We have take-off!

For weeks we have been waiting... anxiously anticipating... those first few motions... Success! As of yesterday morning, Maggie can crawl forwards (she had backwards down a couple weeks ago). Look out though- there is no stopping her now. We all need to offer a little prayer to Dana who is going to have her hands full. :) I am going to try and post a video- we'll see how technological I can get- wish me luck!

Christmas

Christmas has come and gone... with a whirlwind of activity. We spent Christmas Eve with my family and then drove to Bucky's parents for Christmas Day. Maggie got to spend time with her cousin Landon, they interacted more this time! For every smile and laugh for family, there must have been 20 minutes of tears.

Maggie has been such a good sleeper for so long, I had completely forgotten what it was like to get up ever 2 hours, but she reminded me! I think there was so much going on that she couldn't figure out how to unwind so we cried and cried and cried. No sleep for the Brown family. I have stuck my guns about Maggie not sleeping in the bed with us until this. She slept in the bed with us for both nights we were at Bucky's parents. Thankfully, she went right back to crib no problems when we got home!

Here are some cute pics Dana got before Christmas. I will post ones from Christmas Eve and Day as soon as I can!

Joys of car seats...

Early December... - Got on the scale one day with Maggie and it calculated that she was 21 lbs! Oh boy! Oh no- the infant seat only goes to 22 lbs. While I know my weighing method is not exactly scientific, we decided that Maggie had outgrown her infant seat and concluded that it was time to spend the $$ and get a convertible car seat. Mid December... - began researching the options. While I know that I am blonde and all, I really did read anything and everything I could find about different seats. I read reviews, consumer reports, talked to others, EVERYTHING! Last weekend... -ventured all the way out to Babies 'R Us, determined to buy one. Nope. My head was about to explode! I came home and read more reviews, more reviews, and more reviews! Spent the week trying to figure out which one I wanted. Today... -went to Target to get one. Came home with a different one after about a 45minute debate on which one to get. Waited until Maggie woke up from a nap and tried it out- before trying to install it in the car. Hated it! It made her look all slumped and curled up. Also- since she is such a dainty little thing the strap was going to work for long. It was already hitting her chubby little thighs. :) Guess what went back? So tonight... - there is a different car seat in the box waiting. Tomorrow we will check this one out and hope it works. Good luck to us!

Props to Single Parents

Bucky has been duck hunting, since Sunday... so I have a brief view into the lives of single parents and what can I say... WOW! I don't know how they do it! My house is a wreck, the laundry is piling up, but Maggie is happy and that is what is important. I have always been amazed at how single parents seem to have it together but my respect for them has grown 10 fold after the past few days. I will just be glad when he returns early tomorrow morning and I get help : )

Field Trips

A necessary evil in the life of a teacher... While I understand the importance of field trips, I don't think most parents (and kids) realize the energy it takes out of a teacher. My kids today got to do things I could have only dreamed of in elementary school. They got to make line graphs using equipment tracking their movements, measure angles and triangles on computers, and see the neatest holiday planetarium show. But, what did they spend this great time doing? Let's see.... throwing food, playing with a glo-stick during the planetarium show, talk, talk, talk, hit each other, talk some more, chew gum, did I say talk? The worst part of all of this was that I personally knew 2 of the presentors!! Embarrassment! I don't know how to make parents realize that if they spent just a little time with their child, their behavior would improve and make everyone (mine and theirs) lives improve! I know times have changed but I just don't understand how the "raising" that worked for us is all the sudden so wrong. We turned out pretty darn good if you ask me... I guess I am going to be that parent that everyone hates because Maggie will not be raised to behave like many of my students did today (I am sure I will have to eat some of these words one day but until then....) Tomorrow is a new day... Wonder what the world would be like if... - parents spent quality time with their children DAILY - parents supported education (not the free part of the actual IMPORTANCE of it!) - there was less focus on money and more time sharing love - people knowing the value of a days wages, earned through honest work - parents parenting

The whole fam together for Thanksgiving...

A special thanks to Clay, Brock's brother for taking the picture. You wouldn't have thought that Mom and Dad closed on the house 2 days earlier.

Maggie and Mee-now