The M & M Clan

Answered Prayer!

2010-03-16T21:26:00.003-05:00

We are so thankful for the start of a new year. We had many things to be thankful for in 2009, but are looking forward to what God has in store for us this year. God first blessed Matt with a new job. He is now with a different engineering firm and seems to be very happy! While we (especially the kids) were blessed to have him at home, it was time for him to return to what he enjoys doing during the day (even though we know he loves the kids endlessly). Now we can look back and see God's protection over us and we can't be more thankful for that! God is Good - All the Time!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-29T23:22:00.004-05:00

Well, one of my goals for 2010 is to journal more. I decided that one way for me to do that is to keep our blog updated! So, here we go!

I'm going to start off with a brief overview of 2009:

January - We watched the finalizing touches of our new house! The excitement was noticeable all around and the packing was well underway! There were many "organized" boxes, suitcases and piles all around waiting for the house to be completed.
February - We closed on our house and finally moved in! We had SO much space to organize and so many belongings to find again (we lived with Matt's parents for 6 months)! The kids were excited to see many toys that were packed away. It was like a second Christmas for all!
March - We spent a lot of time at Lowe's! We started making the house look like ours! There were many trips made to find things to personalize our new home. Our weekends were quickly consumed!
April - Aly turned 4 and had a My Little Pony Party. It was a fun time to celebrate her birth and to have people over for the first time. I thought we'd have everything pretty much done by the party, but boy was it HARD work trying to get it presentable! :) Thanks to Matt's cousin, we acquired our first pet - "Lola" the fish! (She was given to Aly for her birthday.)
May - We spent this month doing a lot of our favorite May events! Aly ran in the Indianapolis 500 "Rookie Run", Mommy ran in the "5K" and Daddy ran the "Mini Marathon". We also watched the 500 parade which is always a favorite event for the kids!
June - We spent lots of time outside! We got to know some new neighbors and continued to watch houses go up throughout the neighborhood. We also added two members to the household! Matt's parents sold their place before they could decide where they were going. So, they ended up moving in with us! It was our turn to return the favor!
July - We were blessed with guests for a week at the beginning of July. Matt's sister Jenny, husband Darrell and daughter Samantha came and visited over the 4th of July. It was nice to have family time and do some fun things together (although the Indians game got rained out!). We concluded the month with an annual trip to MI for a McCalla family vacation to the lake. We had a great time enjoying the fellowship and fun activities.
August - Aly started her first outdoor "team" soccer league. She's done indoor classes that revolved more around skill building, but this was her first "team" experience. It started out rocky but got better as the weeks went on. She had a great time and learned a lot! We also spent time at the fairs (county and state) as that is always a family favorite. The kids like the animals, Daddy likes the woodworking and Mommy likes the misc. creations and cakes!
September - The biggest adjustment of the year, was that I made a job change. Matt's work had been slow (due to development being minimal because of the economy) and so I needed to return to full time work that could offer our family more stability and benefits (should I need to provide them). It was a rough change at first, but was a good change for the family.
October - Of course many weekends were spent tailgating at Purdue games throughout the fall, but we won't talk much more about that.... :( The kids had a great time dressing up for Halloween and going door to door with some neighbor friends. Aly dressed up as Barbie Mariposa for the "first round" and Kai-Lan for the "second round" in the neighborhood, while Braden was always a firefighter!
November - Of course we spent this month celebrating Braden's 2nd birthday (his 1st real party) with a Mickey Mouse party. On his actual birthday, we went to a new jump place in the area with family. It was a great time for the siblings/cousins!
December - We spent the month doing a lot of family traditions. Picking out a tree, decorating, going to the parade to see Mr. & Mrs. Clause arrive, visiting with Santa and his reindeer, decorating a gingerbread house, buying and wrapping presents, making Jesus' birthday cake and spending a lot of time remembering the true reasons for our celebrations.

We were truly blessed with a healthy and happy year. We are so thankful for all the wonderful times we had as a family, as well as the precious time spent with others. We look forward to having many more fond experiences in 2010!

Moved In!

2009-02-26T00:11:00.003-05:00

Yes, we have officially moved into our new house! Once we get everything a little more presentable, I'll post pictures and tell you more about the big move.

(Hopefully in the next few days! I need to get busy!)

House Update

2009-01-09T22:56:00.004-05:00

Five more weeks! Hoping they fly by!

(I don't have an updated outside picture, but the uncovered door and the poured driveway are all you are really missing.)

My new kitchen w/ an island. Aly is super excited about getting stools.

She loves to sit on Grammy's!

Part of our 2-story great room.

Master bath - my favorite part - of course!

Aly's room, she wanted to include it!

We are all really excited and can't wait to have a house again.

All of the plumbing and electrical is now done (except fixtures), the cabinets and floors are all in (except the carpet), trim is up, the first few coats of paint are done throughout and the outside is complete (except the landscaping, which will obviously have to wait until spring).

We are sure on our way! It should be done in 3 weeks, then we have our walk through and then we will close in 5 weeks! YEAH!

December Update

2009-01-07T23:27:00.014-05:00

Well, the month began with holiday traditions.

Baking cookies and making a gingerbread house (eating the gumdrops is still a favorite). We also made ornaments and a foam gingerbread train, but I guess I didn't get pictures.

Aly's preschool class had a program to share the Christmas story.

(We had camera issues, so I don't really have any good pics of the program.)

Aly's class also spent a day on each part of the Christmas story. I showed up early to get pics each day. The first two are of course "Shepard" pictures. The first was on her walk to Bethlehem and the second was after they found baby Jesus. She was telling the good news with a friend. Aly was SO EXPRESSIVE! It was too much! I got it all on tape! She was even showing everyone with her hands how big he was! Too cute! The last is a picture of her giving her gift to Jesus as a "Wisemen". She apparently made Him something. Some kids in her class said that they would give Him their special blankets, their Cars, etc. Aly loves to draw and write, so it was interesting that she choose to give him some of her "pieces" (not sure if that's as hard to give up though?)

Although was spend most of our focus on the true meaning of Christmas, we spend a little on the fun, childhood memory making times. Aly saw Santa twice, yet Braden slept through both visits... so I'm a little bummed about that - no pic :( I guess his first will be next year...not screaming pic this year!

Braden looked so cute on Christmas Eve! (Thanks to a cousin hand-me-down!)

We went to the late evening service and then celebrated with Jesus' birthday cake!

...And the opening of the jammers!

Don't they look so cute?! Lastly, Aly set out the cookies and milk for Santa.

This year she was insistent on leaving him three! (Maybe because we give her treats in 3's because she's 3 years old? Guess I should've asked...)

Christmas morning was a little different this year. We had our "family" Christmas in the basement before heading "upstairs" for the rest of the extended family Christmas. It ended up working out pretty well. I made an awesome Sausage Bread for the family (thanks Mandy!) and we enjoyed the day together. It was nice to have Matt's sister, Jenny home from Texas with her family. It was nice to have everyone together! Here are pics of the kids favorites...

Aly - My Little Pony - Ponyville collection, Barbie guitar & puppet theater

Braden - airport & cars, Cars chair, police motorcycle/rocker & trike

We are so blessed to have more than what we need.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Oh, and we did get a little snow... so, Aly insisted on going out to play in it for a few days.

Aly wanted to make snowangels (which she did laying on top of Daddy, because she didn't want to get wet) and a snowman (of which was about 8 inches tall). Maybe we'll get more snow so that we can conquer her snow fears!

