Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas! (Also wanted to say thanks for the separation anxiety comments; they were very helpful. Makenna and I both did very well during our time apart, and it was great to have some Husband and Wife time.)

Separation Anxiety

Is it normal for first-time moms to have separation anxiety?

John and I are scheduled to leave later on this afternoon to visit a school several hours away, and will be gone overnight. This will be my first night being away from Makenna since she was born. I feel like I should be ready and excited to have a little bit of a break, but I can't help but be nervous and anxious about leaving her. Makenna will be staying with my mom while we are gone, and although I know that Makenna loves my mom, and I trust her (my mom) 100%, I can't help but worry about whether she will be able to sleep okay in a strange house and bed, if she will eat okay, whether or not she will think that we have abandoned her, etc...

I know that I will enjoy being able to spend some alone time with John, and I just hope that I can relax enough not to ruin it. Is this normal, or am I just ridiculous?

Thanksgiving Weekend

Our Thanksgiving weekend started off a little rough with a failed attempt at getting some family pictures taken (that's another story), but it ended up being a really great weekend. On Wednesday afternoon, we took Makenna to a park in our neighborhood, and she LOVED it. She kept wanting to go down the slides over and over. I can't wait till this Spring when we can play at the park more often.



On Thanksgiving Day, we went out to my Mom and Dad's house for the afternoon and evening. Makenna loved it because there were lots of little cousins running around to play with. After our big meal, my dad took us all on a hayrack ride. It was quite cold out, but we bundled up, and since my parents live out in the country, it didn't take us long to find some horses to pet. All of the kids (including Makenna) loved being able to see and pet the horses. I hope that this hayrack ride will become a Thanksgiving Tradition.



On Friday John and I were able to go on a nice date. (Thanks mom and dad for babysitting.) We did a little Christmas shopping, and then went to dinner and a movie. We use to try to go on a date once a week, but since having Makenna our date nights have usually consisted of watching a movie at home after Makenna goes to sleep. I am hoping that we can start having more regular date nights out.

I love this time of year when we get more time to stop and be grateful for all of the wonderful friends and family in our lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the Thanksgiving break this year, and can't wait for Christmas!

First Birthday Party

Makenna had so much fun at her birthday party. My parents were kind enough to let us have the party at their house, so there was plenty of space for everyone. We had Baked Ziti - Makenna's favorite - for dinner, and cupcakes and ice cream for dessert. Makenna had her own cake to enjoy, but didn't make it that far; she ended up just playing with and eating the frosting on her cake. I think her favorite part of the night was running around with all of her cousins, and playing with the balloons. I quite enjoyed having a party for Makenna, and look forward to lots of fun parties. Thanks everyone for your help and your gifts!

One Year Ago...

After 15 hours of labor, no sleep, and 2 hours of pushing, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world. I can not belive that Makenna is 1 already!! Where does the time go? I would like to reminisce about how much joy she has brought into my life, and how much fun it has been to watch her grow from a newborn baby into this little person with a BIG personality, but it will have to wait. I have dinner to make, a cake and cupcakes to bake, balloons and decorations to buy, and a (sick, fussy) birthday girl to get ready for her big party tonight.

Last Week

Last week ended up being a busy week for us. On Monday we flew to Indiana so that John could interview at the Kelley Business School at Indiana University. Makenna and I tagged along so that we could check out the town. John really liked the school, and the interview went well, so now we are just waiting to see if we get accepted (We are also waiting to hear from a couple of other schools; none of which are in NE).

Makenna was great on the trip. We couldn't have asked for a better travelling baby, and now that she walks all of the time, I don't even really need to find things to entertain her. She just thinks it is fun to walk around. We figured out that after this trip Makenna has been to 11 different states, and has been on 22 flights!! That is pretty good for not even being 1 yet!

We got back from Indiana on Wednesday, and John had to leave again Thursday morning to go on a business trip. I was pretty bummed since he was going to be gone on Halloween, but Makenna and I ended up having a pretty good Halloween thanks to my parents. They brought dinner over, and then we went and visited some cousins.

The Big Red Barn...

and Pumpkin Farm!

John and I took advantage of what was a beautiful fall day in Nebraska yesterday and went to this cute little pumpkin patch. We had such a fun time enjoying all of the activites that there were, and watching how happy and excited Makenna was about everything.

Makenna was serenaded by a nice man while we rode on the little hayrack ride to pick out our pumpkin. She was quite entertained, and even started hitting her leg along with the music! We got a good laugh out of that one.

