the deep freeze

ugh. that's all i can say.  those record breaking lows...not my favorite.  and being stuck inside is not the best.  but we survived.  when the snow first started last tuesday, it hadn't gotten too cold, so we headed outside for some fun.

mae did not particularly enjoy being bundled up

 we plopped her on the sled...ps i'm pretty sure this sled it at least 15 years old.

 i'm willing to bet that i had a better time than she did, but per usual, she amused me, and pretended to have fun.

 gramps worked from home, so mae was able to play with him a lot.  he took her for a spin around the yard.

 she had more fun using the dust pan to shovel snow

 when it started to get real cold and windy that afternoon, we went out to the screened porch...which has a delightful propane heater.  she had a blast playing with her sand toys in the snow.

 

after a day or so i couldn't take it anymore. (i guess it's a good thing we're moving to austin and not north dakota).  so we headed to an indoor playground and met up with some friends.  all i can say is totally worth the money.  munchkin had a ball.  there is so much to do there, it was like toy overload.

 

mae's new favorite form of entertainment is the ipad.  my mom got this shot of her watching the other night.

mae never really liked noodles, so it was much to my surprise when she developed a love for spaghetti.  meatballs...a whole other story.  she loves meat.

the biggest news is we found a house!  i went down to austin over the weekend to see cody and to meet with our realtor (whom, by the way, i totally love).  we had done quite a bit of research previous to meeting with her, especially since we needed to move in fairly quickly.  saturday was an extremely long day, and totally draining.  but we found our home!  i love it.  it's a grown up home.  which is kind of scary, but we couldn't be happier.
 

we're excited to start this new chapter of our lives.  and to actually live in the same state as each other.

some firsts

week two without cody was off to a pretty decent start.  mae actually made it through sunday school.  that's a first for us.  although, another first for us are temper tantrums.  mae has developed a knack for them.  usually they're pretty short a sweet, but we've had a few that were rather epic.  ah, life with a toddler.

while cody is gone, i've been taking a picture each day and posting it on instagram for him.  this one is one of my favorites...

she looks like a member of the flock of seagulls

 story time is a must for us!  we love going, they do such an awesome job at the library.  i highly recommend it.  and it's free! 

 my parents got her this sweet chair for christmas.  i was helping them organize their storage room, which mae is afraid of, so she just sat right outside the door in her chair while we were in there...okay sat is an exaggeration, but she had a good time.

 we figured out how to get this child to sit and watch a show.  put her in her sassy seat at the counter.  she sat through an entire sesame street episode yesterday.  that is another first for us

 

 our little ham...wearing her bloomers on her head after church yesterday.

i'm headed to austin this weekend!  cody and i are meeting with our realtor and are checking out some homes. this will be my first weekend away from mae.  i'm excited to get down there and see our new hometown! 

single ladies

thank you beyonce.  mae and i love to dance to this song.

 

cody is left for austin last week, and started his new job yesterday.  he is still getting acclimated, but is enjoying it so far.  to all the single parents, major props.  it is hard! sunday was one of the more difficult days i've had since becoming a mom.  church, by yourself, during nap time with a toddler that doesn't like to nap, and having a calling can make for an interesting day. but, we made it through.

each moring we have skype time with daddy.

 munchkin has loved the toys that gram and gramps have.  these are some seriously old hand-me-down toys.  uncle coleman style.  she loves these big legos, and has actually gotten pretty good at putting them together.

 bad parent moment of the week:  mae had a later dinner one night, so i figured she wouldn't be ready for her milk at the normal time.  she was a little grumpy and trying to tell me something but i just brushed her off and told her to go play. finally she was happy playing with the canned goods my mom keeps in the pantry.  my mom and i heard this slurping noise, and we look over and mae is trying to drink from the cream of mushroom soup can.  apparently, a later dinner does not mean a later milk time.

we had a cold and rainy week last week, and homegirl was itching to get outside, and let off some energy.  i've always said i would never take my kids to those playgrounds inside the mall, it's like a breeding ground for germs.  well, after a few days of trying to entertain this busy, active girl inside, i finally caved.  and she had a blast.

 needless to say i brought her home and changed her clothes and wiped her down.

her new fave is apples.  i love watching her eat them, it's so funny. 

 and she still likes to have her legs crossed.

some good news, we're under contract with our house.  i was so nervous that it would take a really long time, and i would have to deal with all kinds of stuff by myself, but we got two offers the day before cody left. it was a big testimony builder for me, and reassured me that this is the right thing for our family.

hello 2014

happy new year!  it's hard to believe that it's already 2014.  crazy.  and what a crazy, busy, fun year we had.  many big events, and firsts for our little family.  trips, car accidents, new callings, new cars, new nieces and nephews, new jobs (yes plural), first steps, and words.  as i look back on this past year, i can truly see how much the Lord has blessed us.

mae had a blast with her uncles while they were home.  it was actually nice to be at my parents home when they were, because she got some serious bonding time with them. 

 she continuously cracks me up.

 munchkin adjusted pretty quickly to her new surroundings, but it took a few days.  after a particularly rough night, she and i both fell asleep on the bean bag chair watching mickey mouse.

 this is how we found her sleeping the other day.

 her new thing is her tights.  she digs them out of her drawer and wears them around her neck.  she threw quite the tantrum the other day when i tried to take them away from her at bedtime.  so, the tights went to bed with her.

 we're so lucky to be able to stay with my parents while the house is on the market!  i'm so glad i'm not there stressing about keeping everything neat.  i'm sure they're ready for us to leave, so hopefully the house will sell soon so we can pack up and ship out!

i'm surprised at how excited i've gotten about moving.  one of my goals this year was to get settled in austin, and make an effort to like it there.  since i made that goal, i've noticed that i've gotten excited to start our new life out there...so here we go 2014!