Braden - 1 year old

2008-12-04T00:34:00.002-05:00

Well, it's sad but true that our little man is 1 year old! This last year had flown by! It seemed to go fast with Aly, but I have to say Braden grew up a lot faster! He weighed in at 20 1/2 lbs. and was 29 inches long (20-25% percentile for those that care). His latest adventures are: climbing up the stairs as fast as he can, learning to go down slowly on his tummy, getting into all of Aly's things, making car (varroom) and duck (quack) sounds, running all over the house chasing Aly and his cousins, eating some table food but is starting to revert back to wanting baby food and is still waking up A TON through the night (still teething horribly).

That's all for this update, you can thank my cousin Kelli for demanding this post. I need to get some sleep now!

House

2008-12-04T00:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest photo.......

Happy 1st Birthday Braden!

2008-11-09T22:29:00.005-05:00

Yummy! This Elmo cake was the best thing ever!

I'm DONE!

Halloween

2008-11-02T22:01:00.002-05:00

Milestone!!!

2008-10-18T23:31:00.002-05:00

(crawling - climbing stairs - walking)

Yes, I can't forget to announce the news - Braden is officially walking!

Loving Fall!

2008-10-18T22:59:00.010-05:00

Well, with a few weekends of away football games (yeah, I know - not having a good year) we have finally had some time to relax and have fun. This weekend was packed with some fun for all. Friday evening we spent at our school Fall Festival. It was a great time! However, I forgot my camera, so I have no pictures to share :( Aly really enjoyed seeing the animals, playing in the "corn box" (like a sandbox, but corn in a haybox), going through the long/challenging corn maze (which had Mom and Dad worried for a little bit (should've taken a potty break first), eating and playing with her friends. It was a cool and beautiful fall evening!

Then, Saturday we spent some time playing outside.

Matt and the kids played an "organized" ball game together.

Braden had such a good time being included!

Then, Aly played in grass piles with Papo. The racked the grass into piles and when diving though it. I was honestly surprised that Aly actually did it! (It probably helped that she had a coat, hat and gloves on....so, she was virtually covered from head to toe!)

Well, we hope that you are enjoying the wonderful fall weather. Now that we are "up and running" again, stay tuned for more frequent updates!

Take care!

P.S. I also got to spend some much needed "me" time. I have just about finished Braden's scrapbook (baby book - hard to believe he's almost 1 year!) and have put Aly's 2-3 year book together (However, I do still need to journal and add some enhancements). It feels so great! Now I can't wait to move into our new house and have room to work on it weekly! (Atleast that's my goal!)

Pumpkin Time!

2008-10-18T22:49:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of October, it's a family tradition to take the little ones to the pumpkin patch. It's always a good time!

Aren't they so cute?

Aly, Liam and Izzie on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. There was much anticipation for finding the perfect pumpkin!

September Recap

2008-10-18T22:40:00.003-05:00

The end of August disappeared and September came and quickly went. We had hurried out of our house after it sold, moved in with Matt's parents (and attempted to get organized), started looking for a new house, began tailgating season at Purdue and started our new daily routine (work/school)....Wow! It was quite a challenge for the month of September! It felt like we were stuck on high speed!

(Pictures from a friend's wedding.)

August Recap

2008-10-18T22:24:00.005-05:00

August means "back to school" - and Aly and I did just that. However, Aly was a little more excited than I was!

Our school TPCA

Aly was excited to return to school. She missed going over the summer, in fact, she wanted to keep going to VBS (church school) all summer! She was also very excited to show off her new Hello Kitty backpack.

Braden's exciting August news was - clapping! He is always easily excited and anxious to clap for just about everything!

Lastly, August can't go by without a visit to the State Fair. It's always a great time for all!

Braden was very interested in the tractors...what boy isn't?

Aly was SO excited to be tall enough to ride a variety of rides with her cousin. This was their favorite ride - Berry Go Round (spins a lot)! I was surprised that no one got sick!

Needed Prayers

2008-10-02T22:14:00.004-05:00

I shared a few weeks ago about Henry, Aly's classmate. He took a turn for the worse on Wednesday and ended up being sent for emergency radiation and chemotherapy. These tense procedures will continue to be done for the next week before they re-evaluate. Please pray for him, the medical team and his family as they continue to face these challenging days. I feel so helpless to this family but feel that spreading the power of prayer is my way of doing something. Again, take a moment to enjoy special time with your loved ones...every day is truly a precious gift from God.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/henrymullett

A House?

2008-09-29T20:47:00.003-05:00

We don't really "own" the house yet, but the papers have been signed! It's official that we will be homeowners again in January. We have decided to build again so that we could have exactly what we wanted after trying to find an existing home that we liked. We are VERY excited to have more ROOM - full basement and 3-car garage (once parked, getting inside won't be such a chore). It has been such a blessing to be able to stay with Matt's parents, but we are definitely looking forward to living in our own house again. I'm sure I'll post pictures as we hit "milestones" in the building process.

AND...Since I have neglected to post any pictures this weekend (because the laptop is still not hooked up), I'll post this link so that you can view some pictures of our house-to-be if you'd like... http://www.ryland.com/find-your-new-home/12-indianapolis/644-eagles-nest/7012-monterrey.html Ours will look a little different because it will have a 3-car garage and it will be Elevation B that includes a front porch. (Disclaimer: It is a model, so it is decorated a lot better than our house will ever be! At least without you're help Melinda!)

Pictures Please!!!

2008-09-23T14:26:00.002-05:00

I hope to have pictures to post this weekend. Since we moved out of our house, I haven't had my laptop connected to the Internet.....thus, not able to post pictures! The kids are ever changing and I just can't keep up with everything, but I'll do my best to update you this weekend. Check back :)

Please Pray

2008-09-16T13:27:00.002-05:00

Please take a moment to read Henry's story (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/henrymullett)
and pray for this 3 year old and his family. This little boy is in Aly's preschool class. We know that God is in control and has great plans for Henry, but it is a difficult road for his family and friends at this time. I've been trying to keep things simple for Aly, but I'm praying that God will daily give me the strength to be strong when talking and praying for him with her (as this does slightly hit home for me). Also take a moment and thank God for the time you have (or have had) with your family and friends. Each day is a precious gift from God!

Transition Time AKA Crazy Time

2008-08-20T00:40:00.002-05:00

Well, we are officially in limbo! We were supposed to be out of our house by Sunday (Monday afternoon at the latest), however things have not gone as planned. I went to the closing while Matt kept loading/moving things. The couple took possession at closing (3:30pm Monday) and even arrived at the house while we were still trying to get out (nice huh?)! They kindly agreed to let us use the garage space until we got everything out, because they wouldn't really be moving things until Thursday. So, once again after work tonight Matt loaded and moved more things and needless to say we still aren't done! Oh yeah, we won't be done until morning when Matt takes the last trip to storage. We will have successfully filled 2 SAMS (storage and moving units) and 2 storage units. Yes, we know that means we have to much CRAP!!! We have taken over my in-laws dining room and basement. Now the fun continues with trying to unpack/organize our things. We will be happy to go to bed before 2 am sometime this weekend and hopefully get more than 5 hours of sleep!

Homeless Maples

2008-07-24T22:03:00.002-05:00

The Maples accepted an offer and will soon be homeless b/c the purchasing couple needs possession on or before Aug. 20th! That gives me three weeks to pack with two kids! So, anyone have a place for us to stay????

