Magleby Moments

California

2012-01-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

We just got back from spending a wonderful week in southern California. While there we were able to attend a BYU basketball game in San Diego, spend three days at Disneyland and California Adventure, visit Scott's grandma Dawn, pick oranges from grandma's tree, and spend a little time at the beach. Here are some of the highlights-

Olivia loved the ocean-she did not care that the water was freezing and that she was soaked... I had to drag her out off of the beach...

Nate was a different story... he was okay until I took of his shoes-he did not like the sand on his toes or the cold Pacific water on his feet.

Here is the entire crew at Disneyland. My parents and sisters Brittany and Chelsey came with us. Chelsey is leaving for a mission on Feb 1 to Cleveland Ohio so we were happy to spend some quality days with her at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Nate was such a trouper- we dragged him around Disneyland and when he got tired he crashed. He was really good the entire trip other than he didn't want to sleep at night.

The girls got to have lunch with the princesses at Ariel's Grotto. While there they met Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, and Aurora. They loved it.

You can't go to Disneyland and not eat Mickey shaped ice cream...

We met a lot of characters while we were there... this was my favorite part... watching Liv interact with each of them. The first day we were there she saw Minnie across the way and broke out into a full sprint running toward her shouting- Minnie Minnie. That moment was worth the entire trip. Here she is dancing with Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Before we left we had a little birthday celebration for Nate. Here is a couple of pics of the celebration for my little one year old...

Happy Birthday Little Man

2012-01-12T05:50:00.000-08:00

On his "birth day" one year ago...

And now he's one.

I can hardly believe that he has been in our lives for a whole year- yet it feels like he
was always a part of it. We love you Nate!

Christmas

2012-01-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

Despite a double ear infection (again) and an outbreak of Hand Foot and Mouth virus with Mr. Nate we had a nice Christmas with my family in Idaho. Here are some of the pics from Christmas and the days before and after.

Liv was a wisewoman for our Nativity play.

Nate was a donkey.

Liv as Princess Tiana (thanks Aunt Becky) with her Princess Tiana doll from Santa

Hand Foot and Mouth... this picture does not do it justice. He had about 20 blisters on each hand and foot and then several open sores in his little mouth.

More Trouble

2011-12-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I got the following text from my sitter:

"OH MY GOSH! Your son just gave me the biggest heart attack EVER. He climbed OUT of his playpen upstairs & fell down my stairs. He is fine; only cried for a min before giving me a big smile but im just in disbelief that an 11 mo old actually climbed out of a playpen. Looks like I'll be moving it to my room downstairs"

I am predicting multiple emergency room visits for this boy.

11 Months

2011-12-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

This little guy is 11 months old today- unfortunately he is celebrating the day with a double ear infection and is miserable. If I had to use one word to describe Nathan at 11 months it would be: TROUBLE

He is constantly getting into things, pulling his sister's hair, making noise, and climbing up, on and into whatever he can. And now he is walking... watch out Magleby family. Although he is exhausting to keep up I adore that he is all boy and I sure love the little stinker.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, I had to work so Scott was home with the kids. Nate was in his highchair in the kitchen finishing his breakfast when Scott had to help Liv in the bathroom. After he is done with Liv, Scott comes into the kitchen and finds Nate standing up in his highchair and climbing onto the kitchen counter. Needless to say he now gets strapped into his highchair.

Last Friday I was off and was doing some stuff in my craft room downstairs. Olivia who is my shadow when I am home says to me " Mom, I need to stamp something". She is her mother's daughter.

Making Memories

2011-12-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

Each year BYU plays a basketball in the Energy Solutions Arena on a Saturday in December. We go up each year, but last year we decided to make a weekend of it. We got a hotel room at the Raddison, looked at the lights, ate out at some fun places, and swam in the hotel pool. We had such a great time that we decided to start a new tradition. So this weekend when BYU played Oregon we packed our bags, got a room at the Raddison, spent an afternoon at the Gateway Discovery Center, did a little shopping, ate a lot of good food, swam in the pool, rode trax, looked at the lights on Temple Square, and hopefully made a lot of good memories for all of us.

This is from Thanksgiving, but it was so cute couldn't resist sharing.

Liv and Nate both had a great time at the Discovery Center...

Lights at Temple Square (Day 1)

Riding Trax.

Another cute Nate Picture...

Trying to take a pictures in front of the big tree in the Joseph Smith Building... Nate wanted nothing to do with it.

Brittany's Family and Aunt Chelsey joined us on Saturday night.... these two girls sure love each other...most of the time.

All of us at Temple Square. Nate's asleep in the stroller.

We put up all the Christmas Decorations this week....

And Nathan started walking....

Thankful

2011-11-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

A friend at work recently learned that she has breast cancer and will have to undergo chemo followed by a double mastectomy. She is only 45 and has a young family and her situation has made me reflect on how blessed I am. I tend to complain about all of the things in my life that aren't perfect- but it doesn't take very long for me to look around and realize how good my life is. So in no particular order here are some things I am thankful for:

Scott
Olivia and Nathan
My health
A warm and comfortable house
Food on the table
Mom
Sisters (and brothers too)
That I still have a set of grandparents living
My job
The temple
Adoption
A warm soft bed
Friends
My education
People who believe in me

Happy Thanksgiving from our little family.

Here is a sneak peak of our family pictures taken by my amazing friend Annie.

10 Months

2011-11-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

Little Nate is now 10 months old. Here at 10 things about Nathan:

He got four teeth this month- two on top and two on the bottom. Look at those chompers in the picture above.
He sleeps through the night, but likes to get up super early (5:30 am is his average).
He is standing really well by himself, but hasn't attempted to walk alone yet.
When he wakes up he gets our attention by banging on his crib.
He says dada, mum, and baba.
He likes to feed himself. He would much rather I cut up food and put it on his tray than have me feed him.
I think he is going to be left handed.
He laughs when he burps (or you say the word burp) or when he toots- I think its a boy thing.
He has a little bit of a temper.
He started sucking his thumb this month (which I don't love).

He is getting to be such a big boy and as cute as ever... We love you Nater.

We converted Olivia's crib to a big girl bed a couple of weeks ago- it has made a world of difference in her sleeping through the night. She likes mommy to snuggle her before she goes to bed, but has slept through the night for the last 10 or so days. Hooray!

Here she is in her big girl bed playing with mom's phone.

On Saturday we had a girls's day with Gradma M, Aunt Crystal, Maddie, Callie, and Josie. First we went shopping at Trolley Square and had lunch at the Spagetti Factory followed by Disney on Ice at Energy Solutions Arena. Olivia was thrilled to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse (more so than all of the princesses) and she had a great time with her cousins.

October in Review

2011-11-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

October was a very busy month for our little family-lots of family, BYU, and Halloween Fun. Here is a brief recap....

We did a little Trick or Treating. The weather was perfect and Olivia really got into it this year. After the third house she had it figured out and kept telling me "Let's get more candy". She made it about four blocks and then told me she was tired and wanted to go home. Little Nate was a trooper and let us drag him around the neighborhood. Poor daddy had a bout of the stomach flu and missed out on all of the fun.

We spent a sunny afternoon at the park (probably our last one of this season).

We carved a pumpkin.

BYU basketball season started on the 29th. The first of many games for the kiddos. Olivia has gone to the basketball games since she was seven months old and she is a pro. It has been almost six months since we have been, but she remembered the Creamery blimp and the fight song.

One morning as we were leaving for work work Liv says to me take a picture of me and Nater... I have some cute babies.

We went to Grandpa and Grandma M's for dinner and to carve pumpkins.

We went to the BYU-ISU football game. Although I am an ISU alum we all cheered the Cougs to victory.

We went to Idaho for Grandma H's birthday and had a little Halloween Party.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from our little spooks...

9 months and the Witches

2011-10-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Where is the time going? This little man was nine months old on Sunday- didn't we just bring him home? Here are some things about Nate at 9 months:

He is 110% boy- he likes balls and trucks and making noise and torments his sister relentlessly.
He has four teeth- two on the top and two on the bottom.
At his 9 month checkup today he weighed 20 pounds 11 ounces (53%), was 28.5 inches long (59%) and his head was 18.5 inches (90%).
He climbs the stairs (and anything that he can for that matter-I found him on top of Olivia's picnic table the other day).
He is a crawling machine and he is quick.
He is walking along the couch and the railings, but has not attempted to walk by himself yet.
He is a momma boy- I love getting him in the morning when he wakes up because he is always so happy and excited to see me.
His smile is contagious.
Everything he can get his hands on goes in his mouth- I have to keep the floor extra clean because he finds the smallest pieces of lint or dirt and they are immediately put in his mouth.
He is busy busy busy- he doesn't want to be held unless he is tired.
He already loves Elmo- as soon as he hears the theme music he has got the biggest smile on his face.
He likes music and I swear he dances to it sometimes.
He is very determined and if he wants something (a toy on the floor for example) he will do whatever he can to get to it even if that mean crawling over daddy.
He loves his big sister and wants to be doing whatever she is.
Olivia calls him Nater or Nater-Tater.