I think Makenna's favorite part was the little petting zoo. She is definitely not shy around animals, and loved being able to pet, feed, and chase the baby goats around.

We are so glad that we decided to go to the pumpkin patch rather than just picking up some pumpkins at the grocery store (like John originally wanted to do), and I think the pumpkin patch will be added to our "must do" lists of traditions.

Family Dinner

Last weekend John, Makenna, and I had the rare oportunity of having dinner with all three of John's younger brothers who are at BYU. We went to Utah because one of John's old college roomates was getting married, and we decided that rather than flying in just in time for the wedding, we should go a few days early, so that we could spend some time with friends and family (and so that John could visit a few clients for work).

We loved hanging out with John's brothers, and only wish that we could see them more often.

We also had such a great time being able to see my sister in Logan, visit with some good friends in Salt Lake, and attend all of the wedding festivities (congrats Logie!). We even got to go to the BYU football game. I just hope we can visit again soon!

Did I Mention...

that I REALLY regret letting Makenna play in the sink?

Ever since, whenever she is anywhere near a sink (bathroom or kitchen) all she wants to do is play in the water. I don't mind letting her sit on the counter and put her hands or feet in the water for a few minutes, but she usually ends up soaking her clothes,

and she always throws a fit when I take her out. (Kinda sad I know, but surprisingly I have other things to do besides stand by the sink for hours during the day.)

A Great Weekend

Saturday

The first good news of the weekend happened early Saturday afternoon when John got home from taking his GMAT!! I was a little worried and anxious all morning because John hadn't slept very well on Friday night, but he came home with good news. He did really well, and scored right where he wanted to, which means a couple of things for us. First, he doesn't need to retake it, (i.e. he gets his life back, and I get my husband back!) secondly, he is right where he needed to be in order to get into a top 20 school, which was his main goal. I am so proud of him for studying so hard, and we are both excited to be done with the whole thing.

To celebrate we went out to a nice dinner, and then came home and watched the Nebraska game. They lost, but Makenna looked cute in her little Husker cheerleading outfit, so we still enjoyed watching the game.

Sunday

On Sunday morning, John asked me to make cookies for his Home Teaching appointments later that evening. Usually this is a pretty easy task, but this time I had a little "helper" that made things a little more difficult.

First Makenna just sat next to me on the counter, which worked out okay.

Then she wanted to play in the sink while I did the dishes.
Well then she decided that it wasn't enough to sit next to the sink, and she climed in.
And tried to drink the water.
After soaking her shirt, I gave up and just got her undressed.
She quite enjoyed this, and spent the next 30 minutes playing in the sink.

(I have since regretted letting Makenna play in the sink, because she is now obsessed, and that is all she wants to do!)

Our next BIG news of the weekend is that Makenna started walking!! Makenna had been taking one step here and there, but at church while John was watching her, she took 4 in a row. Then on Sunday evening while John was home teaching, she just started walking!! I was shocked, because she is only 10 1/2 months old, and I just figured she wouldn't walk until she was about 12 months old. Here is some video of her new skill (sorry no sound).

A Much Needed Break

For the past couple of months, and even more intensely the past couple of weeks, John has been studying for the GMAT (the entrance exam for MBA schools) which he takes TOMORROW!! His nights have been spent taking practice quizes on the computer, or studing from one of his numerous books. He has also been taking 4 hour practice tests every Saturday for the last couple of weeks. Throughout this process, I have tried to play the role of "supportive and loving wife", but I have to admit sometimes it has been hard. Of course I love Makenna more than anything, but sometimes I just need a break, and those have been harder to come by since John needs to study more than I "need" a break.

However, last Saturday we were both able to get a break from our normal routines, and go wakeboarding at my parent's lake. It was only my second time wakeboarding, so I am still quite shaky, but I did get up, and even went outside of the wake. (I know that probably sounds rediculous to some people, but I was excited.) My sister Amanda was in town, visiting from Utah, so we hung out at my parent's house all day watching football and in John's case taking long naps.

(I should note that while I have been typing this post, John has been playing with Makenna, and is now giving her a bath even though his test is tomorrow...I have a pretty good husband!)

I would like to introduce...

my second part-time job:

Aiden

He is a 2 month old little baby who lives across the hall from us. His mom went back to work in the evenings, so I will be watching Aiden on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about an hour and a half inbetween when his mom leaves for work and when his dad gets home.

