teeth came in, so we will see how long it takes for these ones. Other than that, we are doing great. I absolutely cannot believe she is a year old on Friday. Where has the time gone??? Here is a picture of our beautiful little girl in her heart shirt on Valentine's Day.

Delaney has a new love in her life. No, not Daniel. It is her stuffed kitty, Meow Meow. It sings a personalized song with her name in it and she got it for Christmas from Great Grandpa Brown. It now goes everywhere with us. If you even mention Meow Meow she will go find it and lay her head on it or pick it up and give it a hug. It is adorable.

Loving meow meow.

This is what I discovered after I went looking because someone was being a liitle too quiet in the kitchen.

And the sickness continues....

2009-02-06T11:10:00.001-08:00

Well, I spoke a little too soon in the last post that Delaney was getting over her cold. She was a little crab all week and just wasn't herself. She was still having trouble sleeping. I still am fighting this nasty cold and just can't quite seem to get rid of it. Yesterday was the first day that Delaney really seemed to be doing better and was back to her playful self again. We had a really good evening of playing and having fun and she didn't even make a stink when I changed her into her pajamas (that should have been my signal right there!). We sat down in the rocking chair for a bottle and she wouldn't drink any of it. She kept fussing and tossing and turning and sure enough, puke everywhere. I didn't know that little stomach could hold so much food. She perked up once we cleaned everything up and seemed to be doing much better. She came to bed with me and she woke up again at 10:15 and puked again. Poor little thing. I wiped her down and I think she was back asleep before I even laid her down again. That was it, but we stayed home today so she could rest. May I just say that putting in flooring and tearing up the carpet has paid for itself tenfold when things like this happen!!
She seems to be feeling much better today. We just got back from grocery shopping and she had fun getting out of the house.
On top of all of it, Dan has an inflamed disk in his back so he is pretty much incapacitated right now too. What a household we are!

January colds

2009-01-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe I set myself up for this in the last post, but I officially caught Delaney's cold. I was up all night with a throat that feels like razor blades and a stuffy nose. Yuck. I gave Delaney a long bath last night and let the shower run for a while before I put her in so it was a little steamy in there and that seems to have helped her a bit. Her cold doesn't seem to have fazed her much and the last two nights she has even been able to sleep through the night. I could hear on the moniter that she was snoring all night long the night before last, but last night she seems to have slept pretty quietly. Hopefully she is on the upswing now and I am hoping that mine is as short as hers is. I guess we'll see...

11 months old

2009-01-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

How can Delaney be 11 months old already? There is no way that she can be a year next month! She has been doing great and is such a character. Although, she did wake up with a cold this morning which means I should probably be getting one soon too. We went to the zoo again this weekend and an old friend of Dan's from high school, Anjel, was able to come with us and meet Delaney. This is how we actually got a picture of all three of us at the zoo (below). As for Delaney, she is into everything and we constantly have to keep an eye on her. She does new things every day it seems and had Dan and I laughing so hard this morning both our stomachs hurt. She is so very close to saying "kitty" which we knew would be her next word after "Mama" and "Dada". She is dancing at the moment to some music playing on the TV. That's about it for us right now.

World's best spit bubble blower.

This last Friday, I did fishy face to her and this is what I got in return. I don't know where she learned it, but now she does it all the time. It is the cutest thing!

Little giggly girl.

Helping with dishes, which usually involves grabbing whatever we have just put in the dishwasher and trying to take it back out. She loves getting to help shut the dishwasher door.

Sooo big!

We never get enough of those big blue eyes.

Showing some attitude.

More zoo pics

2009-01-19T15:17:00.001-08:00

We took another trip to the zoo this weekend. Delaney has not been sleeping well the past few weeks and we were hoping a couple of hours in the fresh air might help (which it did a little last night). It was very cold, but the sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning to get outside. Dan's schedule has been messed up by the snow and flooding so it was nice to actually get out with all three of us.

We had to spend some time feeding the goats since that is Delaney's favorite part. She was giggling so hard when they would touch her hand. I love this grin.

