HO HO HO!

And no this post isn't about me (omgosh I'm funny!)  The awesome photo studio I have used for some of Mariah's pictures did a different take on Santa pictures this year so of course I had to sign up!  Their idea is that the parents dress up like Santa so that the wee ones are more comfortable, so the reason Santa is so short is that it's me!  The bad news is our appointment was right at nap time and Mariah did NOT want to stand still and play with a present with her dorky mom in a costume.  The good news is  Fotofly is awesome and we got fabulous shots!  Don't worry, Santa agreed to bring this little cutie everything she ever wanted....again :)

Thankful

Thanksgiving this year was a BIG year!  I think we ended up with 44 peeps and a whole lotta kids!  As always, dinner was fabulous and I managed to stuff myself sick.  Yay for Thanksgiving!

Cute cousins!  Mariah was alternately poking eyes and giving kisses.  Hey you take the good with the bad!  Sorry Bryton :)

Me and my Dawn - so happy she could be with us this year, but sad for her to be missing her family in Iowa.

Love my little family....my whole world!

LOVE THIS GIRL!!!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. 

First for my life- physically and otherwise!  I have really been slacking on the running, but I am proud of what I have done and I know that when I get my act together I will be able to do it again.  I am also so thankful for a flexible job that I really like.  I really enjoy the people I work with and I couldn't ask for a better for me in my life as a mama.  There is not much I have to miss out on and for that I am thankful.

I am thankful for my wonderful parents who watch my girl every day while I work (we refer to it as their non-profit organization :) ).  They love her so much and I am happy both for Mariah and for them that they will have such a close relationship and have so much time together.  They are the best grandparents around.  I am thankful for my brother and the person he has become.  He is a friend to everyone and just laid back and fun to be around.  Unlike any other 21 year old boy I know, he is happy to spend his free time putting on a free concert for his niece or getting her hooked on chips and salsa.  He is so great and I am lucky he is my bro!

I am thankful for my husband.  I know he doesn't hear it often enough, but he is my other half and I am so happy to have our little family.  He is THE BEST daddy to his little girl and I love to see them together.  I am thankful for the years we've had together and can't wait for many more to come!  

 I can't believe it was two years ago on Thanksgiving morning we did our embryo transfer and I still didn't know if I would ever be a mama.  I am SO grateful to have this baby girl in my life.  As much as I hope to give her a sibling or two in a few years, if we don't get lucky enough for that to happen, I will still feel like I hit the jackpot with my Mariah.  She makes me want to be a better person and want to see the good in the world.  I just couldn't love her more and I am so blessed! 

Random Recap

I can't believe I'm about to post this....but I am, like, caught up!!!  So here is the first of the randomness.  I'm hoping this will at least keep me semi-active in blogger land :)

• Mariah is 15 months old!  She had her checkup this week and came in at 25 lbs 3 oz (82%) and 32" (87%).  And here I was worried she wasn't eating enough!
• I am glad to find out she is so tall.  It's no wonder she can reach one drawer higher and can now snag things off the kitchen table and counters.  There simply ARE NOT enough high surfaces in houses these days
• She is also a climber!  Chairs, fences, people....nothing is safe.
• Work has been semi-crazy the past few weeks.  I am looking forward to things calming down (in about February...wah)
• I need to make Christmas stockings but I have zero desire.  Maybe next year.
• I am going to put up a tree this year!  We haven't bothered for about 7 years (I know, bah humbug!) but we will do anything for our little munchkin, so tree it is!
• I finally stopped nursing last week.  I kind of miss it but I'm not heartbroken.  Mariah doesn't seem to care, so that helps.  She is still a mama's girl anyway :)
• Mariah is starting to talk much more clearly....we can understand Mama, Dada, Dog (usually yelled repeatedly), bye, look and we *think* she said book the other day.  
• Speaking of dogs....girlfriend is obsessed with those four legged things.  Sasha is so sweet and takes it like a man....until she gets bored, then she gets up and drops baby on her ass, which she finds hilarious.  She also loves to kiss the dogs - so gross but so sweet. 

• The Real Housewives of Atlanta are back, and the girls of the house are stoked!  My poor corrupted child....I consider it bonding time :)

That's all the fun I can think of....until next time!  xoxo

Prisoner #1

Nothing is safe from this child!  She is now tall enough to pull things off our kitchen counters - this was right after she swiped the whole counter clean.  Off to baby prison you go!  What a ham!

Trick or Treat!

The trick or treating this year was not quite a hit....Mariah really loved being outside in her costume and running around, and all the kids.  She did NOT, however, like the restrictions placed upon her.  We made it to about three houses total and she threw about a 15 minute tantrum between each one because she wasn't allowed to play in the street (I know, harsh).  She really loved the rest of the night when all the kids came to our door - she would wave bye bye and blow kisses to all the kids.  Overall a fun night!  Sorry to the parents of that last group of kids...we gave them a TON of candy :)

So sad....no street play for you!

The always famous Penrod party

Well we are already one up on last year's party - at least she got in her costume this year!  Mariah was a little candy corn witch and she was SO darn cute.  She loved playing with the cousins and ran herself ragged.  My little diva kept stopping the costume parade so that she could vigorously clap for herself.  Cutest thing ever!

Layla and Mariah - destined to be BFFs like their mamas!

Atta girl!  I am pretty sure she fished this out of the recycling bin.  I'm not really sure who it belonged to....

OH my gosh I'm so excited!

Punkins!

Mariah and I took a little trip to the pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa.  Baby was in heaven!  She loved running around and re-arranging the tiny pumpkins that had been set out for photo ops.  I love this little character of mine so much!

Capitol Reef

We took a little trip down to Capitol Reef over Fall break.  I don't know how we've never heard of/been to this park before - it is fabulous!  The park is just outside of a darling little town called Torrey with beautiful tree-lined streets that were just the perfect shade of Fall.  I was in heaven!  We were able to do some fun hikes and let the baby run wild for a while.  It was a great weekend trip with the family!  Now on to the pictures....

It appears it was a little windy here....I swear she doesn't have a toupe!

Riah LOVES her hiking backpack.  Sadly this will probably be the only time she gets to use it.