J/K...We are actually planning on staying at Matt's parents until we find a place to call home!

Stay posted - We may be calling on some of you for help. We may have a birthday/moving party (Matt's Birthday is Aug. 17th).

Looking Good!

2008-07-18T21:59:00.014-05:00

I usually try and take the kids pictures, but it's hard for me to get a good picture of the whole family (as you saw on our old family blog photo). For some reason Braden doesn't understand he's supposed to smile at the tripod!!! Anyway, we went and got our pictures taken at Portrait Innovations and watch the slideshow for some of our favorites....

Growing up fast...

2008-07-18T21:40:00.008-05:00

Braden is growing up so fast! Time is flying...he's already 8 months! He has learned a lot in the last few weeks. He has now even discovered how to move in ALL directions!

He can move up and down...

(He pulls up on EVERYTHING! I have to watch him like a hawk so nobody calls CPS!)

Forward and backward...

(He started crawling backward a few weeks ago and is now learning how to go forward!)

He has also started self-feeding.

(He LOVES to eat his puffs!)

Here Ducky Ducky...

2008-07-18T21:30:00.003-05:00

Aly and Braden LOVE riding in the bike cart! We often ride over to the hospital and ride on their smooth trails. We usually try to remember to take our bread scraps, because there are usually lots of ducks to feed!

In fact, they're so tame and used to people, we really have to watch the kids!

4th of July

2008-07-18T21:04:00.007-05:00

Well, we had a nice calm 4th of July this year. We usually go to an Indians game, but thought it would be more work this year (w/ Braden being so young). They have a nice display after the game and then it's great seats to see downtown's'. However, Aly was set on seeing fireworks so we had to come up with a plan. We decided at the last minute to go to Plainfield, because they had a lot going on at the park. They had vendors with food (even elephant ears, frozen choc. bananas and walking tacos), a duck race, inflatable activities, etc. So, we ended up going around 5:30 and had plenty of things to do before the fireworks. The best part was that we were out of the parking lot in 5 min. (only to be stopped by pedestrians for 5 more)....not too bad!!!

They raced the rubber ducks down the creek. Needless to say ours didn't win!

Aly loves these big slides!

She will also jump forever!

It was a fun night concluded with "Oooohhhs" and "Aaaahhhs".

The Little Man

2008-06-30T09:37:00.002-05:00

Braden was a little fussy the last day or two of our vacation and has been fussy off and on since we got back.....now I know why! This last weekend his two bottom teeth started poking through! I had my suspicions but now I feel better about all the Tylenol and Orajel! I'll post pics as soon as they are more visible...

June went...

2008-06-26T10:22:00.023-05:00

(view from our balcony)

We finally went on a relaxing family vacation! It was awesome to have absolutely no agendas...no time restraints (except we only had a 7 night reservation)...and no body to see. We just took it an hour at a time, which made the vacation last so long! We (Matt, Grammy and myself) drove through the night (which by far works best with kids) about 14 hours to Panama City Beach. We each drove about 1/3 and slept about 2/3 which worked out pretty well. AND, we did get it all IN my Acadia! (5 people, 5 suitcases, camera/camcorder bag, packnplay, double stroller, beach stuff (buckets, toys, towels, floats and life jacket), 2 tub/containers of toys, activity table, food basket, blankets, 5 pillows, table hook-on chair for Braden and a bouncy seat/chair...think that was about it!)

We spent most of our time at our condo's two pools and some time at the nice beach. The pool area was the easiest place to keep the kids and stuff corralled!

(our balcony view from the 12th floor - there were 2 pools, 2 hot tubs and a fountain for Aly)

Aly didn't really care for the sand as you can see....and Braden didn't seem to mind, but at first, the loud water did scare him.

Matt did get Aly to help make a sandcastle. It didn't last very long, so this was it! Braden sat in his new sundome and was amused by it all!

We did do a few things around town. We visited/frequented the new outdoor Simon mall (Awesome!)...Aly enjoyed these mirrors. (Note: These could also represent our before and after vacation profiles! We ate a lot!)

We played miniature golf at two different places. The animal place was Aly's favorite because there were several animals around and there was a big elephant squirting water into the pond. We played there twice because it was cheap to do 24 hour unlimited play. We played once during the day and once at night.

The course wasn't stroller friendly, so Matt did have to carry sleeping Braden and putt one handed for 9 holes. He then woke up and wanted to play :)

Lastly, I couldn't go without blogging about Aly's hole-in-one! My dad would've been so proud of her! Matt's dream of raising a Tigerette just might come true! This is her pose on the hole...

They also had a human maze that we ventured through ( it took almost an hour - harder than you would think!). You have to find your way to each of the 4 checkpoint platforms and then back out. You even get try and "map" out your plan to and from each checkpoint from the top of the platforms (which you'd think would make it easy).

Lastly, we went to many of the local establishments including a family favorite Sharky's! They have great food, excellent entertainment and a playground on the beach for the kids. Aly enjoyed dancing with other kids to the live music! She kept requesting to go back to the "Shark Place"!

Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville

And...There's not many road trips with kids that doesn't include a stop at "Old McDonald's" (as Aly would say).

Everyone had a great time but after being gone almost 10 days, we were all glad to get back home and sleep in our own beds!

Now that we're home, unpacked and the laundry is done the month is now passing us by. Hopefully July won't be as busy and will take it's time passing so we have time to enjoy it. I don't even want to talk about what comes next! :)

June came...

2008-06-26T09:03:00.004-05:00

June came and our busy summer began! It started out with a trip to Michigan, back to my family's hometown St. Joseph. Our main purpose for the trip was to watch my youngest cousin graduate from high school. We got to spend special time with family and at the beach with the kids. (We were hoping that we would conquer Aly's fear/issue with sand before our trip to Florida.)

5 Random Things....

2008-06-05T23:41:00.006-05:00

Here we go...Here are 5 random things about me!

1) I'm sure most of you know, but the first thing that comes to mind is that I'm left handed.

2) I have selective OCD in regards to organizing....especially my kids stuff - clothes, toys, etc. I spend a lot of time organizing and reorganizing (b/c I'm not the only one in the house!). I say selective, because my husband always likes to argue about the areas in which I'm not so organized! Besides my kids stuff, the last area I reorganized was our medicine closet. I used kid sized shoe boxes and lids to organize and label each area (sunscreens, bug repellents, Tylenol/ibuprofen, etc.). It was long overdue since we have wire shelving in our linen closet and none of the bottles like to stay put!!! At work, I've always been made fun of for my color-coded filing system. :)

3) Many people have misspelled my first name (Meghan - with an "h") and not many have correctly spelled my middle name (Ayn). It wasn't as bad as most people think. At times, it actually felt kinda special to have a unique name. So, what did I do? I passed it on to my daughter (Alyson Lyn).

4) I am a "doer", so I spend little time kicking back. Because of that, I don't watch movies. I couldn't tell you what the last rented movie was that I watched (or when) AND until about a week ago, I think it had been a year or two since I had been to the theater to watch a movie. It's usually my husband or a girls night out that usually gets me there. Now with kids it makes it happen even less than it use to!

5) I have no family (my side) that lives in the state of Indiana. My parents are both deceased, therefore my closest family is in Illinois, Michigan & Wisconsin (all my dad's side - mom's side is mostly in Arizona).