On Monday, we met Brittany and Girls at Garnder Village to check out the Witches.

This is Olivia's new picture poise- she does it all the time when I try to take her picture.

Olivia trying to be like this witch....

Nate and Gracie.

Potato Pancakes and Pumpkins

2011-10-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Idaho where we grow a lot of potatoes. In fact we would have two weeks off during the school year for potato harvest each year- it was awesome. My Uncle Blaine raised potatoes and he would let us come and glean the potatoes from the field that the crossover missed. I remember driving our brown station wagon into the field and filling as many potato sacks as we could fit into the back.- Needless to say we ate a lot of potatoes and in lots of different ways- mashed, baked, fried, in potato salad, french fries... and every once in a while mom would make potato pancakes. She didn't make them very often as they are a little labor intensive when you are trying to make them for a family of 9, but we loved it when she did

Mom came for a visit this weekend and as we were going through recipes for a family cookbook I am working on we came across the potato pancake recipe. It has been a really long time since I have had them so I asked mom to make them for us. (I know she comes to my house to visit and I make her cook- what a rotten daughter I am). They were as good as I remember.

Olivia thought it was so much fun to help because you get to stir the batter with your hands... grandma's little sous chef.

On Saturday we went to the Red Barn in Santiquin for a hayride, to pick pumpkins and for pumpkin ice cream (Liv's choice). Liv liked the hayride and driving the old tractor, but was indifferent about picking a pumpkin. Little Nate wasn't sure to think, but was a good sport about the whole adventure.

Nothing Exciting...

2011-09-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a typical busy week at our house... nothing too exciting, but here are the highlights.

On Tuesday night I hosted my monthly card making night-it is so much fun. I spend my work week crunching numbers and dealing with problem loans so it is really good for me to use the creative side of my brain every once in a while. It has been so long I have had to shake of the cobwebs so I am glad for an excuse to be crafty.

Wednesday nights are always crazy for us since Daddy is taking a night class at UVU and Olivia has gymnastics.

Friday night we had some of our neighbors over for dinner and to watch the BYU game. Thank Heavens the outcome was a much better than last week.

Okay a little excitement... Saturday afternoon Scott and I went and saw Mary Poppins at the Capital in Salt Lake City. It was so good. I kept thinking how much Liv would have loved the music and the dancing- maybe when she is a little bit older we will have to have a girls night at the theater.

Since I realized I didn't photographically document any of these events here are some cute pictures of my kiddos. We took these in August when we had all of the Hillman grand kids together. These are some of my favorites:

State Fair and Daddy's Birthday

2011-09-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

On Friday was Scott's Birthday. To celebrate we went out for pizza and then came home and had cake and ice cream. There were lots of candles on that cake... We love you Daddy!

On Saturday we met Brittany's family at the Utah State Fair. I think Olivia had a great time- she got to pet the rabbits, cows, sheep, and pigs.

Nate was just happy to be there...

Then she got to go on the merry go round with Emma and Daddy. She surprised me and said she wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel with Mommy. I figured we would get to the top and she would be crying to get off, but she loved it.

You can't go to the fair without eating... we ate way to much and then had to grab some cotton candy on the way out....

Its here...

2011-09-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

...Football Season. Each year we try to hit an away game for BYU and this year we decided to go to Austin Texas and let the Legacy Club take care of all the details. As always the trip was fantastic. We flew out of the Provo airport Thursday morning (my favorite part of the whole trip) and spent the last three days melting and playing in the Texas heat. We heard we were lucky that it was only 96 degrees as it had been 110 a couple of weeks before. We left Olivia with Aunt Chelsey and took #2 with us- he was the most popular guy on the trip. Thursday and Friday we lounged by the pool, did some shopping, found some local eating places (my favorites were Amy's Ice Cream and Thundercloud-a yummy sandwich place). Saturday morning we had chalk talk with some of the coaches and then headed to the game that night. It was a sea of burnt orange, but surprisingly there were about 10,000 Cougar Fans there (out of 100,000). Despite the noise and the heat little Nate took a nap and was an angel the entire game (and the entire trip for that matter). Here are some of the highlights from the trip....

Here is Miss Olivia in her new BYU dress striking a pose at the park last week.

And little Nate on the swings... he hasn't decided he likes these yet. Notice how puffy his hair is in this pictures.... I finally decided he had to get a haircut. There is an old wife's tale that you are supposed to wait until they are a year old, but decided it couldn't wait another four months. The poor kid sweats and sweats and I couldn't do anything with it so on Wednesday before we left for Texas he got a haircut.

Before:

After:

What we took off:

Kiddos at 2.5 Years and 7 months

2011-08-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

This month Olivia turns 2 and a half- she is growing up way to fast. Although I am a little sad to see her grow out of her toddler years it is so fun for me to watch her grow and learn. Here are some things about Olivia right now:

She is very smart. She knows all of her letters by site and what they say. She also knows all of her shapes, colors, and can count to 30.
Her favorite movies are Despicable Me and Rio (or and we can't forget Elmo's World). Last night we made cookies and she told me that she was making cookie robots just like Gru.
She loves gymnastics. We took the month of August off from gymnastics and she asks me everyday- "I go to gymnastics?"
She loves music and loves to sing- current favorites are The Farmer in the Dell, Bingo, Follow the Prophet, and The Wiseman and the Foolish man. She is typically the only kid singing in nursery.
She is having a hard time with nursery. She was doing pretty well until they split our ward three weeks ago and all of the friends she played with are in the old ward.
She loves playing outside on the swings and the slides. She also loves playing at the Splash Park. Monday morning she woke up and told me today we go to Rachel's and then we go to the Splash Park- as if she had it all planned out. So of course we had to go.
Her favorite friends right now are Hayden, Lalee, Jace, and cousin Emma.
She getting to be a picky eater, but loves Mac and cheese, avocados, and steak.
She acts so grown up sometimes I forget she is only 2 and a half. There are days however when she reminds me by throwing a full blown tantrum or turns on the tears if she doesn't get her way. Overall she is a really good kid and we sure love her a lot.

;

Little Nate is now 7 month old and gets cuter every day. Here are some things about Nate at 7 months:

He has two teeth on the bottom and the top two should cut through any day.
He is crawling (everywhere). He is much more active than Liv ever was when she started crawling.
He is pulling himself on chairs, the couch, really anything he can climb. Not standing yet, but is really close.
He is sleeping through the night most nights.
He continues to babble a lot. The last couple of days I have noticed that he is saying Da Da Da.
He is a mama's boy.
He is a very happy baby and really laid back but he lets you know when he is hungry, tired, or wants your attention.
Loves solid food.
Is putting everything into his mouth he can get his hands on.
Loves his big sister and laughs and laughs when she plays with him.
A perfect fit to our little family and we couldn't love him any more.

Farm Country

2011-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the kiddos and I met Brittany, Becky, and their kiddos at Thanksgiving Point to take advantage of $2 Tuesday. We had a great time- the girls got a pony ride, we fed the ducks, took a wagon ride, milked a cow, and saw lots of horses, chickens, ducks, cows, and pigs followed by ice cream- What a great way to spend a Tuesday afternoon.

Just Pics

2011-08-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sealed, Blessed, and the Pioneers

2011-08-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were able to take Nathan to the Provo Temple and have him become a part of our Forever Family. For those of you who are not part of the LDS faith- We believe that the family is not only together on this earth, but in the life to come and the temple is the key to this. We were surrounded by friends and family who love us and Nathan and Olivia. He is such a sweet little spirit that has come into our lives and changed us for the better.

My mom made Olivia's dress and it was perfect. She has been excited for weeks telling everyone, including complete strangers that she was going to the temple. She got new white shoes, a new white dress, and mommy found her a necklace and a bracelet-she looked just like a princess.

It was a crazy day for me and I didn't get any pictures on my camera. Brittany got a couple of my kiddos and we had some professional ones taken that I should have in a couple of weeks -stay tuned.

After the temple we had Nathan's Blessing (Christening) at our house followed by lunch. It was a wonderful day and we are so grateful for everyone who came and shared the special day with us.

