November kicked off with a lovely day at the beautiful shores of Lake Guthrie. Our dear friends Jan and Bob hosted Makenzie and me for a day of feeding geese (who were scared and not hungry), looking for crawdads (too cold), throwing rocks, lunch and throwing pottery. They have a pottery studio at their house (very cool and if you ever get a chance to view or purchase Garrett Pottery, please do.) so they let Makenzie play with clay and me make something. I definitely don’t have a future in pottery, but it was fun to get messy and try something new.

Geese - who needs 'em?

Serious conversations happen by the water.

Playing with her "play doh."

Good times had by all.

I think I’ve mentioned before that Justin’s little sister and her family are moving to OKC at the first of the year. While they were house hunting and preparing for their move we got to watch their kids. I love how well Makenzie and her cousins play together and find fun at every turn. We cannot wait to have them closer and watch them grow up together.

Playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain. Owen's in there somewhere.

Oh there he is!

And here's Owen again after knocking over Makenzie's tent. Good times.

I was equally thrilled and scared when our friend and Makenzie’s occasional babysitter asked her to be a flower girl in her wedding. Thrilled because I was so touched that someone would want my child to be part of her wedding and scared because Makenzie’s not the greatest “performer” in front of crowds of strangers. She did extremely well at the wedding and partied into the evening at the reception, especially since her nap was only about 30 minutes in the car.

How about we get this show on the road?

Party animals, just add slinkies.

And no November post is complete without talking about Thanksgiving. We had four Thanksgiving meals this year, up one from our normal three. I can’t say I minded too much because I’m wearing stretchy maternity pants and have a big ol’ appetite. The traveling wore us out, but that’s every year. Makenzie loved seeing family and playing with her cousins. We are very blessed to have such fun families. Each one is different, but each one is fun to be around. This was the first Thanksgiving without my grandpa so we had a few tearful moments, but we quickly recovered with a happy memory.

The only family pic we managed to take. Gobble gobble!!

Makenzie’s prediction was correct. She’s getting a little brother. Time to figure out what the heck I’m supposed to do with a baby boy. All I’ve ever known is girls (sisters, nieces, daughter) so this will be a completely new adventure. From what I know from my nephews, they tend to get a bit wild. But, no girl drama like we are experiencing now so there’s a plus.

Makenzie has been asking some funny questions about the baby lately. Here are a few I can remember and will update when I think of more.

• Will the baby walk by itself?
• Can the baby slide with me?
• (On the way to the ultrasound this morning) Are they going to take the baby out of your tummy to take it’s picture?
• Can I feed the baby applesauce?
• Is it’s head going to fall off? (In response to the ultrasound tech pointing out his head this morning.)
• Will it’s momma rock it like a baby? (We have work to do on this one.)
• And my favorite… Can I tickle the baby? (She then proceeded to tickle my belly and laugh.)

Time to shop for airplane decor. I have a room to decorate!

We had the chance to watch Justin’s little sister’s kids, Avery and Owen, while she and Mark looked for houses in OKC/Edmond. They are moving at the end of the year. We are so excited to have them closer and that Makenzie will have cousins to grow up with. We had fun spending time with them and cannot wait to have them here permanently.

Halloween was really fun this year. I didn’t realize that kids wear their costumes so much – school party, friends’ party, Grandma’s house and trick or treating -  but our little ladybug didn’t mind. Makenzie loves ladybugs so when I found the costume I bought it right away. I was looking for a black shirt when I found the ladybug tights. That was just a bonus that made her costume that much better, in my opinion.

We stopped by our neighborhood party for dinner before begging for candy on Halloween night and met up with some neighbor friends, one of which was also a cute little ladybug. We wound up trick-or-treating with them, which was a lot of fun. She was a trick-or-treat professional after just two houses. I think it was her third house where she got a piece of candy, I asked her what she should say, and she said “Can I have some more?” Not exactly the “thank you” I was looking for, but it got a laugh from the lady and two or three more pieces in her bag. Can’t beat smiles and candy.

We enjoyed the great weather and great football this month. Our beloved Cowboys are kicking butt and taking names this year and we are loving every minute of it. We have to, you never know when Squinky will strike again.

We aren’t regular fair-goers, but my pregnancy appetite is pretty strong so the thought of all the food got me a little giddy. Makenzie, being exactly 36″ tall that day, enjoyed the kiddie rides she was tall enough for until a mute carney man decided to post his 36″ sign higher than the rest and crushed a little girl’s dreams of riding in a flying Dumbo. She got over it fairly quickly; I have not.

I picked Makenzie up from school one Friday afternoon and journeyed over to the Oklahoma Railway Museum to meet Thomas the Tank Engine. I had no idea what to expect, but Makenzie likes trains and I couldn’t pass up the beautiful weather. We both had a good time and are looking forward to next year.