I'm going to tag the following 5 people: Jen, Laura, Cindy, Kerri and Kelli

(I'm not sure any will do it, but we'll see... and I know you don't all have blogs, so just include me in an email, or get with it and make one!)

Not a creature was stirring...

2008-06-03T14:01:00.003-05:00

Our household has been rather "quiet" the last 24 hours. Braden has actually been napping well the last few days and I am wondering if it's because he might be fighting a small cold. Today we found out that Aly has been "laying low" because she has come down with strep. She'd been running a fever for 24+hours and was acting rather exhausted. To my surprise, she doesn't have any other side effects or even a sore mouth/throat. (The doctor said that infants don't usually get strep and I hope she's right!) So, we are fighting the germs with antibiotics and staying inside (good thing it's pretty dreary out)!

Family Fun!!!

2008-06-01T21:39:00.006-05:00

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I know that we were blessed with beautiful weather and we took advantage of it! During the one time-block we had "open" this weekend, we decided to go on a family outing. We decided at the last minute to go out to eat, play miniature golf and go out for ice cream. It was a great time!

The course was beautiful.....full of trees, water fountains, waterfalls, etc. Here are some pictures of the "Pros". However, I do have to add in that I got 2 (yes two) hole-in-ones!

Here's the official!

We hope that you had a fun and enjoyable weekend with your loved ones!

Latest Poses

2008-05-29T23:09:00.007-05:00

Braden - 6 months old

Alyson - 3 years old

(Sorry, can't help but to show off my wonderful children!)

Summarizing May

2008-05-29T22:47:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I've been a horrible blogger! (Some of you can stop reminding me now!) School is over for the year and now I will try to keep up better! Since May has come and gone since my last entry, I'll just summarize it for you.......BUSY! The Maples had a lot going on and June is going to be just as busy, if not busier. We've spent a lot of time outside, with friends and keeping our house clean for showings. Here are some May pics...

Aly "graduating" from the 2's class.

Ever since she turned 3, Aly has been talking about going to her new room next year. After their little "graduation" ceremony, Aly turned to me and said "I want to stay in the 2's forever!" I don't think she liked seeing her favorite teachers sad that their little friends were moving on! As a teacher I can relate....not matter what kind of student, they've always left a print on your heart!

We have a double jogger (which helped me train for the Indy 500 - 5K....try jogging with two kids!) and recently got a bike trailer, so we have spent A LOT of our time at home walking and riding/biking. Both kids just LOVE being outside! Here's a picture of Aly pushing Braden on a walk.

We concluded the Indy 500 celebrations by attending the parade. This year, Aly's favorite was the Carebears. She made me take lots of pictures this year (but many look the same as last year, so I'll spare you)!

The Party

2008-05-29T22:35:00.002-05:00

Well, Aly sure enjoyed her 3rd birthday party. We had her Backyardigan party at school. The kids played in the room (which will be her "new" room in the fall), played in "The Park" (an indoor 2-story climbing adventure), jumped in the jump house (thanks to her cousins for bringing it/sharing) and enjoyed snacks and cake before opening presents. Aly thanks everyone for coming and making her day so special!

3rd BirthDAY!

2008-04-17T22:14:00.006-05:00

Today was Aly's actual birthday. Matt and I grew up with the family tradition of eating out on your birthday at the restaurant of your choice. So, today was Aly's choice and for her birthday dinner, she chose to eat at........you guessed it! Chuck E Cheese!

So we baked cupcakes together and joined the family for dinner and fun at Chuck E Cheese.

It wasn't very busy since it was a week night, so surprisingly it was a calm enjoyable evening!

Aly wasn't so sure about Chucky - she kept her distance!

Birthday girl!

Here is Aly riding her new Dora bike from Mommy & Daddy.

She got on and flew! She rode a few houses down (w/o any pushes) and even turned around by herself - by turning and pedaling! We were very proud of her. Now Mommy's ready to go for walks...how far do you think she can go without getting tired?!

These are her new princess skates...I don' think she has to worry about falling!

5 months old

2008-04-17T22:10:00.003-05:00

I know - it's hard to believe that our little man is already 5 months old. It's truly amazing how fast time flies! Here are some of his 5 month pics I took. Enjoy! :)

School - Birthday!

2008-04-17T22:00:00.004-05:00

Aly celebrated her birthday with her friends at school. Mommy even got to go and visit for the day! :) On your birthday, you get lots of special privileges at school. Here are the highlights of her day!

Aly got to help lead the class in saying the pledge, weather, etc.

She also got to be the "line leader"! (There shoes are off, because they are headed to play in The Park)

Here's Aly and her friends playing in The Park (indoor 2-story playroom).

Aly hard at work playing with her friends.

Aly brought Dora plates, cupcakes, string cheese and milk (all her picks). She got to pass out the cups to all of her friends and sit at the head of the table.

After snack once a week, they do show-n-tell. Aly took her Dora doll, because she just got 3 new outfits for her. She also performed the Dora theme song (as requested by her assistant teacher....they think it's a riot!).

Lastly, Aly passed out her goody bags as her friends left for the day.

What fun it was to be apart of her special day!

Soccer Girl

2008-04-17T21:57:00.003-05:00

Aly has really started to take a liking and interest in soccer. Here are some pictures of her playing in our front yard. Our older neighbor girls both play and she can't wait to be like them!

Here is her "throw-in".

She can actually even dribble the ball! Future pro!

Back to the 80's

2008-04-17T21:50:00.003-05:00

Last week I took Aly to our new skating rank. I felt like I had stepped back into the 80's. (Did anyone else have school skating nights on Fridays?!) Since I was helping her I didn't get to skate this time, but next time - watch out for Mommy! After falling a lot at the beginning, Aly finally got the hang of it and began to like it again.

I didn't think to take her knee pads, so next time we'll be sure to take them, along with her new princess skates that she got for her birthday....now she has her own!

Going on 16!

2008-04-17T21:46:00.003-05:00

While spending time cleaning out the car, garage, etc. Aly decided to climb in the car and "pretend" to drive. She put on her sunglasses, buckled up and was ready to go!

(This is why you don't ever leave your keys in the car!)

New Moves

2008-04-17T21:10:00.005-05:00

I haven't really worked much on rolling over lately....I've found a new way of getting around. AKA The 360!

Aly the Entertainer

2008-04-17T20:55:00.004-05:00

Aly loves to entertain guests, but this time it was a dance & singing show for Mommy and brother.

Usually the minute someone steps foot in the door, Aly says "Watch this!"

(This started for attention after Braden was born. She doesn't do it as often now...)

Look at me!

2008-04-02T19:29:00.005-05:00

Well, as of today, Braden is no longer safe unattended on the changing table! He has now learned to roll from his back to his stomach. I realized this morning that he was getting close, but as you can see below, the door was in his way. Of course when he finally did do it, I didn't even see! So here are pictures from his "practice round"!

Just Sharing....

2008-04-02T19:19:00.004-05:00

Most would be elated to hear their child sharing with another, however, I've learned to be concerned when I hear the words "I'm just sharing with brother..."

Okay, this time it wasn't so bad...he did seem to like to colorful colors of the Wonder Pets that joined him in the swing.

This too was cute and not so bad, until she started swinging at the toys and kicking her legs! She hasn't become fully aware of how big her range is.

