She's Growing

Maycee really has changed since birth. Of course, that's the inevitable, but it's a miracle happening before our eyes. I can't believe that 4 and a half months ago she was a helpless little newborn and now she's opinionated and becoming more mobile. It's fun to hear her discovering her vocal chords and holding her head up while on her tummy. This past week, she has learned that she can have a raspy squeal when crying. That's definitely not my favorite. It sounds like she's facing death..maybe to her she is, considering this cry only comes out when she's hungry. She also is yelling and giggling. I absolutely love this. She is hilarious! This morning I brought her into bed and she was talking up a storm while holding her binkie. Did I mention she pulls her bink out of her mouth and attempts to put it back in? She's really becoming her own person.

I've been trying to get lots of pictures of her as she's growing. Since I'm the one taking pictures all the time, there are hardly any of me with her. Isn't that how it always is? But I love getting pictures of her with Shem. She is looking so much like him. Even her hair line is like his. And her eyes are so beautiful. One eye looks like it could be green and the other brown. I'm not too sure if that's how they'll turn out, but it is very unique. To keep her looking very feminine, I always have her wearing a headband. The grandparents tend to always rip off the band as soon as she is in their possesion. I just laugh at this. I need to mention, I'm scarred from the time I was out shopping and I put her in a green outfit WITHOUT a headband on. A sweet old lady said to me, "Oh he's so cute, what's his name." I'm thinking..hello, she's a girl!! I responded with, "Her name is Maycee." Enphasis on the her. She paid no mind to it, but I couldn't seem to get over it for the rest of the day. So, yes, I'm a little persistent when it comes to the headbands. I love making them anyway, so it's all good.

We decided that the water was an ok temperature for her to go swimming. Shem took her in for her first swim. She wasn't too sure what to think of the slightly cold water. She didn't cry, but she kept gasping like it was taking her breath away.

At Maycee's 4 month check-up, the doctor gave the ok for her to start on rice cereal. I was ecstatic! So the next morning, I fed her some. I was laughing so hard at her! She was so cute and didn't know what to think of this "food".

Before: Clean

During: Somewhat clean.

Toward the end: Very aggressive...taking the spoon out of my hand.

End: Messy, time for a bath!

The 2nd time I fed her, Shem was around to watch and it was even funnier! Within a few spoonfuls of cereal, she was drenched. It's like she couldn't resist stealing the spoon. Like I said, she is becoming her own person.

We recently sold one of our two birds, Doc, who has been Jax's friend for the last ten months. Since selling him, Jax has been very lonely and clingy to all of us. He's specifically my bird, but he absolutely loves Maycee. When she cries, he runs to her. When she's sleeping, he want to cuddle with her. He's such a good bird. Maycee fell asleep watching Baby Einsteins while I was getting ready for the day. Jax flew off the towel bar onto the bed just so he could be close to her while she was snoozing. Normally I don't like him to be around her, but I thought this was so sweet. I had to get a shot of it.

I just love how she fell asleep with her shirt up, tummy showing. So precious!

Random blog..but I thought it necessary. In time, I will post more. It's been a crazy month. July will be better for blogging, I hope.

Adventure

This week has been so much fun! We are finally getting back to our old selves..well physically. Ha, we have a long way to go mentally but we're doing our best. When I got pregnant, I stopped being active, and so did Shem. We found other interests that involved little activity...tv, scrabble, and experimenting with recipes. After well over a year, we have decided to be active again! Last Wednesday we were invited by my brother, Jason, to go rock-climbing at the Ponds! Yesss!! We were thrilled to go. We also had a chance to go hiking at Peralta on Memorial Day!

This climbing trip was a perfect opportunity to kick start getting in shape. What better way than to do it outdoors? I will admit that the hike up to the climb and the climbing were a bit intense for me. Wow, can I say that I was a baby? I mean, I literally needed to stop every few minutes to stop feeling light headed and out of breath. Shem was so sweet and practiced great patience toward me. He, of course, did fine. Considering he is not the most fit, as well, he amazed me at the fact that he still "has it." You know, his fitness. Haha, not me. I've got a few months to go to be where I used to be. And Jason, as usual, plowed up the trail and would stop and wait for us to catch up. Thanks for your patience, too, Jason (he became our photographer).

