The Best Birthday Present Ever!

Of Course...Maggie. But then after her, I got my favorite birthday present ever!

Before....

After!

I am in heaven! I love my new piano. I didn't think I would get one so soon! Brad is so awesome for letting us spend our money on this! I hope our neighbors love piano music ;-)

St. George

Maggie and I are back from Utah. We had so much fun with the Maglebys! We even got to see my sister Katie and her kids for a couple days. They drove from CA to see us. Here are a ton of pictures. They are not really in order- I apologize.Maggie and Brad reunited. Brad was sure glad to see her after us being gone for almost 2 weeks!
Taking a bath at home after the trip. We both got sick when we got home. No fun.
Taking a walk with the Maglebys. Megan loved pushing Maggie in the stroller. Maggie loved her cousins!
Poor Monty was exhausted. But we sure love him!
Overlooking St. George
Mag with Tay. I can't believe my niece is going to be 16!!!
hanging out, having fun
Maggie loved Megan!
She doesn't look right into the camera very often.
I think she has a cute mouth.
Annie was in heaven playing at the Maglebys.
The kids had a lot of energy Sunday night so they were wrestling. Taylor looks like she's having a ton of fun....
After the karate.
Oh Matt! He cracks me up.
Everyone needs to meet Matt Magleby.
Max was so cute with Maggie. I could tell he has a younger sister. He would just talk to Maggie in her car seat and say, "Maggie, don't you kick me, don't you kick me" while pointing at her. Then she would get excited and kick her feet and kind of kick him. Max would roll to the ground and say, "Oh, you got me!" Then he would get back up and shake his finger at her again and start over- "Don't you get me." It was sooo cute!
Megan holding Sadie at the park
Sadie thought the doll stroller was her size.
Jack and Matt are crazy boys. They had a lot of fun playing together.
Maggie loved her cousins but she wasn't used to being held 24/7. So sometimes, I put her in her car seat to have a little alone time. We all need it.
Sadie is sure cute. Getting a little chunky though.
Steph and Sadie
Katie is crazy. We had a ton of fun.
Megan loved holding her. She didn't usually cry! I just didn't take enough pictures.
Matt had a shorter attention span. But he still loved to hold her.
Tay was super good with her. Maggie loved her so much that she always spit up on her. She tends to that to people she loves.
I can't ask for a better traveler. She slept really well while we were there. Now if I could just get her to sleep at home!
This was before we left. She likes to read.
A cute face that she always does.

Where's Brad?

So I am writing this post as I am eating dinner by myself again. I made Brad's favorite dinner and had to put his portion on a plate with aluminum foil over it for him to eat later. This is our first year of Brad working full time. Being a tax accountant in a big firm means that you pretty much live at the office starting sometime in February through April 15ish. We knew it was coming. I am just glad that Maggie was not born during this crazy time. I don't know what I would do. Luckily, Maggie is almost 3 months old and this week she is finally getting back on some sort of a schedule. So Maggie and I hang out all day together. Today we both took naps , read books, watched Gilmore Girls, watched Baby Bach, played with toys, and sang songs. Good day. I'm glad she is finally cooing and talking back to me. We are pretty much best friends.

I have had some exciting discoveries this week. 1. Food freezes well. I can make a double batch of some meals and we can eat them later. Genius. I am prepping a lot of food for Brad while I'm gone. 2. Meijer Grocery Express . I think I will be using this every tax season. Only bummer- they don't accept coupons. 3. I like to read. I never thought I was a "reader." But now that I am out of school, I have been reading books and loving it! I just finished Catching Fire, the sequel to the Hunger Games. I have really enjoyed this series- A fast, intriguing read.

With Brad gone so much, I have gotten a lot of things done. I clean more. But we miss him. We think he is awesome for working hard for us. Maggie loves talking to him when he gets home. It's sad- today he will get home after she's gone to bed. And he left before she woke up this morning. Brad gets sad when he hasn't held his baby for over 24 hours. But...... it is perfect timing for Maggie and I to be visiting my sister and her family in St. George next week. He can work hard and late and not feel guilty for not being home. It is 70 degrees in St. George! Maggie has never seen the sun! I think she will like it. I am trying to make lists of what I need to pack in the suitcase, diaper bag, and carry on. I am paranoid I will forget something vital and be stranded on an airplane by myself with a baby, panicked. Hopefully the trip will go well. Otherwise I may not visit my other sister in April ;-) . Brad and I have never been apart for this long. I'm sure we will be okay. But I think it's going to be hard for him to not see the little one. She loves him.

We are already looking forward to April 15 and warmer weather! Until then, does anyone have a good book to suggest?