This evening however was a different story! Aly had a small bowl of cereal for a snack and as I was cleaning up the kitchen, I hear the words "I'm just sharing with brother.." I turned around "What?!" Aly had stuck a small cereal star in his mouth and was smiling at the fact that she was sharing her favorite snack! Bless her heart! She now knows that even though he is eating oatmeal/baby food, that doesn't mean he can have her food! Luckily it was just laying in the front of his mouth and I was able to sweep it out! Then she wanted to share with me...it just makes you laugh and enjoy being a part of their learning process...

2008-03-23T17:41:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter!

(We didn't really get any good shots together...but here are the ones you really care about!)

Boiler Up!

2008-03-20T16:48:00.001-05:00

Yummy!

2008-03-20T10:54:00.002-05:00

Well, we've decided to start Braden on oatmeal. We give it to him at dinner time and he has been sleeping better during the night ever since! I'm so thankful for that!

4 months old

2008-03-20T10:26:00.003-05:00

Yes he is now 4 months old and he has learned several new things!

He has now learned how to do the bouncy-slide! I couldn't capture the whole process - for Braden's safety! So, needless to say we don't use the bouncy much!

So, on with the Bumbo and the Exersaucer! Since spending time in these, he is quickly learning cause and effect!

Will this thing always stare at me?

Daddy's Carbon

2008-03-07T22:45:00.010-05:00

Well, majority of the votes (66% of those who voted) support what Mommy thinks....Braden looks like Daddy! For those of you who need more evidence...(Can you find Daddy? Guess the dated outfit gives it away!)

Artist Aly

2008-03-07T22:11:00.003-05:00

Aly's new hobby is drawing. She currently enjoys drawing "people", especially our family. She will draw on her magnadoodle or any paper she can get her hands on for hours! She makes long and short legs, and people of all shapes and sizes.

Winter Blues...

2008-03-01T22:13:00.004-05:00

Well, we're finally getting over nasty colds! We had the snotty noses and slight coughs the last few weeks. Aly and Braden checked out fine, but we did treatments on Braden for a few days to make sure it didn't settle in his chest. Unfortunately, we've owned the machine for almost 2 years and have used it a lot! I on the other hand ended up with a sinus infection that also blessed me with an ear infection. I tested negative for step but they said by the looks of my throat I probably had reminisce of it. ...because of course I waited over a week to get myself in! It took the bad ear ache to finally get me to go!!! Now we are all healthy and can't wait for this spring weather! Aly of course is already counting down the days until her birthday (April 19th)!

Look at me!

2008-03-01T22:09:00.003-05:00

Braden has now learned to hold his rattle. He is still learning what it does and how to make it work, however he gets excited when it makes noise!

The Children's Museum

2008-03-01T21:43:00.002-05:00

We and half of Indianapolis went to the Children's Museum to see Curious George exhibit on President's Day, because the museum was open for free. We got up and went early, so it really wasn't too bad until closer to the time that we left. (FYI - We were kinda disappointed in the Curious George exhibit compared to some that we've had....for those of you who haven't been and plan on going.)

This is closer than I could get them! Aly knew he wasn't real, but still didn't want close!

Braden hung out and watched everything!

Then we went to the robot exhibit, which Aly somewhat enjoyed. It was a great exhibit for older kids!

Watch out! She's going to have a lead foot!

Believe it or not, Aly spent a lot of time in this Healthy Living House. She pretended to fix a meal and eat it....of course with her favorite things - corn and grapes! I even got video of this because she pretended to pick off the grapes, pick up the silverware (which was a flat picture), butter her corn, etc. - it was a hoot!

Lastly to Aly's favorite area, where we spend the most time. I'm not sure what we are going to do when they redo this part of the Science Works. Aly enjoys shoveling "rocks" into a wheelbarrow, pushing them to the dump area and then using the bulldozer to move them around. She shared really well and worked with other kids to get the job done!

Thanks to Grammy for going with! I'm not ready to do any big adventures with two yet!

Go Purdue!

2008-03-01T21:37:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

My Crib!

2008-02-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

Now that his daily routines are getting more predictable, Braden is taking his naps in his crib. He's growing up so fast and is almost 3 months old!

Loving My Hobby...

2008-02-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I love to be creative. I also over the last few years developed a love for photography. Recently I have had a passion for combined the two. I've done a variety of things, but I wanted to show off my latest work...a birth announcement for a friend who had twins. I took the pictures and put this together for her. I usually don't brag on myself, but thought they turned out really cute!!!

I love my hands!

2008-02-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

Here is Braden's current fascination!

Yumm....Yumm!

Aly? Braden?

2008-02-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

Which is which?

I think sometimes they look so different, yet other times I think they look so alike! Here I think they look different...

My Princess!

2008-01-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

Aly was invited to a friends "Princess Party" and boy was it just that!

The girls were to wear a princess outfit (Aly loves blue and has only really ever seen Cinderella - so that's who she was). They started out at a salon to get "All Dolled Up".

Aly has only gone once with me to my hair salon, so at first, she wasn't so sure what to think. Luckily Aly hair has beautiful curls, so we were able to skip the curling iron and that helped ease her. (People always ask me if I curl her hair...are you kidding me?! They must not know how hard it is for a mother to even get ready with kids!)

Here is the beautiful result...

We may have our hands full in a few years! The girls each decorated a small purse with princess foamies and got to pick from baskets of favors (lip gloss, bracelets, necklaces, tiaras, hair bows, fingernail polish, etc.)

Here's Aly with the birthday girl, Abby....and her other friend Claire.

Don't they all look so precious!

After getting dolled up, they were ready for the tea party...and cake!

Here is a picture of Aly sipping her tea (I bet you can't guess what she's drinking?! - For those of you who don't know, Aly only drinks milk!) She caught on quick to handling the cup, but was quickly disappointed to how much was inside! She asked for refills quite often!

The awesome castle cake was also a hit!

What a party! Aly had a wonderful time and I couldn't believe how much work the mother put into this party! I could take enough video and pictures! The "tea room" all was decorated with draped tulle and covered chairs with tulle bows. Even Belle (the birthday girl's favorite) showed up at the tea party! What fun Aly had! (Mom too!)

Daily Routine...

2008-01-30T22:28:00.001-05:00

Aly obviously knows a baby's routine...

They sleep in bed...wake up...

get their diapers changed...

and sit in the bouncy...

Guess she's a good mom!

Aly In Concert

2008-01-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

"She is five star entertainment!" -Braden

As soon as Mommy grabbed the video camera to capture the performance, Aly went and grabbed hers and pretended to tape brother.

Entertainment Weekly!

2008-01-30T21:47:00.000-05:00

One of the best forms of entertainment is the Nature Swing. Sitting and watching the bird and butterflies is so relaxing! Not to mention admiring myself in the mirror.

My newest and greatest fun comes from the Aquarium Bouncer. I was tired of the Kick n' Play (and so was Mommy...the songs were getting VERY OLD), so I got a new bouncy. I love to listen to the waves, calming babbling brook and the rain...Mommy does too! She says it's the best $10 investment (thanks to Craigs List!).

Monday Morning...

2008-01-21T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well, Aly joins the many people out there who feel like this on their Monday mornings...she is not a morning person!

But, once she gets her milk (which she's addicted to - like coffee to most) she is good to go!

Braden on the other hand is always ready for a new day, taking in every moment. This morning I finally captured those smiles!

Make it a Marvelous Monday and have a great week!

2 month pics

2008-01-19T16:46:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of his 2 month pics.....he's growing fast! Of course, once I started taking pictures he packed his smiles away. He really is smiling a lot now and it is so sweet....I'll keep trying to capture it.