Over the 24th (Pioneer Day) weekend we went to Monroe, Utah to spend the day with Scott's family. Scott's great great grandpa settled in Monroe and the town has a huge 24th of July celebration. Saturday morning we got to see the parade and then played with cousins all afternoon. What a fun day!

This is all the Magleby cousins (minus Aria) and I thought this picture was great- not one of them were looking right at the camera.

Nate with his fire truck he got at the parade.

Liv at the parade.

Here are two cute pics of the kiddos from the last two weeks. Olivia is the craziest sleeper I know. Here is she is on the couch-yes she slept that way.

Here is little Nate showing off his two bottom teeth- such a cutie.

We got Nate's room done last week before everyone came over. Here is the the finished product... at least for right now. It is still a work in process, but I really like how it turned out .

Six Months

2011-07-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Little Nathan is now six months old and cuter than ever. At his six month appointment last week he was 17 pounds 4 ounces and 26.5 inches long. Here are some things about Nathan at six months:

His bottom two teeth have broken through.
He talks in his sleep, especially right before he wakes up.
He is getting up on his hands and knees trying to crawl. So far he can only go backwards and that is more a scoot than a crawl.
He is starting to sleep through the night-most nights at least seven hours.
He has a smile for most people who talk to him.
He has like most solid foods other than green beans and carrots.
His sister makes him laugh like no one else.
He only likes to snuggle when he's tired.
He is finally liking the bath tub.

Official

2011-07-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Nathan is now officially part of our family. On Wednesday after Scott promised to raise Nathan as a Cougar fan Judge Davis signed all of the paperwork and Nathan is officially our son. Wednesday was only for the benefit of the courts because he was our son the moment we meet him- I truly can not imagine our little family without him.

With Olivia's finalization we did not realize that we could invite our family to the proceedings. Judge Davis grew up with my father in law and we got chastised for not having anyone there. We learned our lesson and invited all of our family that was in the area. I think it was fun for the kids to visit the courtroom and Judge Davis was great- letting everyone try on his robe and sit in his chair.

Spanish Fork has a new splash park and one day last week while I was off the kids and I went to play. Olivia wasn't quite sure at first, but once she realized she could get wet she loved it. Nate also had a great time splashing. The kids had such a great time we took daddy on Saturday. What a fun way to beat the July heat.

We have been working on getting Nate's room done. I am so excited to see it finished. Here is step one board and baton up. Amy put on her caulking gloves (never done it before, but we figured it out) and now we are ready for paint. I am hopeful that we will get it done this week.

Happy Birthday America

2011-07-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

We love the 4th of July at our house- in fact it is Scott's favorite holiday. This year we celebrated for three days straight. On Saturday morning we got up before the sun and went to see the balloon festival in Provo. After the ballons we drove to Idaho to spend the weekend with my family. Matt and Cindy blessed Landon on Sunday so it gave us a great excuse to get together. On Saturday night Scott and I left the kids with Mom and Brittany and went to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Sunday we went to the blessing and then had lunch at Matt's house followed by fireworks at grandmas. On Monday we went to carnival, had a pony ride and parade in Menan, had dutch oven dinner at Matt's, and then watched the fireworks along the river. Olivia had talked about the fireworks all day, but when it was finally time to see them she was so tired she didn't make it through-too much excited, but so much fun!

Typical Saturday

2011-06-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are busy for our little family- we try to fit most of our errands and to do items into that one day. During the summer one of our biggest to do items is the yard. Morning glory has taken over a couple of my flower beds and it is impossible to keep up. Olivia has decided that she likes working in the yard... lots of mud and water to play in. She is a big helper watering the squash and tomato plants...

Little Nate is getting extra cute these days as he gets a little chubby. He is sitting up really well and is so smiley. He is starting to eat a little more solid food and the other night he slept for seven hours. His little scrape has healed for the most part, but he has this nasty looking scar under his left cheek... poor kid looks like he has been in a fight.

Miss Olivia was helping daddy fill the flour containers Saturday afternoon while we made cookies. Somehow she ended up with flour all over her face, her clothes, her hands, in her hair... I couldn't resist a picture of this cute messy face.

First Shiner

2011-06-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

It was bound to happen... boys are rough and end up with a lot of scraps and scratches, but this one was my fault. We were taking pictures outside on some concrete, Nathan was sitting up so well, and then all of the sudden-face plant right into a brick. Even with the scratches he still has the cutest baby face.

It is Popsicle eating time... our tongues are lots of different colors these days...

Here are some pics of Liv at gymnastics... she loves it and I love that she loves it.

One more of the cute Nater... he is getting so good at sitting up.

Art City Days

2011-06-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

This last week was crazy- crazy fun...

On Tuesday Olivia started a summer mom and tot gymnastics class that goes for the next ten weeks. She loves the trampolines. She is not so sure about jumping in the foam pit (Mommy really liked it though).
My friend Abby came into town from Boise on Wednesday night and we had a fun Thursday afternoon at the spa. Massages- a little piece of heaven!
Thursday night we went to the Art City Carnival. Olivia cried on the motorbikes and trucks and then cried when she had to get off of the merry go round.
Friday morning we up early and went to the Fireman's Breakfast before work. We had pancakes as big as the plate and Olivia got to sit and drive an old fire truck in the fire station.
Saturday morning we got up before the sun and went to see the hot air balloons take off. After taking Abby to the airport we came home and the kids played in the swimming pool while mommy attacked the weeds in the flower beds.
We LOVE Summer!

I often wonder why I wake up so tired in the morning... could it be these two kiddos who sometimes end up in my bed....

Park City

2011-06-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling the vacation bug for a while now... I was dreaming of some place warm with some sun, salt water and sand, but for the time being a hotel swimming pool in Park City will have to give me my fix.

I don't think Nate liked the pool very much- it was a little cold and he was ready for a nap, but he looked oh so cute in his little swim trunks. Look at that chub on his chest he is starting to get... love baby rolls.

Liv is part fish, but she got a little scared when she jumped off without mommy noticing and went completely under the water. She was a little more cautious from then on.

This week is Springville's Art City Days. As part of the celebration, the library has a teddy bear picnic for the kids and their furry friends. I had a meeting this morning so Daddy volunteered to take Olivia. She took two friends... Marvin the monkey and hippopotamus (Daddy said she also wanted to take Stew the Steer and Sister the Llama but he held his ground). The tea party started with a story in the theater about a hippopotamus that wanted to be something else, they then made hippo hats, ate gummy bears and kool-aid, and then went through an obstacle course. I think Liv and Daddy both had a great time.

Now that Mr. Nate is almost five months old we have been given the go ahead by his pediatrician to start him on solid foods. He tolerates rice cereal... even with his sister trying to feed him. So far he likes strawberries and Popsicles (if we can get sister to share).

Life's Little Moments

2011-05-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

The girls at our house have had the stomach flu this week, which has put me a little behind with everything. We haven't been up to anything exciting... just enjoying life's little moments. Here are some of our moments from the past couple of weeks.

Olivia has a really good daddy. Not many guys I know would let their two year old paint their toenails. Thank Heavens it washes off in the shower or some of daddy's construction workers might tease him.

We finally got our garden in. I think Olivia was more interested in playing in the mud and water than planting the vegtables.

The kiddos

Liv "helping" me put together the shelf for the storage closet.

The nice thing about this wet weather- I still have pretty tulips in my front flowerbeds.

The little man sitting up on his own. He is still really wobbly, but he does a pretty good job for a few seconds. He is getting to be such a big boy. He is now rolling from his stomach to his back. At his 4 month appointment 10 days ago he was 25 inches long and 15 pounds 5 ounces- both in the 40th percentile. His head on the other hand was in the 89th percentile- I think it has something to do with his hair???

2011-05-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

Easter has come and gone, which typically means we take down the bunnies and eggs and put up the Americana decorations to celebrate Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July, and 24th of July.  Unfortunately these decorations are not hanging on my walls or adorning my quilt shelf... why you ask? Because I have misplaced my giant box of American decorations... how does that happen?

Because I am unorganized. I have a ton of storage space in my house and all of it is in a state of disarray-a sure sign I have way too much stuff and need to declutter. The problem is I have to be in the mood to declutter and recently the mood has not hit me. I am a collector.  In fact, as I was looking for my Americana decorations Saturday night (for the second time) I found a box containing all of my art work from grade school including the colored Pilgrim from Mrs. Gisen's afternoon kindergarten class circa 1982. What am I going to do with a 29 year old construction paper pilgrim? My hope chest is filled with dried corsages from high school dances, old t-shirts that my Firth Jr. High classmates signed, deflated balloons from birthdays, and a variety of other junk that has been sitting there for over 15 years and really should be thrown away. Someday... and when I do maybe I will find those decorations.