Checking out the sea otters

Some January randoms

2009-01-17T18:09:00.001-08:00

I haven't gotten to post much, but we haven't had too much going on. Delaney looks like a little warrior at the moment with all of her boo-boos. She smacked her cheek on the edge of the changing table and has a big bruise and then the next day when I picked her up from daycare, she had a big red mark on her forehead and a little cut on her nose. She learned the hard way that you can't crawl and push a bus at the same time. Poor little thing is learning that getting around is hard. She is pulling herself up on everything, so we know it is only the beginning of the bumps and bruises. She is pretty tough about it though.

We went out to dinner on the 14th for my stepmom Kim's birthday. We had a great time and Delaney loves her Auntie Maddie. Happy Birthday Kim!

Riding her little pony. She got the pony for Christmas and could barely sit on it and within a few days was rocking on it all by herself. It plays a little song (which is forever stuck in our heads) and she won't rock unless the song is playing. Thanks Andy and Nancy, she loves it.

Daddy and Delaney playing

Crazy girl

My mom brought over a whole bunch of my wedding stuff including my veil. Delaney had fun playing with it so we tried it on. Now, she won't wear one again for many, many, many, MANY years.

This is the new I'm-going-to-squeeze-whatever-is-in-my-hand-into-a-million-pieces face. In this case, it was chicken.

The hair after pigtails.

Another new tooth

2009-01-04T18:26:00.001-08:00

The day after Christmas, Delaney got another tooth. So that is two teeth in two weeks. (Notice the t-shirt - you can't see it, but underneath the beaver it says "Teething". Thanks Karen! It fits perfectly right now!). If you click on the picture, you can get a little glimpse of the teeth.

Some random Christmas pics!

2009-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. We spent time with family and ate good food. Delaney had a good time, although I think she got a little overwhelmed at times. We are so grateful for everything that we all received, especially Delaney. She is having a great time playing with her new toys and we really needed all her new clothes since she just keeps sprouting up. She had a little developmental spurt right before Christmas and starting crawling (not just her version of crawling that she had been doing) and now there is no stopping her. She is all over the place now. She is also pulling herself up on everything and is becoming more vocal every day. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Christmas evening at Grandma Charlene's house.

Keeping an eye on things outside with Grandpa McGuire

Opening a present with Dad on Christmas morning.

Helping with the Christmas baking. Well, just licking the spoon to make sure it would taste ok. And don't worry, no raw eggs in fudge.

Poor Rudolph never stood a chance. He will just have to fly without a nose.

This is Delaney's first Advent calendar. I have had one every year, so she needed to have one for her first Christmas. She had a lot of fun chewing on it. We wound up not even opening it until after Christmas because she had too much fun playing with it (and it was safer in the wrapper).

Playing under the Christmas tree. We were pretty lucky. Delaney liked the tree, but she really didn't mess with it too much. She would occasionally crawl up and touch it, but she really wasn't that interested.

A Christmas carol from Delaney

2008-12-24T09:09:00.000-08:00

This is Delaney helping me sing Deck the Halls. Merry Christmas!

Fun in the snow...take 2.

2008-12-19T19:34:00.001-08:00

Well, this time we made sure Delaney was well rested and we tried the snow again. This time was much more of a success. Thursday we went out and pretty much just sat in it. All was fun until she did a face plant in the snow. We were done after that. It was starting to snow really hard then anyways, so it was a good time to go in. Friday we were able to spend a little more time out there and went for a little walk in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, Dan didn't get to participate in any of this. He left for work at 3 am on Thursday and had a route in Bellevue. They didn't get there until 2 pm. 405 was a standstill and for anyone who watched the news, that was the road they were telling people to stay off of. He wound up having to spend the night in a hotel up there and finished the route today. He finally got home around 6 pm tonight. We are glad he is home safe and sound. Since there is no chance of the snow going away anytime soon, at least he will be able to play outside tomorrow with us. Delaney's snowsuit is coming in handy sooner than we even expected. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Bell!