Shem's first climb. He's leading here.

The view from our climbing spot.

Here I am climbing. No, I didn't chicken out completely..only to lead climb.

Here's some pictures of Peralta Hike! That was fun and absolutely beautiful!
Memorial Day morning we woke up early and went hiking with my parents and my brother, Jason. It was so nice to hike in such a beautiful and lush area. That was one of the most beautiful desert hikes I've ever been on. Totally worth waking up early for!

Isn't Maycee so cute? She was so good. She fell asleep on and off and we never heard her complain. What a trooper!



Maycee hangin out with daddy! Don't they look a lot alike?

Maycee's rockblimbing! Holding on with one hand!

At the top with a view of Weaver's Needle. Anyone who has an opportunity to do this hike, do it. It's not too difficult and it's gorgeous!

Happy Birthday Papa Couch!

My dad just turned 57! He's such a fun and great guy. I remember as a little girl always being in love with my daddy. In fact, I recall saying that I wanted to marry him. Funny thing, Shem and my dad are so alike it's freaky...so in a way, I got my wish! I mean don't a lot of girls marry men that are like their fathers? Hmmm, just my opinion I suppose. Anyway, he's a wonderful father and friend. I love you, daddy!

Through out my life, with each birthday celebration for him, I didn't go to great lengths to make it special. But this birthday, now that I'm a parent as well, I wanted to show him that I really do appreciate him. This is what I did...

A few weeks ago we celebrated Grandma Wanlass' birthday. We had a nice brunch at Crackers and made our way back to their house to have a delectable cake made by Shanna. I loved it so much, I decided to make the same cake for my dad. It's an angel food cake embellished with lime-flavored whipped cream frosting and tons of berries. And boy is it good! Considering that over the last 6 months my dad has had to go on a doctor supervised diet to save his heart, this dessert was a great choice. (Let's just ignore the fact that I made my own whipped cream instead of using cool whip...yes, I couldn't resist). Making a few modifications was definitely worth it. Everyone loved it...especially dad. Of course, I hoped he would like it; it was a bit different than his traditional yellow cake with chocolate frosting (note: this is also Shem's favorite cake. Scary, I know).


All in all the cake was great and the company even better. Family birthdays are the best! Its always nice to have the opportunity to spend time with the family. Although, I'm sure my dad would have loved having ALL his grandkids there. We miss Randy and Debbie's kids, Brayden, Connor, and Nathan. But it's so amazing to see my parents make the most of the time they do get to spend with their Arizona grandkids. I love talking to my mom only to find out that her and my dad were just visiting Colin or Emmalee and Cayleb. The way my mom sees it is that since they can't always come visit them, why not go see them? It's hard having both Jason and Chris doing rotations. It is a definite change compared to the way things used to be. I miss those days, but the times we do get to see my brothers and their families it's always a treat.





Here's some shots of the grandkids. Aren't they all so cute?

Colin: Finally eating something...it had to be cake

Cayleb and Emmalee: Pretending to be mice after Emmalee sampled part of her upcoming dance recital

Maycee: Discovering that daddy's thumb can function as a substitute pacifier

Shem and me: Yes, we're in love

I wish I got shots of the other couples! Honestly, I felt a little bit like a zealot with the camera...I didn't want to be too overbearing. Next gathering I will get more pictures of the rest of the family.

Funny story: I was in such a hurry to get to my parents before the celebration to decorate the cake that when I left the house I grabbed a different shoe for each foot. Even funnier, I went to multiple stores on the way over! I'm a true mom. Wow.

Here's to you, dad! We love you and appreciate you. Happy Birthday!

That's My Man!