Click on a picture to be taken to a slideshow of all of them.

We made another summer trek to Branson the first weekend of August. We were looking forward to it so much because Justin’s entire family was going to be there. The long weekend was packed with lake fun, food, drinking (well, some of us), and laughs. A few tears (can’t get that many kids under 4 together and not expect a few tears) but mostly relaxing good times. We even managed to take a family photo in Justin’s parents’ backyard. That photographer definitely had her hands full with all of us, but she was a true professional and stayed calm. Can’t wait to see the finished products.

Lake bums

Michelle and Carson

Ready to go!

Concentrating on Collin's train set.

Concentrating on a good song. See any similarity to picture above?

My step sister is a roller derby rock star on Enid’s newly formed team. We jumped at the chance to see her compete in OKC. Makenzie thought it was fun, Justin was an instant fan and I loved seeing Bonnie kick some tail.

Enid Roller Girls' newest fans

Always fun hanging out with Aunt Traci and Poppy

We also got to meet our friends’ new baby girl Camryn Nash, spend some time at the pool and hang out with friends and family. A tough month following my Grandpa’s passing, but all in all, a good end to the hottest summer ever recorded in the country’s history.

So happy to be holding "Baby Camera."

Pool time with the Bachmans

I love it when my mom and sisters meet in Stillwater for lunch. It's my happy place.

Still too hot for the pool? Bathtubs work just as well. (I love this picture.)

I’m experiencing a lot of the same symptoms of my first pregnancy, but also several different ones. And the ones that are the same are different in their own way, if that makes any sense. I just have to remember that it’s temporary.

Makenzie doesn’t seem to care too much about the pending upheaval to her world. She went to my last doctor’s appointment and heard the baby’s heartbeat. She had on her ultra-serious “processing the information” face. The doctor asked her what it sounds like and she said a train. It kind of did, and with her love of trains, I wasn’t surprised. The doctor thought it was hilarious. Now she’ll say that I have a “baby train” or just simply a train in my belly. (Is that a fat joke?)

More updates to come. Here we go again!

We sent this picture to our families to tell them Makenzie was going to be a big sister.

I stopped singing it to her for a while because she was putting herself to sleep and not really all that cranky. All that changed a few weeks ago when our lives were temporarily cursed with the evil that are 2-year molars. Bedtime turned into a struggle again and she was kind of off during the days, too. One night when Justin and I were out of options for getting our angel to sleep, I resorted to my old standby and sang my heart out. It worked like a charm.

The point of the story is that after a few nights of singing to Makenzie to coax her to sleep, she asked me to sing her “the Amazing Grace song.” She’d never asked for a specific song before, especially not that one. It’s such a sweet song anyway, but now I can say it’s “our song.”

I hope I can always calm her down with a simple song, but I know that one day she’ll figure out that I’m a terrible singer and beg me to stop. Until then, I’ll enjoy the moment and sing until she snores.

That was on a Sunday on our way back from a family lunch in Stillwater. We had just started potty training Makenzie the Thursday before and were amazed at how easy she made it for us. I just decided to put her in underwear one day after school, she had two accidents that day (one while standing over a toy!) and never looked back. My girl, she’s smart.

And then the evil automatic flusher had to come into our lives.

After that complete freak out she refused to sit on any toilet that wasn’t in her bathroom at home or the one in her classroom at school. Even other bathrooms in our house she had used before were no longer trustworthy. This made going anywhere a bit of a challenge because she also didn’t want to wear, or go in, a pull-up or diaper.

I did the only thing I knew to do with her and explained *over and over* that not all potties flush by themselves and that if she can see the handle that means we get to flush it when we’re done. That worked after about a week, but before she caught on to the handle logic, she figured out in her mind that white potties don’t flush by themselves. (I think the one in the gas station was stainless steel.) That worked until we were at Braum’s one day and she really had to go. White potty. Automatic flusher. No handle. Good thing we were 2 minutes from home.

So now my very observant daughter has to check for the handle on any potty she sits on. She’s so relieved when she finds the handle that she gets excited and can’t wait to do her thing. We haven’t encountered too many automatic flushers since she’s figured out the handle logic, but the few we have (thank the Lord) weren’t evil like the one at the gas station in Stillwater.

The magnitude of her handle obsession was apparent yesterday. We were at a home decor store and upon entering the bathroom Makenzie could see one of the potties in a small stall had a handle. You can almost feel her relief when she saw it. So, relieved as well, I scoot us in the handicap stall and hang up my jacket. I look down to find her actually trembling, staring at the oversized, automatic flusher. She said, terrified, “Mommy, that one flushes by itself!” So we crammed ourselves into the small stall farthest away from the evil stall and all was fine.