Now our week...
This past Thursday night we decided to walk to the library and then stop at a local pizza place for dinner. Olivia sat in the stroller the entire way there, but on the way home she had to push.  Her new thing is "I do it". She wants to put on her shoes, her clothes, wash her hands... all by herself.   Here she is pushing the stroller after putting her sunglasses on herself...

On Saturday morning our local chapter of Families Supporting Adoption put on a birth mother walk at Provo High. Olivia had a great time "driving" the fire truck and playing under the parachute. Daddy even got a picture with Cosmo. It is fun day to spend with other adoptive families and celebrate the amazing birth mothers.. We love both of our birth moms!

After the birth walk we had a ton of errands to run so we decided to stop and get a milkshake at In and Out. I am not sure what it is, but there is something about Olivia and her smile- she charms people. The ladies at the counter told he she was so cute and gave her stickers and then she waved and smiled at the guy moping the floor and next thing we know he is bringing her a hat. She thought she was pretty cool.

Later Saturday afternoon we made some Strawberry Jam as a birthday present for Grandpa M. Olivia loves to help in the kitchen and so she was right in the middle of the action. She is such a big "helper"

The blender was too loud- she does the same thing when we flush a public toilet yet the trains that go by our house blowing their horns don't phase her???

Now about Nathan... it is hard to believe that he is four months old already. I keep telling him to stay little for awhile since he may be my last baby, but he doesn't listen. His four month check up is on Friday and I am really curious to see what his stats are. His legs and arms are starting to get some rolls and I think he is roughly the size of his cousin Gracie who is seven months old. He has starting sitting in his bouncer and would much rather be sitting up than laying down. He is trying to roll himself over especially when he is on his stomach. We have had a couple of 5 and 6 hour stretches of sleep at night. He really is a good baby and is very happy most of the time.

Weekend Adventures

2011-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

What a fun busy weekend. On Friday night we made a quick trip to Brigham City to see Jon, Brittany, and family. Britt and I got to do a little scrap booking and then we got dinner at Maddox and ate at the Perry Heritage Park.

On Saturday morning Olivia had a birthday party for her friend, Hayden, and then in the afternoon we met Grandpa and Grandma M at the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. It was such a beautiful day and the tulips were splendid. I love tulips and thousands of them in one place is a little bit of heaven for me.

Three Months (plus a couple of weeks)

2011-04-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our little man is now three months old (plus a couple of weeks). He is growing so fast and as he fills out gets even cuter (if that is possible). This month he has started to laugh and giggles anytime we tickle underneath his chin or on his sides.

If I have him propped up against a pillow on the bed or the couch he tries to pull himself into a sitting position. He has started to reach for things. The other morning he was sitting up and noticed his toes for the first time- it is so fun to watch him discover something new.

The little stinker is still waking up two or three times a night. He still has all of his hair other than a small bald patch on the back of his head- he has so much hair unless you really look we can cover it with the crazy curls in the back. His little personality is emerging and so far he is laid back other than when he is hungry and then he lets you know.

He has outgrown most of his three months clothes. He "talks" more than Olivia did at this age and she "talked" a lot so it will be interesting to see how the two compare as he grows. He still doesn't like bathes and hates being on his tummy.

He loves his big sister and just stares at her while she talks. She is very protective of him and as we leave for the day and when she gets up she always asks where Nathan is.

We sure love this little guy and so glad he is part of our family.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter....

Sunshine

2011-04-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a wet rainy, snowy, windy Spring... it has been a little depressing and I think I have been more than a little bit grouchy (just ask Scott) the last couple of weeks. Yesterday was just what the doctor ordered... it was a beautiful sunny warm day and we spent every minute that we could outside. We spent the morning working on weeding the flower beds and then went to the park for a picnic and to play on the slide and swings. It is amazing what a little sunshine does for the soul.

Olivia's new wheels. She hasn't quite figured out how to peddle, but loves being pushed around.

This kid loves his hands in his mouth. He keeps gagging himself with his fingers. Liv and I were sitting on the flooring painting out toenails and Nathan was sitting in front of us. I said to Nathan "Nathan Scott Magleby get your fingers out of your mouth" and proceeded to pull them out of his mouth. A second later (after he stuck them in again) I hear Olivia say "Nathan Scott Magleby get your figures out of your mouth". A good reminder to watch what I say around her.

This girl is so strong. She climbs up to the monkey bars and holds herself up and swings.

We had so much fun at the park. Last night Scott and I got a sitter and went to dinner. As we were leaving a member of the bishoprich (clergy) stopped by to see if I would accept a calling to work in the nursery (class for 18 month-3 year olds in our church). Liv has really struggled with nursery the last several weeks and I have spent most of my time in there anyway so it works out well. This will be my fourth nursery calling in the seven years we have been married- either I must be good at it (or won't say no) or I am not and they are giving me another chance to get it right.

Behind

2011-04-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am in a constant state of behindness (is that such a word?). There are so many things I need and want to get done, but in reality there is only so much time and somethings have got to go. For the most part this does not affect anyone other than my little family, but recently I am feeling it overtake me. This blog has been one of the things that gets neglected. It is a little thing, but for me it is my way of documenting our life so that one day I can scrapbook it and will have all of the details. I vow to be better because I want to remember when Nate started laughing and Liv had her first dentist appointment.

We have had a crazy fun couple of weeks - sick kids, sick daddy, a trip to Idaho, two trips to Brigham City, Liv a dentist appointment, doctor's appointments, family pictures, baby shower for Cindy, Nathan's 3 month pictures, laundry, work, visits to the library, cleaning house, more laundry, the Carl Blanc exhibit at BYU followed by dinner at Brick Oven with Scott' family, and Liv at the Tree House Museum with her cousins. Here is some of the proof...

This a terrible picture, but he is laughing here. He is such a happy baby.

We made Easter cupcakes for Liv to take to day care...

Liv went to the dentist for the first time yesterday. She has talked of nothing since... the fish tank, they put water in her month, her two new tooth brushes, the monkey she got...

new Cinderella toothbrush.

We went to Idaho to get my family pictures taken. It was so cold and windy that night, but because it has been over seven year since our last family picture we braved the elements (and possible hypothermia). Here is our cute little family...

My sister-in-law Cindy is having her first boy in the next few weeks so the girl's went to dinner at Gator Jack's in Rexburg to celebrate... It was a fun place, good food, and great company.

Becky, me, and Jenny trying to get warm (after pictures) in the back seat of the Tahoe.

Nate and Gracie- they are about four months apart.

The granddaughters watching a movie on the portable DVD player. There is a big screen in the next room, but they thought this was more fun.

A House Full and Hairspray

2011-03-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend all of my sisters and my mom came to visit. We had quite a house full... six crazy kids under the age of 5, the five sisters, my mom and then poor Scott- he was definitely out numbered. Here is a picture of the grand kids (less Taylor). We have family pictures this weekend and it is going to be interesting trying to get seven little ones (and 14 adults) looking at the same time.

The big girls decided to run a way for an afternoon of shopping and "Hairspray" and left all of the babies at home. The play was so much fun and it was so nice to spend the afternoon with the ladies that I love.

We took Nathan to church for the first time on Sunday. He looked so handsome in his little vest and a little too grown up. At his two month appointment last week he was 24 inches long and weighed 12 pounds, both of which are in the 50th percentile.

Olivia went in for her two year check up at the same time. She is 36 inches tall (91st percentile) and is 30 pounds (81st percentile).

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

I get into holidays... even the little ones like St. Patrick's Day. Tonight was our 3rd annual green dinner. I toned it down a little this year and just did green tortilla shells for taco salad, green jigglers, and green kool-aid. Our favorite neighbors, the Broberg's, joined us and we cheered BYU onto a victory in the NCAA tournament... maybe the Cougs had a little luck of the Irish??

I found these shamrock jammies a couple of months ago on a clearance rack and could resist getting matching jammies for my two little cuties...

Our "green" outfits for the day...

Today Liv also got her first haircut (just a trim to even it up and to get some of the split ends that kept knotting up). She wasn't sure what to think at first, but she liked looking at herself in the mirror and I think the M&M's helped keep her occupied. Her hair is so much softer now and much much easier to comb.

Sunny Days Chasing the Clouds Away...

2011-03-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Yes we have been watching a lot of Sesame Street at our house... but we have also had a four day stretch of warm (relatively speaking) sunny days and we are loving it. On Saturday we packed a little picnic for lunch and went to the park followed by swings, slides, and the library.

