Fall is Here!

I woke up this morning to autumn. I love autumn. The colors are beautiful, the warm smells of pumpkin are comforting, and I finally get to dress up my baby. Since Maggie was born in late March (which is pretty much the start of summer here), she has only known onesies or a bare belly. Now I am excited for pants, socks, shoes, and jackets. Oh the cute jackets and sweaters that I have been dying to put on her. I had her change her outfit three times this morning because I just wanted to see how she looked in long sleeves. 

Fall also means BYU football. Mike insist that it is okay that Maggie watches the game even though she is only five months old. Good thing there are only a few day games otherwise she would get a lot of screen time.

Our Latest Happenings

Maggie is hitting a fun stage where she is really beginning to play with toys and people. She smiles when we play peek-a-boo, she will reach for toys when they are out of reach, and she still LOVES older kids. On the weekend, we like to babysit our friends' kids so Maggie will have a playmate. The other kids will play with her and get her to laugh so hard. She truly needs an older sibling, but cousins and friends will have to do. Her personality is beginning to develop more. Maggie is pretty tough; she rarely cries when she falls or other kids are rough with her. She needs to be involved with any social event around her (which makes nursing her a challenge-she won't nurse if there are other people around, the TV is on, I'm reading a book or talking on the phone). She is very laid back. She will smile, but I wouldn't say that she is a smiley baby. Ladies at the store will try to get her to smile, but all they get is a blank expression. Laughing comes when she is tired at night or with older kids. I feel so blessed to have such a good child that I thoroughly enjoy being with. 

Maggie sitting in the cart for the first time.

Maggie loves music and dancing. She will "play" the piano with us and calms down whenever I sing to her. 

We do a lot of tummy time-though don't let this picture fool you-it is a battle most times.

Playing at the museum for the first time. She looks so old sitting on the car. Too bad she toppled over right after this photo.

Maggie loves watching herself is the mirror. Am I promoting vanity?

Playing with her boyfriend Aiden. 

The simply joys in life: ripping up the ads.

A Big Chunky Thanks!

Maggie wants to give a big, chunky thanks to Auntie Allison for her fun toy. Maggie loves playing with it and hearing all the phrases and noises that come from it. She plays with it so much that I have the order of all the phrases memorized.

Fun and Five Months

Things haven't changed much for us. We got Netflix recently and have watched too much How I Met Your Mother. Mike is taking his first test today; we'll see how he did in a bit. One fun thing we have done is go to Joyland, the local amusement park. Mike has been wanting to go since we've moved here, but I played the whole pregnancy card because I didn't want to go. Well, we had some friends watch Maggie for the evening and off we went. It is a dirty, horror film movie scene kind of a place, but surprisingly fun. We didn't bring a camera because we didn't want it to get wet. I even went on one of those rides that slowly takes you high in the sky and then suddenly drops you. I didn't want to go on it because I thought it would make me sick, but Mike pressured me into going by bribing me with $5 if I got sick.

   This was the ride that I went on.

Maggie turned five months today. I have to say that three to four months went a lot faster than four to five months. Most likely because we were with family while now we are in Lubbock. To celebrate, I gave her veggies for the first time, sweet potatoes to more exact. She gave a face that said "I don't know about this Mom", but she ate it all. I wanted to share a part of her journal that I keep for her that best tells her personality right now.

The funniest thing that you have started the last week of this month is a mating call. Yes, that is right. You, Margaret Karan Matthews, have a mating call. Bradley McClellan (Ryan and Rondy's 8 month boy) came over the other day. Brooke Cowles was having you stand while Bradley was on his tummy a bit a way. You looked his way and gave him a high-pitched squeak. That enticing call had him crawling to your feet, where you presumed to spit on him. What a great relationship.  

 

We're back in Lubbock

So, people have asked me what we have been up to since being back. Not much. Mike started school this week so I feel like a full blown stay-at-home mom. Maggie is really good at taking consistent naps, which helps me plan out the day. I have got a lot of cleaning done, worked on old projects, swim a bunch, and hang out with friends. The days seem long when we stay at home all day, so I tried to get out at least for a few hours.

Maggie here is sporting her shoes that she finally grew into. Yes Josh, she is chunky. No Josh, I have not eaten her yet. 

Maggie loves her feet. Often, towards the end of her nap, I will hear a laughing noise come from her room, and there she is, just playing with her feet.

It's official, Maggie can sit by herself. She has a big enough belly that all she has to do is balance against it. She does fine as long as she is leaning forward. Once she looks to the side, she tumbles over.

We got a new toy for Maggie after we saw how much she enjoyed the exercise saucer at my mom's home. She is too short for it, so I have to put a stack of books underneath it for her to stand on.

Oregon: Part 2

On Saturday evening, the girls were able to do a girl's night to Bridgeport and had gelato and window shop at high end stores.

Kaylana wanted to sew a bag for her swim stuff. She went with Grandma to buy the fabric and I helped her sew it together.

This was one of Maggie's favorite things, hanging out with some wild and crazy cousins. They were able to make her laugh so hard by doing things that I thought would make her cry. They would get right up into her face and yell "boom". She thought they were the funniest thing on earth.

We celebrated my dad's birthday while we were there and surprise him with a new reclining chair.

Maggie is getting more interested in books as we have exposed her to more. My mom did a great job helping out with our goal, and it definitely looks like we will hit 200 by Labor Day.

Here are just some cute pictures of Maggie.

**I call this hair do "the Jef".

Oregon: Part 1

The second half of our vacation was spent in Oregon for three weeks. We were able to get there in time to spend a few days with Joey's family.

Maggie's cousin Ben was so good to her. He loved holding her and even watched her in the morning one day so Mike and I could sleep a little longer. He is going to be a great husband.

Maggie with her cousin Amelia. You can't see it here, but they are going to be the best of friends (or least I hope) along with cousin Rita.

We went to the beach with my mom, Joey's family, and Annie's family. I love the beach!!!! Everyone was commenting how warm it was where I was excited because it was cool enough for Maggie to wear a sweater (she has only worn it once for five minutes in Utah).

Maggie's first time in the ocean. To tell you the truth, I would picture taking Maggie to the beach when I was in labor to focus my thoughts else where. Too bad she is too young to really enjoy it.

The next day, we went hiking to Punch Bowel in The Gorge with my parents, Joey's family, and Dusty's family. It was so beautiful. I don't think people in Lubbock could comprehend how beautiful and green Oregon is, even in the heat of July.