What a handsome guy :)

One of my "big boy" outfits!

Awwww.......

Smiles...

2008-01-08T16:09:00.001-05:00

These were my attempts to catch him with his smile! He is starting to smile when you act REALLY GOOFY! (Those shots can be embarrassing, so they aren't included!)

He's also been busy scratching himself (as you can see...I just can't keep up with his nails) and trying hard to keep his head up for a few minutes at a time.

Sibling Love

2008-01-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

Aly just loves being next to her little brother.

After laying there bored for a few minutes, she got up and went to get a`toy. She came back with a toy from his room. She got back up there with him, shaking the rattle/toy and talking to him.

Then, after getting bored with that, she brought out one of his Christmas gifts - a tool bench. Then they were both easily entertained for awhile! Hopefully she will have this loving and caring relationship with her brother forever!

(As I write this blog, holding Braden...as he is getting a little fussy, Aly ran to his room to get him a toy and she brought out the same two...they must be her favorites!)

Photographer - Aly

2008-01-08T14:40:00.000-05:00

Aly got a kids digital camera for Christmas, which she was so excited about!

Here are some of her first pics...

Aly's first lesson was to stand still and get close! She still likes taking pictures of her shoes...

Here's some pictures (after cropping out the unnecessary parts!) of her friends - Ethan & Elle.

Christmas

2007-12-27T12:15:00.001-05:00

We were super excited this year to help Aly learn about the birth of baby Jesus, enjoy the legend of Santa and share in the giving and receiving of gifts.

CELEBRATING JESUS:

One cute thing that I wanted to share from one of our discussions was this:

"Are you excited that tomorrow is baby Jesus' birthday?"

"Yah, but he can't talk yet."

"How old do you think baby Jesus is going to be?"

"Three, just like me!"

Obviously these are hard things for young ones to grasp, but I thought her responses were very practical to the things she is currently learning about (brother not being able to talk and turning three her upcoming birthday).

LEGEND OF SANTA:

Well, Aly was a little less sure about Santa this year. After trying to get a picture of her and Braden on his lap (which ended up being mine), we decided to type a letter and take it to him. (She even told me what to put on Braden's list.) So, we did that, she shared it with Mrs. Clause (who she loved) and then walked up and handed it to him. Maybe she'll be better next year!?

Here's a picture of part of our Christmas decor.

We painted a tray (Aly and I) for Santa's cookies. We made cookies and Aly put out 5 of them with milk for Santa. We decided that explained why he was so big! All the kids leaving him lots of good cookies!

Here's the kids Christmas morning. (Look to both sides of Aly to see some of the ornaments that she made at preschool.)

Santa's gone! He even ate all the cookies and drank all of the milk!

GIVING & RECEIVING GIFTS:

She enjoyed looking for and picking out things for others including pajamas for Grammy and a toy firetruck for Daddy. She also wasn't shy about expressing what she wanted on her list as we shopped. She enjoyed adding tape and "stickers" (labels) to the presents as we got them ready. Lastly, like everyone, smiled big as she unwrapped the gifts from others. We want to thank everyone for their thoughtfulness!

Bath Time Fun!

2007-12-27T11:43:00.001-05:00

First in...Braden. He is finally starting to be okay with baths as long as he is 1/2 covered in WARM water! (Here you can see his umbilical hernia.)

Out goes Braden, in goes Aly. Yes, I did decide to use one of those cute robe sets. They are cute, but we never take the time to use them....so I took a picture to prove usage!

Here's a picture of Aly's art work in the bathtub. She currently has been into drawing faces. Remember, she's only 2 1/2! Look carefully for the "eyes", "nose", "smile", "hair" and "ears"!

Lastly, Aly painted Mommy's toenails and made them pretty!

And...her hair finally ALL fits in a ponytail! She thinks that she's a BIG GIRL now!

Braden's 1 month Dr. Apt.

2007-12-27T11:18:00.000-05:00

At his one month appointment, Braden was in the 50th percentile for everything...height (22 in), weight (10.5 lbs) and head size. He's doing great and growing fast! We are watching some eating/reflux/gas issues but are trying to make some eating adjustments to see if we can make things better for him. So far, he seems a little happier! We also found out that he has an umbilical hernia (see bath blog picture). We are hoping it doesn't get too big (can be finger tip to plum size) and goes away on its own (as late as 5 years old). They are just going to watch it at this point because 90% go away on their own. We'll keep you updated!

Winter Wonderland

2007-12-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

Well, we were snowed in last weekend with approximately 6-8 inches of snow with 1/2 inch of ice in the middle. We got the first half of the snow Saturday morning, followed by ice and rain and then the remainder of the snow. Needless to say the streets were a mess and several schools (including ours) were on two hour delays at the beginning of the week. (For my Phoenix family we were having highs in the mid 20's with 30+ mph winds, making the wind chills barely in the double digits! - So no complaining about your "cold" 60 degree weather!)

Aly got her boots on and thought she wanted to go outside until Matt opened the door and she said "It's too cold!" So, we spent the weekend inside by the fire! Aly and I also made a gingerbread house....

While decorating, Aly discovered that she really liked the gumdrops!
I'm not sure what all she "tasted", but Daddy caught her looking like this...

The final product...

(Note: Aly did the sidewalk by herself after I said I thought it needed one. She also added the gumdrops along the back, they are flowers!)

Matt or Meghan???

2007-12-20T11:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, some of you have been asking the question,
who do you think he looks like?

So, here are our 1 month pictures....now you decide!

They watch everything...

2007-12-20T10:38:00.000-05:00

Braden was laying on a blanket in his room, seemingly happy because Aly was entertaining him. I thought it just might be a good window to take some pictures, so I went to get some of my things (camera, stand, backdrop, props, etc).

Meanwhile, as I was starting to set things up, the phone rang. After talking for a few minutes, I turned around and found Aly putting her princess camera on my stand and...

trying to get him to smile for a picture!

How cute it was! It was evident that she watches everything that I do. Needless to say I got a few cute pictures out of it. Here's one of our handsome guy!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2007-12-08T10:22:00.000-05:00

The Maple elves want to wish you a Merry Christmas! Turn your volume up and enjoy!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1238284358

(Note: If you have trouble viewing, right click and 'Open in New Window')

3 Weeks Old

2007-12-02T23:29:00.000-05:00

Braden is 3 weeks old and doing well. His bilirubin levels are continuing to drop and he is finally gaining weight! Because of the jaundice, he was sleeping a lot and not awake much to eat, therefore not gaining weight like they would've liked. After going for his "weight check visit" this last week, he was cleared - he had finally passed his birth weight! He weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and had already grown 3/4 in. The doctor said that he looked great!

During this last week, Braden has started spending more time awake throughout the day. Sometimes it's only for an hour here and there and sometimes it's for a couple hours in a row. Wouldn't you know that Aly and I went out shopping yesturday and left him with Daddy and he stayed awake the whole 5 1/2 hours while we were gone! Needless to say, Daddy didn't get much done around the house. (Now he understands!)

Friends Christmas

2007-12-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

Well, here's the "friends"! Four of the guys grew up together in Kokomo before meeting the other two at Purdue. They've become great friends and married some great looking women!

(Dave, Matt, Joe, Jason, Matt, Tim) (Melissa, Meghan, Jamie, Susan, Kelley, Melinda)

Then, they created these cute looking kids!

