Bath Time

Macey loves bath time! We have the same bath time rituals every night. The older she gets, the more fun it becomes!

First, Macey loves my camera. Every time it comes out, so do her little hands...trying to find a way to get it from mom!

Before we get in the tub, Macey dances in front of the mirror to Scott B-Boxing and Mom trying to rap. (Poor girl.) (But, I'm pretty sure she thinks there is another little girl dancing with her. She loves mirrors, but I don't think she understands them yet! :) )

Oh, bath toys are a must! She got a few for Christmas, and they are the best part of bath time (but they stay in bath tub, and she can only play with them while she is in there). While she plays with them, she goes crazy!

The other night in the bath tub, Scott noticed Macey scooting her bum forward. She found her reflection! Now, every night at bath time, she scoots her bum to the front of the tub find it. Macey has such personality. I wouldn't trade her for anything!

Senior Project

This blog usually has one hot topic: the cutest girl on the planet, Macey Claire. Well, there are two more of us in this family, so here is an update on one of them! (But...here is quick picture of Macey Claire yesterday!)

I am so proud of Scott. I can't say it enough! He graduates with his Bachelors Degree in 8 days. I can't believe we made it! Scott has worked so hard, and these last few weeks are the culmination of hard work. In retrospection, we both agree that it is only by divine help that we made it here! BYU-Idaho was not our first choice in schools, but we felt like it was where we were supposed to go. In the end (because that's where we are now) BYU-Idaho has been such a blessing to us.

Scott has worked so hard at BYU-Idaho, so he deserves a blog post just about him!

• Scott has been going to school straight for 4 semesters: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Spring.
• He has taken 19, 21, 21, and 19 credits those 4 semesters.
• He has balanced 2 part time jobs: maintenance at our apartment complex and teaching seminary part time.
• I had a baby during a semester where he had 21 credits.
• During the 7 week break from school, Fall Semester, and Christmas Break, he completed 6 BYU Independent Study Credits.
• He has not only passed courses, but he has excelled in courses. (Graduating, in eight days, with honors.)
• Taken (and studied for) the GRE.
• Applied to Graduate School.
• Applied for jobs and interviewed for jobs (in case seminary teaching doesn't work out).
• Worked incredibly hard at teaching seminary (as hire time is rolling around VERY quickly).
• Played with Macey during all his free time.
• Taken care of and loved me as his wife and helpmeet. (If you ask him about graduating, he will quickly give me the credit for getting him here. HE deserves all the credit!)

He's pretty amazing, huh? Every minute I waited for him for come into my life, was totally worth it!

Yesterday, Scott presented his Senior Project, so Macey and I went to cheer him on. (Although, I had one fussy girl...so a lot of cheering came from the hallway!) He started and maintained a photography business last semester. I'm so proud of him. (Sorry the picture is blurry. I was wrestling a 9.5 month old while I took it!) Senior Project done! Now on to Graduation!

The Perfect Picture

Years ago, I read or heard a story, but I can't remember where I heard the story. I couldn't find it when I looked for it. If you know where I got it from, you should comment and let me know!

The story is about a busy mother and a picture. An older woman, who had children that were grown, found a picture one day. The picture was of her three young kids having a picnic. The day, in the picture, was perfect. Her three kids seemed to be having a great time! But, the older woman could not remember the day. She couldn't remember what they had for lunch, what they had talked about--the small moments captured within this picture. She figured that she had been too busy trying to organize and plan bath times, what they would have for dinner, etc., to enjoy the moment. She couldn't remember the moment because she had been too focused on the wrong things.

I was thinking about this story last night, and the perfect day we had yesterday. I realized, that the few pictures I had captured yesterday, should not be forgotten--piled in a box on a shelf. I don't want to forget these moments.

Macey LOVES the outside. Yesterday, we pulled out her sunglasses, sunhat, put on her sunsuit, lathered on sunscreen, and headed to the park. We didn't have any obligations--homework, housework, any kind of work! We sat on a blanket at Porter Park, blew bubbles, ate snacks, fed Macey lunch, laughed, and enjoyed our time.