And this was what it looked like about 5 minutes after we came in the house. Brrrrrr!

And even more snow to play in on Friday!

Trying to slide down our little tiny hill in front.

Houston, we have a tooth!

2008-12-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, Delaney's first tooth has FINALLY popped through. It has not been easy process and has caused some restless nights and unfinished meals lately, but it is finally poking through. You can barely see it and it is surrounded by incredibly red and swollen gums, but it has finally made its appearance! Only 4 days before she turns 10 months old. Hopefully, she will have a bit of an easier time with the next few. Now only a mouthful more to go!

Delaney's first snow

2008-12-14T20:41:00.000-08:00

So, Delaney got to experience her first snow today. We had our first snow of the season. She really didn't seem to enjoy it too much (which you can see from the pictures). Granted, we had already been to the mall this afternoon and it was just before naptime, so I don't think she was in the mood. But, it was still worth documenting, so here it is.

Remember in the movie "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie's younger brother can't get up in his snow suit??

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T20:53:00.001-08:00

We are thankful. We are thankful for Dan's new job. We are thankful we are all healthy this year. We are thankful for our abundance of friends and family. We are so very thankful that we are celebrating this holiday as a family of three.
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances." I Thess. 5:16-18

Now here are some pictures of our little turkey! :)

About to enjoy our Thanksgiving meal!

Our content little girl after her first Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.

Ah, a trip back in time...

2008-11-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday, my sister-in-law, Melissa and I took a trip back 15 years and saw one of our childhood crushes in concert. New Kids on the Block!!! Melissa won tickets on the radio and we had seats in the 5th row. Awesome! I must say, I was the first to make fun of it and think it was going to be a pretty cheesy show, but I was wrong. They put on an amazing show and were on stage for a full 2 hours. Neither Melissa or I were able to go to a concert back in the day, so this was 15 years in the making. It was a ton of fun and I won't forget it!

9 months old!

2008-11-20T06:54:00.000-08:00

9 months old today. Wow. We are amazed every month at how quickly the time is passing. I know I say that every month, but it really does seem like time is flying by. Our little girl isn't a baby anymore and she is starting to look more toddler-ish every day. At her 9 month checkup, she is in the 90 percentile for height and 40th for weight. She is long and lean right now. I don't know how because she is eating a ton. Her teachers at daycare comment all the time at what a good eater she is. They put her next to some of the picky eaters to see if she wears off on them. We still have yet to find something that she doesn't like. However, still no teeth. We are hoping to be able to update that soon. What else can we say that we haven't said already? She is awesome and we are having a blast with her.

Is she flashing a gang sign?!?

Practicing our crawling on the quilt that Aunt Karry made. She still doesn't quite crawl, but she has also realized that with wood flooring, she doesn't need to because she can just pull herself and slide everywhere. We have found if we put something under her, then she can't slide everywhere and has to at least attempt crawling. Thanks Aunt Karry for the beautiful quilt to enhance the crawling skills on.

Hmmm, I wonder whose idea this was...

Hanging out on the big toy at Grandma Bailey's house.

Happy Halloween...and may the force be with you.

2008-11-02T19:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween! Here are some pictures from Delaney's first Halloween. We decided she needed to dress up even if we weren't going trick-or-treating, so here she is. Delaney and I went to my mom's house for Halloween and Dan was sick, so he stayed home. We handed out candy and Delaney loved all the kids coming to the door (and they seemed to love her too). She talked and waved to the groups of kids and genuinely seemed to have a good time.

Stephanie, Katie and I were Snap, Crackle and Pop for Halloween at work. We handed out Rice Crispy treats and took home the prize for best group costume.

Here she is trying to steal some candy from the trick-or-treaters.

And here she is trying to figure out how to unwrap the sucker. Luckily, we got it away from her before she figured it out.

Our little Princess Leia.

We had a playdate a few weeks ago with Amanda and her two little guys. Paul was a Jedi and Luke was Chewbacca. Delaney and Luke were very cute together.