When Aiden's mom asked if I could watch him, I hesitated at first since I already have one part-time job. (I work from home for the company at which I worked full-time when we lived in Vancouver, WA. It has been a really great part-time job for me because the hours are flexible, I work from home, and my bosses are great. However, it does take up a lot of what would be free-time, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to have another "job".) But I thought that since it was for such a short amount of time, it would probably be fine.

So far I have only watched Aiden 3 times; 2 of which went really well. The first day I watched him, Makenna and Aiden both took naps, and I was able able to make dinner and clean up while they slept. I thought, "this is gonna be a piece of cake, I can handle 2 kids"! Of course the next time I watched him was not so easy. Both Makenna and Aiden cried off and on for the first half hour while I struggled to get Makenna down for a nap while tending to Aiden. Luckily, this past Thursday when I watched him, it was really fun. Makenna was so excited to see Aiden, and just wanted to touch him and give him kisses. I kept him in his car seat (for his protection), and just tried to keep Makenna from crawling in with him.

She also spotted his binkie, and was then on a mission to put it in his mouth.

It amazes me how big Makenna is getting. She is almost 10 months old now, and has changed so much in the last month or two. She is now crawling all over the place, standing up by herself, "walking" the furniture, poining at things to communicate what she wants, and is even initiating "come and get me" games with us (which is so cute). I am really enjoying this stage, although she does get into EVERYTHING! Here are a couple of her favorites:

the dishwasher

and the old VHS tapes

Go Cougs!

On Saturday morning, I awoke with a dilemma...

Do I dress Makenna in NE clothes, or BYU clothes? (My life is tough, I know.) Since we were actually going to be able to watch the BYU game on tv, I decided to have Makenna wear her BYU t-shirt that her Uncle Dan bought for her.

Makenna enjoyed watching the game from John's lap, although she did get startled a few times when the game got exciting, and Daddy got loud.

On Friday night, we also took Makenna to her first football game. We went and watched my brother Morgan play. Makenna had a great time feeding us food, and pointing to everyone around her. I am happy to report that both of "our" teams won.

Lollipop Lollipop...

Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli Lollipop...

Makenna was one happy baby when Daddy gave her a Lollipop.

Sugar High

Last night for Young Women's we had a Dessert Cooking Class. We made 3 quick and easy no-bake desserts (in one hour) that are all really yummy, so I thought I would share the recepies.

(If you have never had Almond Bark Drop Cookies, you have to make them. They are rediculously good!)

1. Almond Bark Drop Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Almond Bark
½ cup Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 cup peanuts
2 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup miniature marshmallows
DIRECTIONS
In a microwave oven, melt the Almond Bark and peanut butter; stir until well blended. Fold in the peanuts, crisp rice cereal, and marshmallows. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto waxed paper lined baking sheets.
Chill until set. Store in refrigerator.

2. Peanut Butter Fudge
INGREDIENTS
4 cups white sugar
1 cup milk
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
2 2/3 cups peanut butter
Chocolate, if desired
DIRECTIONS
Boil milk and sugar in a medium saucepan for three minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in the marshmallow creme and peanut butter.
Pour and spread into a greased jelly roll pan. Melt chocolate and drizzle on top. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

3. Puppy Chow
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
9 cups crispy corn or rice cereal squares (chex)
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Melt the peanut butter with the butter (or margarine) and the chocolate chips. Stir in vanilla until smooth. Pour over the cereal and stir until well coated.
Pour into 2-gal food-storage plastic bag. Add the powdered sugar, seal bag, and shake to coat. Spread onto waxed paper to cool about 30 min. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Corn on the Cob, Sand, and Dead Fish...

What more could you want from a trip to the lake?? Makenna got to experience all of these things for the first time this past weekend. We went to my parent's house to celebrate my brother Morgan's 17th Birthday, and Makenna had so much fun playing with her cousins.

First, she played in the baby pool, which I thought would be cleaner than the lake. Well, that may have been the case, but then Ben brought his dead pet fish in, which he had been carrying around the whole evening.Here is Ben with his fish in hand! Eventually we separated Ben from his beloved fish, but not until after lots of tears and protests.

After playing in the pool, Makenna enjoyed some corn on the cob with her cousins. She absolutely LOVED it!

The sand came into play when I left Makenna with her Grandma so that I could go in the boat for a little while. As we pulled away from the beach, I could see Makenna sitting on the beach with a big handful of sand to her mouth. When I came back, she was covered in sand, and it was all over her face and mouth. I should've taken a picture, but I was too busy giving Makenna a bath in the sink!

Happy Birthday Morgan!