We came home for Macey to take a nap. After nap time, we went to swing on the swings at our apartment complex. Before I knew it, 35 minutes had passed! (How does a child not complain after being on a swing for that long?) Macey was gut laughing the whole time. We all left walking on cloud nine. You can't beat spending time with each other!

Yesterday was the perfect day.

Clapping

We are still working on the clapping thing, but here is one of Macey's first attempts!

Playing at the Park

The last couple days in Rexburg have been wonderful! We have had sun and warm weather. It's been a tough winter for me. The inner Lisa wanted to walk to the park, to play outside, to get out of the house period! I have been looking forward to this warm weather for a long time! It was warm enough to go to the park last week. I'm glad that Macey still LOVES being outside!

What Happens at Your Breakfast Table?

9 Months

Macey's self portrait! She found my camera, turned it on, and took a picture before we figured out what was going on. Our smart, 9 month old daughter:

Yep, that's right: Macey is 9 months! (When did she get to be so old?!) She turned 9 months on this past Wednesday, the 14th. Want to know the best part about this birthday? We had a doctor's appointment WITHOUT shots!

Weight: 23.8 pounds, 99th percentile

Height: 31.5 inches, 100th percentile

Macey is a big girl for her age, and I absolutely LOVE it! She is learning so quickly, and she is acting more like a big kid than a baby. New things about Macey:

-She scoots...but only backward.

-She loves to play games--peek-a-boo is a favorite.

-She has 8 teeth!

-She can eat almost anything you give her (She LOVES celery and cucumbers).

-She loves to go outside and loves the swings at the park.

-She loves books. If she finds one on the ground, she will scoot to it, and flip it open to look at the pictures.

-She loves the wreath on our door. We have to be quick or she will yank it off the door!

-She loves mirrors. She dances in front of one when sees her reflection.

-She loves little kids. She listens and watches for kids wherever we go. Sometimes, it makes me sad that she doesn't have any siblings!

-She is a charmer. She will smile at any one she meets!

-Her head bobs to music and her booty shakes.

-She is still perfect.

How to Spend a Saturday

Today we had a wonderful, relaxing Saturday. We spent time with each other, and it was great! Scott wanted to go around taking pictures, so we explored Rigby and Mud Lake. It was a fun car ride, and I enjoyed seeing parts of Idaho I hadn't seen before. Macey loved watching the scenery as we went! And while Scott took pictures, we played and took pictures :)

15 Minutes in the Life of Macey

I went to the gym today, and I came back to this video. Scott mashed pictures together of our moving Macey and made a movie!

She is into everything, but how can you resist a face like this? :)

Life Update

It has been an emotionally and mentally draining week for me. Life has hit me hard, but hard experiences always remind me of what I am grateful for. Today (this week, this year, pretty much forever :) ) I am grateful for Scott and Macey! They make sure there is always a smile on my face :)

A couple Sundays ago, Scott and Macey built a fort. She loved it. She laughed, and was a very attentive listener as her dad read her the Llama llama books!

Macey has decided baby food is not as good as real food. (I mean, who were we fooling?? She is a Bagley and a Christensen...) We gave her a blueberry muffin, and she devoured it! She went face first in to the muffin! Her first birthday is going to be great.

Macey is officially crawling...backwards! She gets everywhere she needs to be by crawling backwards, pivoting, rolling over, but never crawling forward! The other day I heard screaming, and I found her stuck under her crib.

Macey is still Miss Independent! She bites on the spoon every time I try to feed her. This gives her time to grab it (usually, my cat-like reflexes can deflect the grabbing hands). She knows what she is doing, and she ends up laughing at herself.

Macey falls asleep in every position imaginable! She usually falls asleep on her side...? The other day I found her using her dog as a pillow. If it helps her fall asleep, I am okay with it!