Little Nate is getting to be such a big boy. We had to move him yesterday from the kitchen sink for baths to the yellow duck bath tub because he is getting too long. It is way too big and he still fights me, but at least now he has room to kick- one of these days he will decide he likes baths.

I can't catch his cute little smile on camera... still so handsome.

Nathan

2011-03-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with this little boy... it is truly a miracle how this little spirit came into our family and fits so perfectly.

A tale of two days...

2011-03-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Olivia and I played in the snow...

Today we went to the park and played on the swings in 50 degree sunny weather...

Gotta Love March in Utah!

Here are some other random pictures from the past several days...

Look at that kick- watch out David Beckham. Also notice the sunglasses- I wear my sunglasses on top of my head all of the time and Liv still thinks I am cool and likes to copy me.

Proof that spring is really coming- crocus in my front flower bed.

Nate pulls this face a lot- not sure what it means, but super cute.

Liv's new thing at nap and bedtime is she has to sleep with all of her friends- Violet (the purple dog), hippopotamus, and the Grinch.

Nate's adorable baby face...

My two kiddos...

Exhausted... but Happy

2011-02-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

I ran into an acquaintance the other day who I haven't seen for a couple of years and she says to me: "You look exhausted... but Happy". At first I was a little hurt by her comment (usually when you tell someone they look tired/exhausted it means that they look terrible), but then I thought-yes that is exactly how I feel. I am exhausted and the bags under my eyes and the large amount of caffeine I have consumed this week are an indication of that fact, but I am Happy. Life is good at the moment... not perfect but really good. I have a awesome husband who loves me, I have two amazing kids, a beautiful and comfortable home, a job that I feel good about doing and has allowed us to expand our family, food on the table, and a wonderful extended family who puts up with my quirkiness. I am truly blessed. As tired as I am, I am trying to enjoy every moment with these little ones because one of these days Olivia won't want to snuggle with mommy and Nate will be all grown up and will be too big to hold his mommy's hand- and I know I will miss it... but I really could use a full night of sleep.

On another note... we had a pretty boring Valentine's Day at our house. Scott and I haven't really done anything for Valentine's for each other for years, but this year was partially unromantic with leftovers for dinner and me falling asleep at 9. On Friday before V-day we were a little festive and made some heart shaped sugar cookies...

And little Nate slept through the whole thing...

Back to Reality and One Month

2011-02-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

I have to go back to work tomorrow. I was planning on taking two more weeks, but due to a technicality with my company's sick time policy I am having to cut that time short. I have so enjoyed this time with my two babies and I am dreading tomorrow morning for many reasons: 1. On Friday I was so proud of myself for getting the two kids and myself dressed and out of the house by 10:00- how in the world am I going to make it to work by 8:00?? 2. My baby girl has gotten very attached to her mommy being home- it is going to break my heart when I leave her and she has alligator tears running down that precious face. 3. I have so enjoyed the little things with my babies- going to story time at the library, sitting on the bed in our jammies watching Super Why and Sesame Street, making cookies with Olivia, and snuggling with Nate in the afternoon while Liv takes her nap. I will miss them terribly. I know they will taken care of and loved. Carol, my sitter, has become a third grandma to Olivia and I know that she will be the same to Nate, I am just not quite ready to let this time go.

Little Nate is officially one month old. His cute little cheeks are getting chubby and he is starting to grow out of his new born clothes. I know it is probably too soon, but I really think he is starting to smile and when he does he has the cutest dimple on his right cheek. He has started to recognize my voice and focuses on my face pretty well. He is freakishly strong for someone who is only a month old and does a pretty good job of holding up his head and lifting himself on his arms while he is laying on his stomach. He likes to stretch his arms above his head and many times his little hands get tangled in his hair which he pulls making himself cry. His big sister and his mommy and daddy love him to pieces and we can not imagine our little family without him.

Pulling the hair.

I am afraid this is the face that Nathan will make every time Olivia tries to love him. I know she means well, but sometime she wants to give him a little more love than he can handle.

Two Year Celebration

2011-02-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

For Olivia's birthday this year, we decided to keep things really simple. Because February 3 was also Chinese New Year I made sweet and sour chicken and we invited our neighbors over for dinner followed by ice cream and cake. Grandma M also came down for the festivities. When I showed Olivia her cake she recognized that it was Elmo so I figured I didn't do too bad for my first cake decorating attempt:

In addition to birthday celebrations, we have been potty training this week and she was so excited to earn her umbrella when she went tinkle on the potty ten times. I am so proud of her. As I mentioned in my original post on potty training we had a really difficult first day, but since then she has done so well and has very few accidents.

Here are some additional pictures from her birthday:

Nathan's Newborn Pics

2011-02-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

My talented friend, Annie, took Nathan's newborn pictures and Olivia's two year pictures (as seen on previous post). As always she did an amazing job and she gave me way to many to choose from. Here are some of my favorites:

Birthday Girl

2011-02-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

My baby girl turns two today. She is no longer a baby, but a fun, spunky, stubborn toddler who captured our hearts the moment we met her and somehow makes us love her more everyday.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl- We love you so much!!

Time is flying

2011-02-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

I can not believe it is already February 1. Time is flying... I had big plans while I was on leave with Nathan and unfortunately I have not accomplished most of them. One of the things I wanted to accomplish was potty training Olivia. We started today and we have already had five accidents and have not made it to the potty once. The most frustrating part is when I take her and sit her on the potty and she doesn't go, but two minutes later she comes to me and says "Mama I tinkled (all over the floor)". The joys of parenthood:).

I have not made it to the gym everyday as I promised myself that I would, Scott's "honey do" list, which included cleaning out the kitchen cabinets, is still pretty long, I did not get my Superbowl party invites made, and I have not gotten Nathan's room put together, but on a positive note I have done the following: I cleaned out craft room and my pantry, I finished my nephew Evan's birthday gift (some BYU PJ bottoms), I finished skirts for Olivia and Emma (see picture below), sewed two baby blankets for Nathan, got some scrap book pages done, and have spent many hours of quality time with my little daughter and her baby brother.

I am so excited how this skirt turned out. Liv has a similar one and I really liked it so my amazing mom helped me put this one together without a pattern. My next adventure will be a jumper for Liv and I am going to try to do it all by myself- (could prove to be interesting). I have decided I have to many things that I would like to do and not enough time- I need to figure out how to survive on 4 hours of sleep and stop being so lazy.

Here are some random pics from this week...

The little man is starting to be awake for longer periods. I finally got a picture with his eyes open last night. We are slowly getting on schedule. The other night he slept for six hours and I was so grateful (the sleep deprivation is catching up to me). Most of the time he is sleeping for about 3-4 hours.

This past weekend I took the kids to Idaho for a few days. It was good to spend a few days with my family and Olivia got to spend some quality time with her cousin Taylor. One of her favorite things to do at Grandma's is play the piano. I think I have mentioned this before, but this girl loves music and she sits and pounds on the keys belting out the ABC song and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. We got see most of my siblings this weekend and Aunt Chelsey let her play on her scooter. Liv loved it.

Earlier in the week, Brittany, Emma, and Gracie came for a visit. While they were here we made Valentine's Day cupcakes, went to storytime at the library, and watched Sesame Street on Mama's bed. Britt and I even got some scrapbooking done while the kiddos slept.

Here is Liv at the library. Since I can remember I have loved books and I really hope to pass this love to my kids. In hopes of fueling her desire to read we go to the library once a week and have started to go to story time on Tuesdays. For those of you in Springville you need to check it out- they have a theme each week and do a little puppet show, read a story, get a visit from letter hero, and get to do a craft.

Two Weeks

2011-01-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

Little Nathan is two weeks old today. At two weeks he is 8 pounds 6 ounces and 21 inches long and is doing great according to his doctor. Here are some pics from the hospital- he is a day old in these pictures. Stay tuned for newborn pics.

Adjusting to Two

2011-01-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Little Nathan is almost two weeks old and we are slowly adjusting to having two little ones to care for. My mom came down for six days and I am really missing her. I forgot how much work having a newborn is. Thankfully Liv has been very good and for the most part has not had any jealousy issues. We have had a couple of major tantrums, but I think they are more related to the fact that she will be two in a couple of weeks and does not like to be told no. If anything she loves him a little too much and I have to remind her that we have to be careful around the baby. Other than his desire to be awake at 1:30 a.m. for a couple of hours Nathan is a very good baby. Here are some pics from the last several days...

Couldn't you just eat him up???

Two cute Cougar Fans.

She loves this kitchen- Santa did good.

Two cute cousins

Britt's and my babies...