This last semester has been full of surprises, both good and bad. Shem decided to be a full time student all in the midst of waiting for Maycee's arrival, losing our truck, and having financial hardship. He's been the best at trying to make ends meet...selling things on craigslist and finding side jobs here and there to upkeep his business. All while doing this, he managed to get outstanding grades. In fact, in one of his classes, his grade was already at 100% by the final exam date that his teacher excused him from taking the final! Might I add, he was the only one in the class with this priviledge.



Maycee decided to tutor daddy! As you can see, she's very into what she was teaching. So adorable.


School is coming along nicely for him. This semester marks the final chapter in attaining an Associate in Arts. But that's not good enough for him. He's determined to get an Associate in Science for his transfer to ASU to be in the engineering program. Only 2 semesters left! Hooray! I'm so proud of him and his determination. When he puts his mind to something, he gets it done (I mean he did win me!). So schools our for summer! Just kidding, it only out for 2 and a half weeks. He's back in school for Summer I and II. I'm so happy he's determined to get an education. He's doing the right thing for his family and himself. I love you, Shem!

Shem's so wonderful. For Mother's Day, he spoiled me. He was sure to make my first Mother's Day extra special and he surpassed that. I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. I knew he'd do something nice, maybe flowers and a nice card, but nothing like what he actually did. The night before (Saturday) he took me to Cheesecake Factory and it was delectable. The next morning, he woke up extra early to make my favorite breakfast...pull apart butterscotch rolls and cheese strata with sausage. He woke me up at 7 so I could enjoy it all with him and Maycee. When I came out to the kitchen, our tiny chalk board had a sweet message on it, "Shem loves his wife and Maycee loves her mommy, Happy Mother's Day." Next to it was a vase of beautiful flowers, a card with a gift certificate to a nail spa, and a wood carving of a husband and wife hugging; this carving is called "Promise" (part of the Willow Tree Collection). Our measley little card table was nicely set with breakfast, as well. He is too sweet. I feel like I don't deserve it. He treats me like a princess! Mother's Day was wonderful. He held Maycee throughout church so I that I wasn't distracted. I love our happy little life. :)

Mother's Day Breakfast



And the last thing...
The week before Mother's Day, we saw a man riding a Vespa scooter. That minute, we thought that would be a good form of transportation for Shem (since we so desperately need something). So immediately, we rolled our window down at the stop light to ask the man how much they are and other info. We pulled over and talked to him further. From then on, Shem began researching scooters and what would be wise for us. While doing so, he was also considering our budget. So within these two weeks, he shopped, he read, he researched, and he conquered! Sold! He found an electric blue Yamaha Vino. Perfect for him. With 80-90mpg, it's just what he needs. Of course, I forbid him to ever ride on the freeway. Surface streets only. He loves it. We've only had it a few days and the when he went to fill it up, it cost a little over $3.00! And that's my man!!!



Maycee wasn't too sure about the scooter. She's definitely a girl.

I'm Going There Someday

Maycee and I had an opportunity to go to the Gila Valley Temple Open House. I was so thankful to be able to go. It was such a wonderful experience. I had some of the best moments walking through the temple with Maycee. I look forward to the day that I can go and be able to feel closer to my Heavenly Father. For now, I'm doing what I can to feel his love in my life. Having a child has definitely added to that feeling.

As for the trip, it was so much fun. Maycee was an angel and slept the whole way. While she was busy sleeping, I enjoyed conversing with Alaina (my sister-in-law), and my mom. That's definitely one thing that I have missed since getting married. I spend most days with Shem and it's different talking with a man all the time. It was nice having a few hours to spend with some other moms. When we go to Pima, we got lunch at a little burger joint. It was apparent the some folks of the town were bothered by the rush of Mormons coming to see the new temple. I'm sure not everyone feels that way, but some made it clear we were a nuisance. The temple will only bring good things. Of course, there has to be opposition in all things.

The open house was held in a chapel conveniently placed right next to the temple. The tour was orderly and not too long (perfect for having children come along). After going through the temple, we were led back to the chapel to have refreshments. Such a neat experience!

I failed to mention the wind was horrendous! But the pictures still turned out.



Three generations: Grandma, Mom, and Daughter