Two and One Half

Macy is officially two and a half.

I am amazed at toddlers' ability to go from incredibly frustrating to overwhelmingly sweet and adorable in the blink of an eye. I have the best job in the world, hanging out with this little lady all day. She is really talking and singing a lot and keeps me laughing. She has the best laugh ever and loves to fake laugh.

Macy loves time out. I have put her on timeout a handful of times, but she puts herself or her dolls on timeout several times a day. In the middle of the night, she called out from her crib that she wanted to go on timeout. She loves playing with her dolls and her play kitchen.

Macy's specialty dish, sucker soup (with a side of fish stew)

A few weeks ago in Relief Society, someone made a comment about teaching your kids to help. The women suggested starting as soon as possible, even though things may take a little longer and may not be done perfectly. I took this advice to heart and it is hilarious what Macy can actually do. She helps me make dinner and sets the table for me. She helped me sew a birthday gift for her cousin, Kiara. She loves to wipe up any spills and her favorite thing to do is spray the Windex.

Oh, I love my girl.

Silver Lake

Last Saturday night, we met JD's parents (aka Gangy and PopPop) at Silver Lake for a picnic and walk around the lake. It was a perfect evening.

We escaped the heat of the valley but it was warm enough that we didn't mind a rain storm. We saw tons of squirrels, a deer, and two moose. We were within ten yards of the moose, so Macy naturally wanted to ride it.  She kept yelling "Mama moose, I'm Macy" and "Come on, I'm Macy". She figured that as long as she introduced herself it would be cool.

Nothing better than a mud puddle

*most of the pictures were taken by my talented father-in-law, Steve.

The Zoo

I finally made it to the zoo this summer. Macy has been twice with my sister Jenn and her kids, but this time I got to go too. I really do love the zoo. Macy's favorite parts were the water puddles and the famous lion water fountain. She is really easy to please.

Here are two belated pictures from our spring trip to the zoo.

Where to Find Us

Most days we can be found in the backyard.  

Macy loves this little tub so much that I haven't felt compelled 

to upgrade to an actual pool.  

JD added the bubbles and she is in heaven.

Of all her cute dolls, the Woody doll from Toy Story is her favorite.  

It is impossible to find the same series Jessie doll.

Macy saw hopscotch on Curious George and has been obsessed ever since. 

Rosie drew one for Macy, Coleman, and herself.

Rosie hopped her course with one foot . . .

. . . so Macy did her best to go on one foot too.

Coleman, Rosie, and Macy sharing a potato bug

Pittsburgh Trip 3

Macy and I were lucky enough to tag along with my sister Sara and her two kids, Brady (3) and Abby (1) for another trip to Pittsburgh. The trip there takes about ten hours from doorstep to doorstep. The kids were pretty good on the way there and Brady traveled better than JD. On the way home I had to wake Macy up early and when she is tired she gets hyper. And this time she went totally CRAZY! It made the way home a little intense. Sara saved the day by holding Macy on her lap and she went right to sleep.

But the best part, of course, was the middle. We loved spending time with Grammy and Grandpa. We shopped, went to the zoo, took a ducky tour of beautiful downtown Pittsburgh, visited the country farm store and the park, let the kids paint with pudding, and loved spending time at the mission home.

the zoo:

the ducky tour:

Macy looks so thrilled to be driving the boat.

Other fun:

All that fun stuff and -- besides Grammy and Grampy, of course -- the things Macy still talks about are the "elegators" (elevators) and the long tunnels. Kids are so easy to please.

Thanks Mom and Dad, we had so much fun!