Grandma with the Liv and little Nate

Nathan's Story

2011-01-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

As previously published Nathan Scott Grant Magleby arrived on January 10 and was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long. Seven baby boys were born that morning so his c-section kept getting pushed back, but he finally arrived at 12:38 p.m. We were there shortly after he was born and got to help him with his first bath and his first bottle. His hair was the talk of the nursery- It is curly, thick, and so soft. The hospital set us up with a room and we were able to spend the next day and half falling in love with this sweet little guy. Our birth mom, K, requested that we give him the middle name Grant. Since we had already chosen Scott - we decided the we would give him two middles names. We had our placement on Tuesday and came home on Wednesday. Big sister loves this little guy and has not gotten jealous of him (I think it has helped that grandma has been here since Thursday), but is very affectionate toward him with lots of hugs and kisses.

It's a Boy

2011-01-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Nathan arrived 12:38 p.m.- Weighing in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long - he has a full head of thick black curly hair and a dimple on his chin just like his big sister Livy.

Becoming a Family of Four

2010-12-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

I discovered something about my daughter a few weeks ago... She gets bored when she is by herself. Since she was a baby she has had play mates around and so when she is home with momma she wants me to play with her every minute. Not that I mind, but it makes it very difficult for me to get anything done.

As the oldest of seven, I always had someone to play with. There were times in my teens that I wished to be an only child, but as I have gotten older I have realized how lucky I am to have so many siblings that I get along with and enjoy being with. This is why I am so excited that Olivia gets to be a big sister next month. Nathan Scott is scheduled to arrive January 10 and we can't wait to meet him.

Christmas Time

2010-12-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! There is something magical about seeing Christmas through the eyes of an almost two year old. Santa spoiled us this year and so did Grandmas and Grandpas. Some pictures from Christmas morning...

Later that day... I am not sure why she thought she wanted to play under the table...

Making cookies for Santa... she loves to roll things out. Grandma H made her a cute little apron and gave her her own rolling pin for Christmas.

Temple Square Part 2

2010-12-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

On Saturday BYU had a second basketball game at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. We decided we needed to get away for a couple of days so we rented a room at the Raddison for Friday and Saturday night and spent a wonderful relaxing weekend in Salt Lake. Friday night we ate dinner and then took Olivia swimming in the pool. It took her a couple of minutes to remember swimming (we haven't been since August), but she loved it and didn't want to go out. Saturday we went swimming again, went shopping, went to the basketball game in the afternoon, and went to see the lights on Temple Square in the evening. We came home Sunday feeling relaxed with a plan to do it again next year.

Polar Express

2010-12-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

In Grandpa and Grandma Magleby's neighborhood there is a family that does the Polar Express for all of the neighborhood families each year. The train carries up up to 12 people (more with lap riders like Liv) and runs on tracks the family has built into the sidewalks around their houses. The first part of the trip is all about Santa (you pass lots of lights, Christmas trees, and snowmen) and then you arrive at the North Pole. There you get to meet Santa and tell him what you want for Christmas. After all the kids have a turn to sit on Santa's lap he tells a little story about the Candy Cane... how if you turn it upside down it looks like a J and that stands for Jesus. The second part of the train ride is all about the Savior and his life. It was such fun night and a wonderful reminder of what the season is all about.

Most of the Magleby Crew. This was as we had to stop to put the train back on the track.

Liv was not to sure about Santa, but really like the candy cane that he gave her.

Me and Liv (with Chase and Camaron) on the train

Grandma even got to sit on Santa's lap.

Lights at Temple Square

2010-12-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

BYU had a basketball game at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City last night and since Chelsey and Mom were in the general neighborhood they joined us. After the game, which BYU won handily, we walked over to Temple Square and looked at the Christmas lights. It wasn't too cold and it was simple beautiful. Here are some of the highlights:

(Sorry Mom and Chel- both pictures I took of you guys had your eyes closed).

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

I am excited for Christmas this year. I hate to say this, but for the last several years I have been a little grinchy when it has come to Christmas. Yes, I have gone through the motions - put up the tree, make and wrap presents, decorate the house, make the fudge... but my heart has not been into it. This year is different and I think it has a lot to do with this little girl:

This is not Olivia's first Christmas, but last year she was only 10 months old and was oblivious to the excitement. As we pulled out the boxes this year and started unpacking all the pieces of Christmas- the light, nativities, the ornaments, the tree... she squealed with glee as we pulled out the tree and plugged in the lights- "Pretty mama-lights". A great big smile broke out on her face when she realized that the angel in the Fisher Price nativity set plays music and there was nothing but pure joy on her face when she unwrapped her Elmo ornament. It is so fun for me to watch her experience these things and I really think I will enjoy Christmas this year.

Behind

2010-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad blogger this month... I am committed to be better in December. Here are couple of fun things we did this month...

Harry Potter Premiere- Have I mentioned I love Harry Potter? Liv and I drove to Brigham City to watch the midnight premiere with Mom, Brittany, and Chelsey. It was a lot of fun... Brittany made a HP inspired dinner with Kidney and Steak Pies (pots pies), wands (licorice), and Bernie Botts every flavored beans (jelly beans). Chelsey made our shirts- we decided to be on the dark side and went with team Voltemort this year.

We spent Thanksgiving in Idaho with my family. Our normal 3.5 hour drive to Idaho Falls took us almost 5.5 hours due to the icy roads, but once we got there the fun began. Brittany, Chelsey, and I got got up on Thursday morning and ran the Feed the Hungry 5K around the greenbelt. It was a little cold (2 degrees) but a really pretty run. We ate a ton of food, watched movies, played games, and went shopping.

The Little Girls enjoying a bowl of popcorn.

The Grandkids (less Sophie and Evan- we missed you guys)

21 Months

2010-11-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Olivia turned 21 months. It is truly hard for me to believe in a couple of months she will be two. Here are some facts about Olivia at 21 months:

Picture from September 2010

She loves to sing. Favorite songs right now include the ABC Song, The "temple" song (I love to see the Temple), Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree, and Once there was a Snowman.
She loves to dance.
She can count to 19.
She likes to read books and enjoys our weekly trips to the Library
She has started to ask to use the potty.
Everytime she sees a football or basketball game on TV she yells "Go Cougars".
She likes to talk on the telephone. She is constantly picking up our phones and saying " Hi Grandma"... "See ya, Bye".
She likes to eat pickles, popcorn, chocolate, apples, and scrambled eggs.
She is starting to pick out letters. We were at Costco the other day and she said "O mama O" as she pointed to the Costco sign.
She likes watching Curious George, The Cat in the Hat, Superwhy, and Elmo.
She is the smartest and cutest 21 month old I know (but I may be a little biased)

Picture from September 2010 taken by Annie

All Hallows Eve

2010-11-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was warm and beautiful- we worked in the yard and planted daffodils- but around 2:00 the clouds rolled in and the rain came down in buckets. Between showers we were able to ride the Halloween train at Grandma and Grandpa's (okay that was during a rain shower, but still fun) and go Trick or Treating. We had been practicing saying "Trick or Treat" all week, but when we got to the first house and she saw a big bowl of candy bars she was being offered all my chocoholic could say was "CHOCOLATE!!!". She is definitely my daughter! She looked so cute in her her duck costume, but she wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get a cute picture of her looking at me.

While at Grandma and Grandpa's the kids made cupcakes- Olivia was only interested in eating them...

The whole Magleby crew... (I love how Josie and Liv are holding hands)....

BYU Basketball also started this week- it looks like it is going to be a fun (and winning) season for the Cougars. Scott and I had our first official date at a BYU Basketball game... now we take Olivia. Seven years ago I would have never believed that I would be living in Utah and would be married to and be the mom of die hard cougar fans, but here I am and loving it!

Love this video

2010-10-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Pickin' Pumpkins at the Red Barn

2010-10-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

With Halloween less than two weeks away we decided it was time for a visit to the Red Barn in Santaquin to pick out our pumpkins (okay I decided and Scott put up with it). Liv really liked the hayride, but did not want to pick out a pumpkin so I handed her a couple and said "say cheese" this is what I got...

Tonight I was unpacking some boxes I got in the mail and Liv thought it would be fun to play in the boxes with all of the packing peanuts. She kept saying "So Fun"- why do I bother buying toys?

This Weekend

2010-10-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

What a fun busy weekend we had at the Magleby residence. On Saturday morning we walked in the BYU Homecoming parade to support one of our favorite causes (FSA) Families Supporting Adoption. I had never been to the BYU Homecoming parade before and I was amazed how many people came out. Olivia rode on my shoulders most of the way and she kept waving and saying "Hi Everyone" and every once in a while would break out a "Go Cougars" since everyone was wearing blue and white.