Yes, there are 11 of them all under the age of 3!

(That's two per couple, with one couple expecting one in March. So, next year they'll be atleast 12!.....and NO I'm NOT hinting anything, the Maples are DONE!)

Evan, Graham, Elliot, Lilly, Alyson, Braden

Neil, Jacob, Ethan, Lucas

(Samantha not pictured)

We got together for our annual Christmas exchange and had a great time! The kids had a lot of fun playing together and got along great (minus a few altercations - to be expected). There were even a few adults who had a great time playing with the kids! :) Thanks to the Clarks for hosting...good food and a great time together!

Sibling Love

2007-12-02T22:40:00.001-05:00

Wherever Braden is, Sissy isn't far! She just loves holding him and being near his side.

This particular morning, Aly woke up and wanted to hold him while she sat on the couch and watched Dora & Diego! (Little does he know that he'll have to like them as well!)

Here is a picture of one afternoon where she hung out by his side long enough that she ended up taking her nap there too!

Getting Ready for Christmas

2007-12-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

After returning to the family room, Matt found Aly sitting in the chair looking at a toy catalog that had come in the mail. She is sure in to making her "list" this year! I can't tell you how many times we've been in a store and I've heard a little voice say "I want this on my list!" (left)

(right) She got her first "nightgown" and thinks that she is big stuff! Here is a picture of her posing with her dress-up princess shoes on. What a ham!

Aly really enjoyed picking out the tree and helping Daddy decorate it this year. I sat back, held Braden, listened to the Christmas music, watched the fire burn, enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and watched them work on it together. It truely was a beautiful memory in the making. They did a great job!

Home!

2007-12-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

We were so glad to come home after spending 7 out of 9 days in the hospital (due to me being hospitalized the weekend before)! When we left the hospital, Braden was sleeping a lot, not eating as often as they would've liked and had a bilirubin level that was a little high (11.2). We were able to come home, but we were to check back a few days later. When we went 2 days later, his bilirubin level had increased greatly to 17. So, they sent us home with a biliblanket (a phototherpy blanket) to help him reduce his level.

He laid in the sun, connected to this blanket for 2 days before being tested again. His level had then dropped t0 14.3 and a few days later to 11.7. Thankfully, he got to get off the blanket! It was a big pain! The cord was barely long enough to hold him, so he spent most of the time in the crib, being fed a bottle from afar. It was nice to be able to hold him again without being connected to a machine! Since his levels were dropping, we were also done going to the hospital every few days for them to prick his poor little heel to collect a vile of blood :(

Welcome Braden!

2007-11-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

Well, our induction experience was very long and similar to our experience when Aly was born (although it was supposed to be rare). We arrived Thursday and anxiously awaited hour by hour....day by day....for the baby to make it's grand entrance.

Finally, Saturday morning at 6:07am, Braden Patrick Maple made his entrance!

He weighed 7 lbs. 4 1/2 oz. , 19 1/2 in. long and a head full of hair!

Here is the proud mom, dad and sister!

So far, he seems to resemble Aly when she was born.

Here are some of his 1st photos...what a handsome guy! (Check out those chops!) His big sister is really proud and finally has come around to love and accept the newest family member.

Can we just say - Proud Daddy!

After another long delivery, I have decided that I'm done having kids! I'm sure many of you heard it in Matt's voice as he made the phone calls, but he's definitely elated that he has a son. Now that we have one of each, we're calling it done - Our Happy Family!

Well, we haven't been home long and we've already realized that we can't turn our heads for long. Aly wants to be a big part of taking care of her new baby brother!

Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

Check back for more updates....

Going to the Hospital

2007-11-07T18:57:00.001-05:00

Well, after about a 3 hour doctor's visit, full of tests, we have decided to start the induction Thursday, November 8th. My preeclampsia symptoms have maintained and I have been able to be on minimal pain meds since I got home from the hospital Tuesday night. Upon arriving at the doctor's today, my weight gain was only 2 lbs (+), my blood pressure was down (+), my swelling was average (+), my blood work was all good (+), my protein levels didn't increase too much (+), however, the baby did not pass the non-stress test (-). They ended up doing a biophysical profile (extensive ultrasound) to check and make sure that the baby was responding okay and it scored an 8/10, so the doctor was not as concerned, but doesn't want us to wait too long. So, we are set to go in Thursday evening in hopes that the baby will come sometime Friday or Saturday (37 weeks). So, please pray that the induction goes quicker than it did with Aly and that we all come through healthy and well. I will have to be put on magnesium (because of being preeclamptic so I don't have seizures afterward), but hopefully it will be able to wait until after the baby is delivered so that it doesn't have to have any. We'll keep you all updated either through as many phone calls as we can make over the weekend, or via the blog early next week! Thanks for all the support and prayers!

Coming Soon - Baby Maple #2

2007-11-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm writing to update most of you that I have spent the last couple of days in the hospital. I went in because I started having bad pains Saturday evening. It took them several tests to determine if it was another kidney stone or whether it was something else causing me to start early labor. They have determined that I have preeclampsia and they gave me the option to induce or go on strict bed rest to buy a few more days. Due to our 45 hour induction experience with Aly, we opted to try and stick it out a few more days in hopes that my body will continue to prepare more on its own so things will progress faster once the process is started. I have to report to the doctors office every other day for monitoring and tests until the doctor thinks its time. We'll keep you updated but it looks like we'll have a baby within the next week. Pray for us all!

Baby Maple #2

2007-10-31T21:33:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of the baby from my last ultrasound. The baby is already bigger than Aly was when she was born and is continuing to grow everyday! Look at those chubby cheeks! Anyone want to change their predictions? :) (http://www.expectnet.com/games/MapleBaby2) I have another appointment next friday (11/9) and will know more after I'm checked again. It will then be decided if I'll be induced early the next week or around the 18th. Either way we will have a baby to be greatly thankful for by this Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T19:51:00.000-05:00

Aly was SO excited this year to dress up! We've been talking about costumes for a few months now. She picked this one out a while back.... Isn't she a cheeser! She's been telling everyone about being Hello Kitty and the night to go trick-or-treating finally arrived! Oh how she was into it this year - she made mommy walk with her around 90% of the neighborhood!

Here's a picture of Aly and her cousin Izzie. We couldn't convince Liam to get dressed up for pictures. The girls were to precious!

For all of our "family" parties last weekend, we were M&M's. Aly was a "mini", Daddy was a "regular" (believe it or not) and Mommy was a "peanut" (baby=peanut :)

Mommy had to do something really easy this year....my energy is rapidly dwindling! We had a time - Thanks to the wonderful hosts!

Aly's 2 1/2 yr. Photos

2007-10-30T08:36:00.001-05:00

Carving Pumpkins

2007-10-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

Here's the start of the pumpkin carving adventure! Aly picked out what kind of face she wanted. She choose to have circle eyes, triangle nose and a mouth with teeth. However, she wanted daddy to do it all. She especially wanted NOTHING to do with cleaning the inside out!

Here's Aly as she "supervised" holding our baby pumpkin!

Here's her completed pumpkin.

Aly went and got her camera so that she could help take pictures!

Here's the whole family!

Pumpkin Patch 2007

2007-10-30T07:44:00.000-05:00

Well, we picked a nice day to go to the pumpkin patch with Matt's family. First, we took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Here's the cousins being silly in the patch. It was so much fun listening to them talk as they tried to decide on a pumpkin. Some were too dirty, t00 big, too small, etc. The searched for the perfect one to take home as theirs!