If only we were kitties...

2008-10-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

We have said before how much Delaney loves her kitties. We thought there should be proof, so here it is. As you can see, Max gets tired of it quicker than Delaney does. After 8 months of seeing the cats around the house, we thought it wouldn't be that exciting to see them. Boy, were we wrong.

8 months old....time has flown.

2008-10-21T19:58:00.001-07:00

Delaney turned 8 months old yesterday. It is hard to believe how quickly time is going. She cracks us up constantly. She makes faces and imitates us now. She is eating some new foods and can pick up pieces of food herself. She is completely frustrated with crawling and has no desire right now. She is much more aware of what is going on around her and still adores the cats. We thought that would have worn off by now. We can only hope to be as entertaining as them one day. Enjoy the new photos!
DON'T MESS WITH ME!!!

Fresh from the bath.

All her toys and she had more fun playing in this box with paper.

In her little kitty winter hat.

Notice the bib. It says "I'm a little crabby". 8 months and no teeth. We have been a little "crabby" more than usual lately. Hopefully these little teeth will pop through soon. They have been aggravating for a couple months now. Thank you Great Grandpa Brown for the bib!

Trying to make the zerbert sound and poop. Not an easy task.

This is why we have to pull the hair back now. This is what it looked like after I took the little ponytail out. Her hair had a little growth spurt (along with her) and now it is a necessity to keep it out of her face.

Overall, she is a pretty happy little girl that loves to play, listen to music and have fun. Her smile constantly melts us.

Our trip to the pumpkin patch!

2008-10-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

We took Delaney on her first trip to the pumpkin patch this Sunday. We went to Scholz Farm in Orting and she actually enjoyed it even more than we thought she would. They had animals, which are always a hit (especially the goats). She picked out her own little pumpkin and loved sitting in the wheelbarrow and patting the different pumpkins. She was falling asleep by the time we left, but it was a fun outing that we had been looking forward to since the beginning of fall.

Our own little dwarf.

Delaney picked out her own little pumpkin and promptly put it in her mouth to make sure it passed the test.

It was a keeper.

She had a grand time sitting in the wheelbarrow with the pumpkins.

This is Dan attempting to get Delaney to look at the camera. Obviously Delaney had other plans.

This picture cracks me up to no end.

The happy family.

Our trip to the zoo!

2008-09-30T19:01:00.001-07:00

This last Saturday morning we spent some time at the zoo. It was a beautiful morning and it wasn't crowded at all. Delaney had a great time and loved being outside and looking at all the animals. It was some nice family time for all of us and we are very grateful to Mom and Dad McGuire for the annual pass so we can go as much as we want. Below is our attempt at a picture of all three of us, but it didn't quite turn out. That is why the rest are just of Delaney and I.

Enjoying our time at the zoo.

I think she had more fun with this plant than she had with the animals. We had a hard time prying her fingers off of it to move on.

Here she is trying to touch the sharks.

Watching the reindeer.

Measuring ourselves against the polar bears.

This was her favorite part of the zoo. She LOVED petting the goats. We will have to make sure to stop by there twice next time we go.

And just because there weren't too many pictures of Dan and Delaney...

Our little human beat box.

2008-09-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, Delaney has been making some new sounds lately. I think she may need to expand her repertoire a little though.

Time to do the hair.

2008-09-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it is necessary to do something with Delaney's hair now to keep it out of her face. We knew it wouldn't be long, but I finally had to do something this last week. She really never lost her hair and it is getting really long in the front. We tried little barrettes, but they couldn't hold her hair back for very long. She is a mover and a shaker and we had to find something a little stronger to keep it under control. So, here are the first pictures of our big girl with her hair pulled back.

I finally found some rubber bands that hold her hair without ripping it out when I take it out. She loves having it pulled back, but I think it makes her look older and it makes me miss my little baby.

This is what it looks like now when I do nothing. It is always in her eyes and she is always rubbing them.

Destructo Delaney

2008-09-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's a little long, I was having trouble editing it so I just left it as it was.