Later that day we went to the BYU football game (Thanks Broberg's for the great tickets). I have been a little worried about taking Olivia to the football games because of her short attention span, but she loved it. There was so much going on I don't think she had time to get bored. She clapped and cheered with the cheerleaders (who thought she was adorable by the way), flirted with the boys behind us, yelled first down as the Cougars made their way up the field, hopped up and down the stairs, and hi-5ed everyone around us.

Our seats were on the 2nd row-right next to the BYU Basketball players.

From the parade:

Jason Plays Rugby???

2010-10-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Mom called me on Saturday morning to tell me that my baby brother Jason had a Rugby game at UVU... Jason plays Rugby??? Who knew- I obviously didn't! But because I am an awesome big sister we went and watched him play. I don't know all of the rules, but it is pretty physical and it looks like when someone tackles you (and you are not wearing pads or a helmet) it really hurts. Olivia cheered him on and even though she kept saying Go Cougars (daddy has trained her well) - her heart was in the right place.

Here is her say cheese face:).

Boots

2010-10-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

Olivia loves shoes. She tries on my heels, my flip flops, and daddy's tennis shoes and then stomps around house making as much noise as she can. It is most likely my fault as I can not resist a cute pair of baby/toddler shoes. So when daddy found these purple boots and wanted to get them for her-I didn't argue to much- they are completely impractical, but oh so cute...

The Rest of September

2010-09-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I made a goal to have all of my Christmas projects and shopping done by the end of September. For the last several years I have been working on projects right up until Christmas Eve and I haven't been able to enjoy the Holiday season as much I would have liked so this year I decided things will be different. October starts tomorrow and unfortunately I still have one really big project left, but I am so close. So this month I have been busy working on Christmas projects.

Another project our family has been working on this month is completing the paperwork necessary to adopt another baby. I finished our profile a couple of weeks ago, which was the final piece needed. Everything has been turned in and we are now officially back in the pool waiting for a sweet little spirit to join our family. Olivia can't wait to be a big sister.

The rest of September has been spent watching BYU lose three football games (basketball starts in a month thank heavens), playing in the park before it gets dark (boo that it is getting dark earlier and is dark when I wake up in the morning), eating tomatoes from our garden (the only thing that actually survived this year), and enjoying every minute with this beautiful little girl...

Eating tomatoes fresh from the vine...

Happy Birthday Daddy

2010-09-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Scott's birthday was on Thursday. He is getting pretty old... I can only say that because I am 2.5 years younger than him. Olivia thought his BYU football cake looked yummy. The first picture below was not posed... she couldn't wait for us to cut it.

Here she is cheering for the Cougars- Go Cougars!

Colorado Springs

2010-09-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

For our anniversary this year we decided to leave Miss Olivia with grandma and went to Colorado Springs to watch the BYU-Air Force game. We spent an afternoon at Manitou Springs and Garden of the Gods, attended a fireside at the chapel on the Air Force Campus and watched the Cougars lose badly to the Falcons.

At the Air Force Game. Scott's brother has some connections and got us seats on the front row.

Scott, Chad, and the kiddos.

Garden of the Gods... simply breathtaking.

Half Time at the game... the cadets did a tribute to those who died during the 9/11 attacks.

Balanced Rock at Garden of the Gods.

Going Home

2010-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Olivia and I made a quick trip to Idaho for a family reunion with my Mom's family. We got to spend much of the day at my Grandma and Grandpa's house and it warmed my heart. Growing up we spent a lot of time at my grandparent's exploring the barn, swimming in the ditch, jumping on the tramp, picking apples from the trees, reading under the weeping willow tree... I could go on and on. My parents moved from the little town where I grew up when I was a senior in high school and have moved a number of times since, so my grandparent's house is where I come "home". It is the place where I have roots- the place where I can take Liv and tell her this is where your mom grew up. On Saturday I did just that -we picked raspberries in the garden, we feed the horses, Uncle Dennis showed Olivia the baby calf, Liv played with second cousins just her age, and I enjoyed every minute of it. There is nothing better than going home.

Uncle Dennis showing Liv how to ride the baby calf- she wasn't too sure about it.

Olivia and Lena (Lena is my cousin's daughter and about three weeks older than Olivia).

Liv watching the baby cow eat his corn.

Feeding the horses with Dann and Lena ...

We had planned to go boating and waterskiing during the day on Saturday, but the weather did not cooperate so we went to the zoo instead...

Liv with her cousins Lena and Kirsten at the zoo. Kirsten is about three months younger than Liv and is my cousins daughter. She is a lucky girl to have so many cousins her age.

$2 Tuesday (and other stuff from this week)

2010-08-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

During the month of August Thanksgiving Point is having $2 Tuesday for the most of their attractions. I have been wanting to take Olivia to see the farm animals all summer so tonight we headed north and took advantage of the reduced entrance fee. At first she wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but then she fed goats, petted the horses, and quacked at the ducks.

Olivia likes to "help" me while I am cooking. Lately I have been letting her stand on a chair while I am cooking and help me mix things. On Sunday I was making some scrambled eggs for breakfast and she kept trying to eat lick the fork she was mixing with. I remembered reading somewhere that pudding was a good thing for toddlers to help with, so I pulled out some instant chocolate pudding and let her have at it. By the time she was done I had pudding everywhere.

I got the rest of Olivia's 18 month photo shoot pictures tonight. I love how they turned out. Too many fun ones to choose from. I found Carli on a random blog that I was stalking one night and I have been so impressed with her work.

At her 18 month check up on Friday she weighed 25.2 pounds and was 32 inches tall- both in the 75% range. She is talking up a storm and has become quite the parrot. I have already learned that I have to be very careful about what I say around her. She started nursery on Sunday which was a little sad for me, but will make church so much easier. Some of her favorite things at 18 months:

Elmo
Singing songs - five little money's jumping on the bed, five little monkey's swinging in a tree, popcorn popping, the wheels on the bus,
reading books
popcorn and avocados (these are the two things that I know I will always get her to eat)
blankets (I think blankets became the new security item when I took away the pacifier in July)
Mommy

18 months

2010-08-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Olivia turned 18 months on Tuesday. She is no longer my little baby, but an adorable toddler that keeps me on my toes. I wish I could freeze her at this age for just a little while - she is so much fun and makes me laugh every day.

Here is a sneak peak of her 18 month photo shoot... check out more of Carli's work at http://blog.devmemphoto.com/.

Camping

2010-08-02T20:28:00.001-07:00

We got to spend this weekend with my family camping in Spencer, Idaho. Camping is a little more challenging with an 18 month old (and even more so with an 18 month old, a two year old, and a one year old), but Olivia had a great time. She wasn't too sure about the four wheeler, but loved the dirt and playing with cousins Emma and Taylor.

Liv was helping grandma give Emma and Taylor a ride in the stroller.

Brittany came up with some fun "Minute to Win it" games that we played on Saturday afternoon. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time...

Emma joining in the festivities

Chelsey, Jenny, and Mom trying to pull Kleenexes out with one hand

Scott and Tyson trying to make the water bottles stand on end.

Taylor turned 1 on July 23- we had a little birthday celebration for her at camp.

Liv loves her Aunt Chelsey. Here they are at the pond. This was right before a crazy thunder shower that Chelsey, Mom, Brittany, and Jon got caught in on the four wheelers.

Emma picking flowers.

Liv ate way too much sugar... so did I.

While Taylor would fall asleep on the four wheeler, Liv would scream. Uncle Matt took her on a ride the first day we were there and you could hear her screaming over the four wheeler. She did a little better the next day when daddy took both her and mommy for a ride, but wasn't sold on the idea-maybe next year.

More Summer Fun

2010-07-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy summer... it is hard to believe that August is right around the corner.

This past weekend we got to support one of our favorite causes- FSA (Families Supporting Adoption) by riding on the FSA float in the Spanish Fork Fiesta Days parade. There was a pretty good turn out- about 55 of us on the float (or walking). Before the parade even started Olivia turned to me and said "all done", but she was a trouper and even waved to all of the people as we rode by.

Here are some other random pictures from this weekend...

Olivia in her new night cap. I have been trying to find one online and couldn't find one small enough so my amazing friend Sara designed this one and it works great.

This girl loves ice cream. Our freezer is below the fridge and she goes over to the handle and tries to pull it open saying ice cream, ice cream. She is also very messy with it so we have to take all of the clothes off before she gets to gets to eat it by herself.

Girl's Night Out

2010-07-22T20:52:00.001-07:00

I am a girl who loves her sleep- I mean really loves it and so I am not sure why I agreed to go to the midnight premiere of Eclipse with some other adoptive moms, but I am glad I did. We had a great time.

