Mariah Lately

Our little two year old is such a joy! I wish I could constantly be recording her. There are so many cute things she says/does that I don't ever want to forget. This is doctrine according to Ashley but I'm pretty sure in Heaven parents will be able to watch all those moments that they had with their children as many times as they want. At least thats how my Heaven is going to be.

The other day Mariah found a mini-frisbee and decided it would make the perfect plate for her baby. She asked for a spoon and sat right down and played mommy.

It's warming up and Mariah is loving being outside. If she had it her way we would be in the great outdoors all day long. She loves to look at all the bugs and she crouches down and talks to them. "Here ant, get in my hand." We found some baby birds in a nest today and it was so great talking about them with her. I love rediscovering things through the eyes of a child.

Several times when Tanner has gotten ready to leave she has announced "I go to school." with a defiant look in her eye that seems to say, "and there's nothing you can do about it." Good thing I'm still stronger than her. She will be so happy when her daddy has some time off to spend with her.

She is talking more and more. She had her cows from her fisher price barn lined up on the floor. She sat down in front of them and said, "hey cows, look at my shoes!". When her friend Oakley came over the other day she said, "hi Oakley, look at my dress!". Doesn't get much cuter than that.

This was my dress when I was her age. I'm so glad my mom saved it! 

8 Months

Another month has flown by and Chet keeps growing and changing! Here are some blurbs on the little big-man of the house:

No ear infections! I may have just jinxed myself but he has gone quite a while without one. Happy happy days!

He is starting to get possessive of things. Mariah has now learned that she can't sneakily take toys from him without me noticing. He has quite the angry screech.

He loves to eat. And make big big messes. We gave him a mango pit to gnaw on yesterday; big, huge, stained clothes mistake. If anyone is eating in front of him that is the only thing he can focus on.

I finally feel like he is starting to get on a schedule during the day. He naps at 10 and at 1 and goes to bed around 7. He still falls asleep like a champ but wakes up 3-4 times in the night. That really needs to change because this momma needs some quality sleep.

He loves people and has the sweetest smile when anyone gives him attention. I especially love it when he smiles through his binkie.

He has started giving wet, slobbery open-mouthed kisses and each time he gives me one I fall in love with him just a little bit more.

Chet is still crazy about his sister, just not when she pushes him over. (Mariah thinks it is hilarious; me, not so much.) He gets back by getting a fist-full of her hair and giving it a good yank.

He isn't moving, at all. I've seen him roll over once on his own. And that was because he was on his stomach and he just can't stand that. So he is on track to walk at 3, no biggie.

He would be the perfect baby if I could carry him around everywhere I go. But he should have thought of that before he came into this world weighing 11 pounds. I just can't pack 20 pounds around all day. So he gets his heart broken a little whenever I put him down or walk away.

When daddy comes home he gets really excited. It's as if he is saying, "Thank heavens! Another man in the house. These girls have been driving me crazy!" And Tanner says, "I know son, I feel the same way." Those poor boys.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Starting to feel the strain that comes with a busy Medical Student husband and father, I decided another day trip was in order. (Without Tanner, he just had to keep feeling the strain, poor guy) So I loaded the kiddos up and set off for Pella, Iowa and their famous Tulip Festival.

My babies were so good on the two hour drive there. I only had to pull over once to give Chet his Binkie and only had to blindly reach back and grab Mariah's "horsey" a hundred times. (slight exaggeration on my part, I am a Young after all.)

We arrived just in time for the parade. We found a nice little spot right at the beginning and had a great time! It met all of my requirements for a good parade: marching bands, horses, and a lot of smiling, waving people. Mariah was so cute waving to everyone who went by. She should have been in the parade. She would have been the sweetest Tulip Queen good ol' Pella had ever seen! Big mistake on their part.

Towards the end of the parade, Lisa, Chelsey and their ninos arrived. After the parade we walked around and tried to lose our children in the big crowd and met up with Allie and her kids. We let them run around in a grassy area and then waited in line at the famous Danish bakery. I got some delicious Danish letters and donut holes. And I even had the self-control to save some for Tanner (I was very proud of myself).

Chet is at that wonderful age where he has the most genuine smiles for pictures and Mariah is at that wonderful age where...

I love this picture! What a Cheeser! 

Mariah was really excited about this water. She cried when we left it. 

This is where Chet hung out a lot of the day. He even took a nap in there. 

It started to get a little blustery and looked like rain so I decided it was time for the Crossley crew to skedaddle before we got caught in a rainstorm. We made a bathroom pitstop on the way to the car (tiny college bathroom with a big ol' stroller; somehow I managed to get it both in and out). We made it to the car and as I put the stroller in the back it began to rain. Talk about timing!

Who needs a double stroller? Not these two! 

I was a little worried about the drive home because I was feeling a little sleepy. But Mariah decided she would be Mommy's little helper and talked the whole way home. Thats two hours of talking...can't imagine where she got that. We talked about cows and horses, lions and hippopotamuses; usual road trip talk. I only had to pull over once to give Chet his binkie and then he slept the rest of the way home.  

It was a great trip and Mariah and Chet were little angels. Thats my kind of day trip!

Little Miss Smarty Pants

A couple weeks before Mariah turned two, our church had a talent show. I had planned to do a skit with Tanner but something really important came up and Tanner couldn't be there. (Basketball games are really important, people). Because I don't have many talents and they wouldn't let me bring a horse to the church to saddle, I decided Mariah could represent the Crossley family.

She had been singing the ABCs for a while so I thought that would be a good one for her to do. We walked up onto the stage and she started singing away. It wasn't until the very end of the song that she seemed to realize everyone was watching and listening to her. Thats when stage fright set in. She froze and stared at everyone with wide open eyes, her lower jaw working back and forth (something she does when she gets nervous). So I finished the song up, everyone applauded and she was a happy girl.

I didn't get that recorded so I filmed her the other day. Here ya go Grandma Young!

I love Chet's big smile behind his binkie...the boy is in love and her name is Mommie!