Here's the final one that Aly picked out. She was very proud of it! (As if you couldn't tell!)

Picnic Time

2007-10-30T07:28:00.001-05:00

Here I captured Aly having a picnic with her doll and a dog. She had given them her snack (pretzels & string cheese). She served them and talked to them as they picnicked together. It was so precious!

Baby Update!

2007-10-06T07:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I had a doctor's appointment and ultrasound this week. I have been measuing 2-4 weeks ahead! My ultrasound measured the baby at 5 1/4 pounds already and still about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. As we near the baby's arrival and finalize our name list, we thought we'd start a little survey about the baby - follow this link

http://www.expectnet.com/games/MapleBaby2

Miss Scrapbooker

2007-10-02T08:25:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to get the baby's scrapbook done, so it is ready to plop pictures in. In order to spend some time doing that, Aly has decided that she needs to scrapbook as well. So, here is her set up and boy does she think she is the queen!

Attention Moms

2007-10-02T07:42:00.001-05:00

This is great! It's a good laugh for all you moms out there! For some of us it's a scary insight to the future, some a current battle and some a past reflection! Enjoy :)

Circus Time!

2007-09-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

I went to my 1st Ringling Brothers Circus show with my Grammy, Mommy, Aunt, Uncle & Cousins!

My cousin & I wanted to be clowns too!

I liked watching the trapeze artists swing and do flips, but that would be scary! I stick to my somersaults on the mat!

But of course, I REALLY liked watching all of the animals! I watched the dogs, cats, horse, tigers, zebras......AND....

....ELEPHANTS! My favorite! They did lots of silly stuff!

We had a great time and are glad that we got to go! Thanks Grammy & Papo!

Tumbling Class

2007-09-22T14:06:00.001-05:00

Aly has started her first tumbling class and absolutely loves it!

I found a little leotard at a second-hand shop that she gets to wear. She thinks it's so cool! Here she is ready to go!

I'm ready - let's get stretching!

Then, I got to march (forward & backwards) to Mickey Mouse music, roll like a hotdog, practice doing my somersaults the right way (so I don't get hurt) and lots of other fun things!

My teacher, Mrs. Taylor, even taught me the proper way to start my somersaults and end them "Ta Da!"

Decorating My New Room: BEFORE

2007-09-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

Aly helped Mommy paint pictures for her new room. She thought it was SOOOO much fun!

Notice how serious she is! She was actually very careful (because she didn't want to get it on her). She did ask for a wipe at one point to clean off some paint on her fingers.

She was careful to stay in the areas that Mommy outlined. She did a lot of dabbing!

Then, she started learning how to cover more area using the brush.

What a ham! Our future artist!

Watch for more pictures as we complete her room....

Turkey Run State Park

2007-09-17T15:50:00.001-05:00

Aly's love for the canoeing this past summer in Michigan, led us to spend some special family time at Turkey Run State Park over the Labor Day weekend.

Aly & Mommy

While canoeing along, Aly noticed this bridge and wanted to go on it as she saw others doing. So, we "beached" our canoes and climbed up to the top of this bridge.

Here's the gang (minus Mommy taking the picture) at the top.

We were so glad that Grammy & Papo could join us for this 3+ mile, 1 1/2 hour adventure. It was a lot of fun!

Here's another bridge that was at the end of our adventure. Aly again wanted to go on it, so her and Daddy went on it and looked out the windows.

We had great weather and a great time was had by all! This will definitely be something that we do again. Aly's hoping that next time her cousin Liam can join us! :)

First Day of Preschool

2007-09-02T08:20:00.000-05:00

Aly started her first year of preschool and is soooo excited! She picked out her outfit, wore her new school shoes and even picked out a Dora backpack for her papers (imagine that)! Here she is walking up to the school on her first day.

Here is the big preschooler! She found her name hook (....it did take a minute, because there were a few "A" names in her class) and hung up her backpack all by herself!

This is Aly's teacher, Mrs. Bernhardt who she already adores! She been teaching preschool for 21 years and is just awesome with the children. She even scored brownie points with Aly today for giving out CareBear gummies for a special treat! In Aly's class of 10, there are 3 boys and 7 girls.

They start off their day with a "Circle Time". Because I am working there, Aly will be the first one there everyday! She got to pick out her carpet square, choosing to sit on the "Tt tree" one. She also has found many toys that she enjoys. She picked out the Mickey to play with while she waited for her friends to show up.

When I picked her up, she was waiting on her square saying "cheese". So, I took a picture as she waited to be dismissed. (Also pictured is her other teacher, Mrs. Satterfield.) They said that she had a great first day and talked a lot! (I hate to admit it, but she may be taking after her mom!) She is looking forward to going back on Wednesday (...it's a Monday & Wednesday morning class).

And.....horray for mom, she only shed a tiny tear!

The Air Show

2007-09-02T07:39:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at the local Air Show last weekend. Aly really enjoyed seeing the airplanes on the ground and in the sky.

Eventhough she is not smiling, her favorite plane on the ground was the one that was just her size! She even knows how to put it on autopilot!

Aly's favorite in the sky seemed to be this one. A guy parachuted from an airplane, carrying a large American flag. The airplane flew around the parachuted as it decended, making lots of circles!

Mom and dad really enjoyed the Blue Angels of course! Aly thought that they were really loud, but enjoyed them as well. What a fun time for all (minus it being a little on the warm side)!

Baby???

2007-08-24T19:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought that Aly was okay with the whole "baby" idea. She's been playing with her baby dolls A LOT! Here's a picture that I captured of her rocking, patting and singing to her babies.

We even moved everything out of her old room and started talking about getting it ready for the baby.

Then we have started getting her new room put together. She's been sleeping in her new bed (my old daybed set) and enjoying having drawers that she can open (no safety locks!) and get out her clothes. She even helps put away her laundry! I'm liking that!

Then, one day, she decided share that she now had TWO rooms! She had a "Dora Room" (because there use to be a Dora sheet on her toddler bed) and a "Flower Room". We've tried to again explain that her old room is going to be for the baby, but I guess until we get the crib back up, she'll continue to thing that she has her own suite on that side of the house!

Daddy's Girl

2007-08-24T18:58:00.000-05:00

Well, Daddy was mowing the lawn and so Aly thought that she would "help"! So, she got out her mower and started pushing it around the lawn - proud as can be! What is she wearing you might ask?! Prior to Daddy mowing, Mommy had returned from buying Aly some new things for this upcoming fall & winter. After showing everything to her before washing, she decided that she wanted to wear her new fall vest, winter hat and boots (for most of the afternoon)....I guess that means she approves of mommy's taste!

Little Lady

2007-08-15T21:34:00.000-05:00

Aly has really grown up duingthe last month into a "Little Lady"....it's been hard to face the realization that she is growing up so fast! A few weeks ago, we spent time with my family in Michigan and Aly was all about doing the "big kid" things. Her weekend favorite was canoeing with her daddy! In the last week or so, she has....1) moved to her new "big girl" room and is sleeping in my old daybed! {...As we start to get her old room back to a nursery.} 2) asked to have her toenails painted like mommy {this really got me....my baby wanting to be all grown up! She sat really still and was all about having pretty toes!} and 3) she has offically become potty-trained! {since she started about 10+ weeks ago, she was having a few accidents a week} NOW she's our "Little Lady"! Good thing I have another baby on the way!