Countless things have surprised me since becoming a mother, but I really never thought I’d know which public restrooms had automatic flushing toilets. Surely there’s an app for that.

To make this a little easier on me, I’ll paraphrase the email I sent to Father Joe, who in turn used it and my sister’s email in his eulogy. That was hard but touching.

———-

I’ve heard stories throughout my 32 years about the boy who lost his mom too soon, loved it when his dad had barn dances and who loved and learned so much from his beloved sister Toni.

I’ve heard the rare stories about the WWII soldier who had a guardian angel with him while serving his country. (Several angels, probably.) We’ve all heard – and retold to our friends – the story of his first beer (that he admits to) and will think of him every time we hold a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon. He loved that story.

He told me himself about returning home from war, which detail I remember best is the tear he shed for that moment all those years later.

He proudly wore his WWII veteran hat and made friends of strangers who started conversations because of it.

I know about the hard-working husband and father who labored as a county road foreman and farmer to provide for his family, yet was gentle enough to braid my mom’s hair for school (a skill he never forgot and practiced on my older sister Traci two days before his passing). His nephews have told me stories about the uncle who was always up for an adventure. I wish I could have been a part of some of those.

My own memories are too many to write in an email, but I’ll do my best at articulating what I’ll remember most about my Grandpa Maly.

Family was the center of Grandpa’s life. He said all the time that “nothing is more important than family.” He didn’t just say it; he lived it. His faith was stronger than anyone’s I’ve ever met, and he loved to make people smile. Often ornery, always playful, I’ll remember the spark in his eyes and contagious spirit.

There were a lot of things I looked forward to as I became a new mother, but one of the most important was introducing Grandpa to my child. I will never forget his hard-worked, aged hand softly taking the hand of my newborn. It was as if only he and she existed at that point in time. I will cherish the observation of that moment forever.

I am thankful my daughter got to know him, if for only a little while. She won’t have memories of her G-G-Pa, but I’ll tell her about how he could make her smile easier than anyone. He had a way with babies that I think only the most gentle-natured people do.

A true gentleman, he was welcoming and kind. I know each member of his family had a unique and special relationship with him, which I’m sure is true for a lot of people he knew. That says to me he truly cared about people for who they were and understood how to love unconditionally.

His impression wasn’t only left on the people he met. He touched those who knew him through stories told by others. A friend of mine, upon learning of his passing, made it a point to tell me her husband started drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon beer after hearing me tell his story of ordering one before going to war, trying to order one when he came to my new home for the first time, and us having it at his 88th birthday dinner. My friends always liked Grandpa stories, especially about his love of dancing.

My final thought drifts to his polka dancing. I never went to one of his dances, although now I wish I had, but I loved how much he loved it. It kept his soul young and taught me the value of doing the things you love to do. I found it charming that after each of his health setbacks he was always so concerned about when he could start dancing again. I am comforted by the image of him literally waltzing through Heaven’s gates.

Grandpa Maly was an independent, stubborn yet easy going, fun-loving, up-for-anything, family man of God. I am sad for those he left behind, but so incredibly happy for his eternal life.

———–

And now, some pictures.

Their first meeting

First 4 generation picture.

Celebrating Grandpa's birthday 2009

Such a good babysitter

It got a little difficult to get a picture, but I think this one is cute.

While Makenzie was at MDO I ran errands and was able to toast my company’s new business cards and a new client with champagne and orange juice. Afterwards she and I played at home until Justin got home. Low key evening. Enough said, ’cause there really isn’t anything more to say.

Friday was another MDO morning. I got to enjoy a great lunch with my good friends Julie and Jan. I enjoyed it so much that I was almost late to get Makenzie at 2:00. Being late to get her gives me more anxiety than I’m willing to talk about. Let’s just say I’ll probably be billed for the tire marks left in Lottinville’s parking lot.

After I got Makenzie we high-tailed it to Jenks to the Oklahoma Aquarium. It’s a really great place, but Makenzie lost interest about halfway through it. We’ll enjoy it again when she’s a little older. She loved the turtles and said “HI FISHIES!” to every fish tank we saw. It was really cute.

We went to Enid Saturday to visit my Grandpa in the hospital. Definitely not a fun day, but Makenzie got to play with her cousins Avery and Owen while we were at the hospital and Ella during dinner. After so much traveling, our only goal for Sunday was to not get in a car. I made it, Justin drove 2 miles to pick up dinner. Just what we needed after our wonderfully fast week of fun.

Checking out the crabs.

Starfish and seahorses

It'll be fun to take this picture each time we go. (Yes she has smiley face stickers all over her legs.)

Not as excited about taking a picture with the racoon, but she loved that he was eating grapes and apples like she does.

Laying next to a shark.

Her favorite exhibit was the turtles. There were several in and out of the water.