How I Spend My Nights

I've decided tonight I would do the typical post about what I do every night. Wait, that isn't a typical post? Oh well...

Tanner is a dear and makes a point to come home for dinner every night. I cherish the hour that I am allotted and so does Mariah. So I try as hard as I can to have dinner ready when he arrives. Since I don't plan ahead very well that often means rushing to get everything done. After that wonderful hour, Tanner usually heads back up to campus to study. Apparently I'm distracting or something. Which is surprising to me because I don't even like to talk...right.

I then go through the torturous, for both Mariah and I, task of getting Mariah ready for bed. She loves bathtime. But it's all downhill after that. She's not a fan of getting lotion put on or getting dressed. So her "soothing bedtime routine" most often involves a lot of screaming. Bless her little heart, she's trying her hardest to express herself. And she usually succeeds.

After Mariah is in her crib and finally asleep, I often hear Simon and Garfunkel harmonizing most beautifully the end of one of their songs: "And whispered in the soooouuuuuunds of silence". It almost brings a tear to the eye each night.

While Mariah's night of fun is now over mine has just begun. Because I often have to "slam" meals, the kitchen usually looks more like a warzone than a kitchen. After the kitchen is cleaned I then clean the living room. After that I'm usually so beat I just read a book or watch a show on Netflix until Tanner comes home. Pretty dang exciting...

Tonight my routine was a little different. As I was washing my huge stack of dishes the doorbell rang. I had a mini heart attack because I was looking a little haggard with my frizzy hair, old Pitt sweatshirt and spaghetti sauce splatter on my jeans. Plus tonight was one of those warzone nights.

I slowly opened the door to find this:

We were doorbell ditched! I had the biggest dorkiest grin on my face as I walked into the house. Did these "friends in the ward" know that  my day had been filled with Mariah crying every time she was set down, and a disaster of a house? Did they know that when Tanner left tonight I was seriously tempted to fall to the ground, grab on to his ankle and beg him not to leave?  

I'm sure they made cookies and then decided it would be fun to doorbell ditch some people in the ward. Thats why I doorbell ditched as a child, for the rush that comes when you sneak up to someone's door.

But it really affected me, so much that I decided to blog about it. Someone was thinking about me tonight and wanted to make my night a little better. And they did. So thank you "friends in the ward". You made what was going to be an ordinary, same ol', lonely night special.

And just because I cannot blog without putting up a picture of Mariah:

She worked on that sweet mohawk all night! I think she was pretty proud of herself.

Mariah can clap her hands!  I use the term "clap" quite loosely, you don't hear the "clapping" sound when Mariah claps her hands. But that is what she is doing. And if anyone thinks otherwise please just keep it to yourself. Two proud parents don't want to hear it.

Yes, it was long. But there was too much adorable to pick anything to cut out. Besides, this is mainly for Grandma anyways.

Who Else Do I Blog About?

It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday night and I have realized that I haven't done my weekly post. Not that I have been stellar about the weekly thing...but if I give up tonight I may just give up forever. And then how would all you people out there get your weekly fill of Mariah? It is my duty, and I must not shirk.

Last week I got a teensy bit of cabin fever. So we bundled baby girl up and went for a walk.

She kept kicking her boots off so Tanner finally improvised and put his gloves on her feet. She looked like some strange webbed creature. It was cute, but freaky all at the same time.

Now Tanner is back in school with his nose to the grindstone, or something like it. And poor, little Mariah is stuck with boring old me. When Tanner got home tonight she was so excited. She was wiggling all over the place and squealing like crazy. It was pretty cute. I want to do that when Tanner comes home, but I also want him to like coming home, and I don't think I would look as cute wiggling and squealing.

Interview With A Nine Month Old

My word, my mouth is huge...I had to put this up because Mariah is just so cute in it! 

Mom: We survived another month!

Mariah: It was a good one!

Mom: What did you get to spend most of the month doing?

Mariah: Visiting family! First we went to Aunt Boo's wedding. I have a new Uncle! I'm pretty excited about that. It was great to see Grandma and Grandpa Young, my Aunts and Uncles and all my cousins! I had a blast playing with them all. Too bad it was only for a weekend. I need a few months to really catch up with everyone! And you didn't do a very good job of taking pictures. I think Aunt Amanda took some good ones, maybe she would send you some!

Mom: Did you read that Amanda? We are in need of some pictures! This is the only one we took the whole time and it was on our way home from the airport. Pitiful, I really dropped the ball that weekend.

Mom: Who else did you get to visit Mariah?

Mariah: Well we drove all the way up to Pittsburgh to be with Grandma and Grandpa Crossley and Aunt Natalie for Christmas. It was a twelve hour drive and you said I was an angel for both there and back. You kind of sounded surprised, I'm not sure why.

Mom: I guess I didn't have Faith in you. Shame on me. What did you get to do at Grandma and Grandpa Crossley's?

Mariah: I got all the attention I wanted! They were all so much fun to play with. I got to play the piano, read books, dance around the house, look out the glass doors, walk all over the place, eat yummy food and just bask in all the attention, it was grand!

Mom: How did you sleep this last month?

Mariah: Since we did a lot of traveling and I wasn't spending as much time with you I decided to make up for that in the night. We sure had a great time in the wee hours of the morning didn't we?

Mom: I always have considered myself a morning person, just not at three in the morning. What are some of your favorite things?

Mariah: I just love the barnyard that you got for me. It makes all kinds of fun noises and there are a lot of great things to chew on!

Mariah: Oh and I've also learned that when you get the camera out I'm supposed to smile!

Mom: I noticed that! Makes for really cute pictures; You are so photogenic! How is the crawling situation going?

Mariah: I've decided that crawling is for babies. And since I'm a big girl I'm just skipping the crawling and going straight to walking. I love when someone lets me hold their fingers in a death-grip and walks me all around. In fact, once I get going if someone decides their back is killing them and stop I immediately begin screaming. They seem to muster the strength to keep going after that.

Mom: Poor Grandma Crossley and Aunt Natalie may need therapy after the laps they did with you around the house. I hope you realize that in order to walk you will need to learn how to at least pull yourself up to a standing position.

Mariah: Nah. Thats what you and dad are for.

Mom: Sigh...I was afraid you might say that. Did you get to meet Santa this last month?

Mariah: I did! I was so intrigued with his beard that I didn't even cry. And look mom! You have a picture.

Mom: Thanks to my good friend I do!

Mom: Well baby girl, it's been a great month! Lets hope the next month is just as wonderful.

Mariah: Oh it will be even better! Love you mom!