Here we are at the premiere party at the Trolley. A friend of a friend rented out the entire restaurant, decorated it with Twilight themed paraphernalia, and gave out some fun door prizes. I even won a bottle of O negative (a red Jones soda).

I forgot my camera, so I stole these pictures from a friends blog (Thanks Lisa!).

At the Zoo

2010-07-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

Emma just turned 2 and to celebrate she invited us to the Hogle Zoo on Saturday...

Ready for safari.

Livy and Daddy watching the elephants.

It is so fun to have cousins close to your age.

The birthday girl!

The entire group.

Our little family.

Grandpa with his girl's.

Adventures in Cincinnati and Denver

2010-07-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Last week Olivia, Mom, and I got to go see Becky, Pat, Sophie, and Evan in Cincinnati. It was cheaper to fly into Louisville and since I had never been to Kentucky we decided to spend the day at the Louisville zoo. It was a lot of fun. I have taken Olivia to the zoo two other times, but she has never acted interested. This time she was totally into the animals- especially the fish, snakes, and gorillas. In addition to animals, the Louisville zoo also has a splash park, which Olivia loved. While in Cincinnati we went to the YMCA and swam until the rain and lightning shut down the pool :(, played in the park, got a free meal at Chik-fil-a, had a picnic, and ate ice cream at Graeters. Good times had by all...

My handsome nephew Evan.

Liv at the splash park.

Sophie at the Louisville Zoo.

It was so hot and humid that day.

Notice how red my face is- I think I was slowly melting :).

Each year Chik-fil-a has a day where they give a free meal if you dress up like a cow.

We couldn't turn down a free meal so here we are in our cow get ups.

Playing in the Park.

It was a quick trip and we headed home on Sunday night (or at least tried to). Our plane to Denver was delayed and we missed our transfer to Salt Lake by about 25 minutes. Thank heavens it was due to mechanical problems or we might have been spending the night at the Denver airport. The nice people at Frontier put us up at the Marriot (in a very nice room) for the night, gave us some meal vouchers, and $400 in flight vouchers and Monday morning we were on our way to Phoenix followed by Salt Lake. Definitely an adventure.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about the 4th of July falling on a Sunday this year is that we got to celebrate all weekend.

We spent most of the weekend in Idaho with my family. On Saturday morning we went swimming at Heise. Olivia is fearless. She has decided that she likes to jump off the side of the pool. I am going to have to keep my eye on her around water.

Scott and Matt with Olivia and Taylor...

After swimming we had a picnic and then played a little football with Uncle Jason...

Then took a nap with daddy so we could stay up late and watch the fireworks....

Here we are waiting for the fireworks to start. Idaho Falls has the largest fireworks show I have ever seen. Scott found online that it ranks 17th in the nation. We were not disappointed. Olivia loved the fireworks. When they started she started clapping her hands and saying pretty.

Also on Saturday Scott and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. With all of the festivities of the 4th, we always seem to "forget" to celebrate each year. It gives us excuse to do something later in the year. I am so happy to have Scott in my life. He is such a good daddy to Olivia and a wonderful companion to me.

What Summer is all About

2010-06-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

While Daddy was watching the soccer game on Saturday Mommy and Olivia hung out by the pool... isn't that what summer is all about?

Also what is summer without rocking out a little... Silly girl!

Cousins

2010-06-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, when we had all of the grandbabies together for the first time, my amazing friend Annie was kind enough to take some cousin pictures. We had orginally planned to take these outside, but it rained buckets and buckets that day. Oh well-these still turned out super cute...

Sophie - Age 4

Emma - almost 23 months

Olivia- 16 months

Taylor- almost 11 months

Evan- 4 months

Summer in full Swing

2010-06-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing and I am behind on blogging. Too many fun things going on!! We spent this last weekend in Park City. It wasn't quite the relaxing weekend I had planned since Olivia woke up Friday night running a 102 degree temperature complete with croupy cough and runny nose, but we had a great time. At the Silly Sunday Market (downtown Park City) Olivia got to play some drums. If she would have been feeling better she would have absolutely loved it. This girl has got more rhythm in her little pinky than her mom and dad have in their whole bodies.

We painted our toenails... Olivia wasn't too sure what to think about this, but mommy thought the painted piggies were sure cute.

We did lots of swimming...

Last week my sister from Cincinatti brought Sophie and Evan for a visit. We decided to go to the Art City Day carinval. The only problem was the rain that got worse as the night progressed. Despite the rain and cold (It is June-who would have thought we would be wearing coats and gloves) I think everyone had a fun time:

New Friend

2010-06-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Olivia has a new friend named Elmo. We have established somewhat of a routine in the mornings- Livy wakes up around 6:30, we get a sippy cup of milk, and she sits on the bed with daddy (who is sleeping) and watches Elmo on Sesame Street. She dances and laughs and I can't pull her away. The last couple of mornings the first thing out of her mouth is Elmo... I think she's hooked.

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T18:16:00.001-07:00

We had a fun Memorial Day weekend. My friend Abbey and her mom from Boise came to visit for a few days. Then on Sunday night Jon, Brittany, and Emma came to visit. The girls had so much fun playing together. On Monday we took the girls to the Lehi pool. It was a little cold, but Olivia had a blast.

Rocka Rocka

2010-05-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Cracker Barrell for dinner. On the porch going into the store/restaurant there are some kid sized rocking chairs that Olivia tried out. Rocka Rocka is now anything that rocks-the rocking chair at home, mommy rocking her to sleep, and even the toy box. I found her on top of this toy box the other day rocking back and forth saying Rocka Rocka. I was hoping to get it on video, but she has now decided that she want to climb over the toy box and this is what we ended up with-still pretty cute!

Birth Mother Adoption Walk

2010-05-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

Before we adopted I had no idea there was such a thing as Birth Mother's day. It is always the Saturday before Mother's Day and our local chapter of FSA (Families Supporting Adoption) put on a birth mother's walk to celebrate. I was really surprised with the number of people who were there- some were adoptive families, some birth mothers, and some who have been touched by adoption in other ways such as aunts and uncles and grandparents. Adoption has been such a blessing to our family. We love our birth mom-without her we would not have Olivia. We are eternally grateful for her. Here are some highlights of the day...

Olivia loves balloons. She can't quite get the word balloon out, but it is simply adorable to hear her try.

The fire department brought the firetruck and let the kids get inside.

She also loves balls. Anything that is round like a ball is automatically deemed a ball. On Saturday I was teaching her how to kick it and she was doing pretty well- maybe she will be a soccer player.

Cosmo was also there and of course we had to take a picture. She has been a Cougar fan since day one thanks to Daddy.

15 Months

2010-05-03T16:08:00.001-07:00

Miss Olivia is 15 months old today. The last two weeks she has really started to talk. When I picked her up today she even said Momma, which she has refused to say until now. She knows what she wants and hows she wants it and is not afraid to use her loudest screaming voice to let you know that she does or doesn't want something. We have even gotten some full blown tantrums-I really hope the terrible two are starting early and this is not a precursor of things to come. She is very polite and says thank you to everyone. She still refuses to each much, but she continues to gain weight (23 pounds today at her doctor visit) so her doctor is not too worried about it. She likes to sing and has started to sing along with the kids in primary. She knows all of the actions to "five little monkeys swinging in a tree" and "five little ducks went out to play". For the most part she is a very happy little girl with the most contagious smile...

My amazingly talented friend Annie took the pictures above of Miss Olivia. See more of her work here.

Here are some random picture from Olivia this week.

"Helping" mommy in the kitchen.

Daddy's shaving cream got on my cheeks.

Everything is a hat these days. She puts anything on her head and says -"hat"

Robbed

2010-04-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today someone came into our house and took Scott's PlayStation, my laptop, and a couple of other misc. items. Of course we are angry about losing these items, but I think the worst part is that we feel violated. This is our home- our place to escape the big bad world and now we wonder if it could happen again...maybe when Liv and I are home alone or when we go out and leave Liv with a sitter. How do you get over that feeling? Maybe we need to buy a big gun!

A Girl and her Slide

2010-04-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Treehouse Lookout Slide: 12,000 credit card points
Watching the joy on your 15 month old daughter's face as she goes down said slide: Priceless

Pictures from the basement, which should be done by the end of the week. Love love love the carpet and how the fireplace turned out. The bench will be done later this week- can't wait to show it off.

Randomness

2010-04-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Olivia is a crazy sleeper. We lay her down in her crib one way and when we check on her she has usually turned herself completely around and is laying sideways. This is how I found her today...