Finally

It's finally cooling down in Virginia and I could not be happier!! It is the perfect fall weather for walking with friends and trips to the park. Maggie loves that she gets to be outside more. Rob is back at work after a well deserved break and is busy as usual. Late nights seem to be the norm during command :) We celebrated his birthday over the weekend with Andrew and Danielle and he made it home early on Monday for dinner with his gals! I am quickly writing this between fixing dinner and getting ready for game night with some of the ladies from the Company. I hope they have fun and eat all the food I made today!! I am looking forward to all of the yummys myself-pizza dip, cheese dip with apples, cream puffs, and other fall treats. Maggie is busy busy and her vocabulary increases daily. I am pretty sure she knows over 100 words by now and is working on her animal sounds and colors (she has pink and purple down-my little girl!!). She loves to color and draws me pictures multiple times per day. She also has been terrorizing the dog and chasing after Lucy with her baby stroller while screaming as loud as she can. Anyone else have a screech-er out there?? Still trying to figure out how to make that stop!

Why can I only upload 5 pictures at a time???

Maggie and Caddie at the MSU Children's Garden
Uncle Rob and the girls
Playing at Impressions 5 in Lansing

Cousins!! (Maggie had to bend down when I did)

Grand Haven, MI

Anyone have any advice for me?? Here are 5 from the Michigan trip! I wanted to include the full Crowe Family shot but promised Erin I wouldn't let it happen!

Michigan in the Fall

It's so wonderful I often wonder why we live anywhere else :) We got home last night from our week up north and realized the temperature at 8pm was 82. By mid-September I am so done with summer and yearning for cooler weather. We had a wonderful week with family and were able to spend time in both Spring Lake and Lansing. Rob's Irish relatives were visiting and it was great to see them again (its been 6 years) and to introduce them to Maggie. Rob also got to meet little Laila in Lansing and Maggie had a great couple of days with her best friend/cousin Caddie. Fun stuff we did on vacation:

1. Got fresh doughnuts and cider from the mill near the Crowes
2. Went swimming, relaxed around the fire pit and made s'mores
3. Ate delicious food!!
4. Went to the Michigan Irish Music Festival and ate tacos and grape Faygo
5. Took Maggie and Caddie to Impressions 5
6. Fed the ducks, got ice cream and went to the Children's Garden at MSU
7. Saw lots of old friends/Rob's family in Lansing
8. Helped Mom finally get the Internet at home!
9. Wore jeans and sweatshirts!!!
10. Had Rob's complete attention!!!! (work is pretty busy these days)

It's 9:30 and Maggie is still asleep! She must be super over-tired from the long day in the car and early mornings in Michigan. Pictures from the week to come!

Sweet

Oh how I love this little girl!

18 Months!

Maggie is 18 months old! I took some really cute pictures but Blogger won't let me upload anything right now!!! Hopefully they will be up soon. In the meantime-I hope everyone had a great long weekend! We had a great time with Erin and Bridget and got a couple of fun little trips in over the weekend (the zoo, Old Town, a picnic at Pohick Bay, etc). I found almost everything I need for M's Halloween costume. If it is as good as I imagine it to be you guys are in for a treat!! I am trying out the OWC again tomorrow, hopefully it will be a little better than the luncheon I went to in April. Have a great week!!

Bad Mommy

There was a time when the little digital camera was basically stapled to my hand. We had so many pictures of the Muggins we didn't know what to do with ourselves! I don't really know how it happened but I just can't seem to remember to bring the camera with me when we go fun places anymore. So unfortunately you will not have a picture of my sweet girl spinning around Eastern Market in a fit of giggles or eating delicious shrimp on the waterfront with Aunt Claire. You will just have to imagine Miss Maggie in all her cuteness having a wonderful weekend. We also visited the Torpedo Factory where Maggie found some great music to dance to and during nap time fit in a movie-yeah!! Busy week with lots of meetings but a 4-day weekend coming up. Can you believe it is September tomorrow-Hooray for Fall!!!

Thunderstorms

I love thunderstorms! Especially when they come in the middle of the afternoon while M is taking her nap. I plan on curling up with a new library book and being lazy for a few hours before Claire arrives! She has not been here since Maggie's birthday and I think she is in for a big surprise. We are still debating what to do this weekend while she is here-depends on the weather! Saturday there is a DC Dance Festival which might be fun, or we might try Georgetown, Eastern Market or the fresh seafood market. So many possibilities!!