Happy Valentine's Day

With VALENTINE'S DAY just around the corner,

Mae decided she needed to make a card for her cousins. 

 What beautiful artwork!

Hold on, Mae! What's on your face?

Mama: "Mae, you're drawing on your FACE!"  

Mae: "Mama, markers are more fun if you EAT THEM!

That's one pretty Valentine!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!   Love, Mae



A New Year

I declare 2011 to be the year of "DOING THINGS"!  And so far 2011 is off to a good start.  On January 8, Josh and I took a fairly spontaneous trip to Seattle to watch the Seahawks take on the Saints.  Mae hung out with the Clares (thank you, Clares!) while Josh and I and thousands of other fans created seismic activity with our screaming and yelling.  It was one of the best games I have ever seen. I wonder what the rest of 2011 has in store!

Christmas Saved

 My co-worker, Karen, and her husband, Bill, saved Christmas!  Josh and I usually get our Christmas trees from the forest, but the weather and roads were so bad this year that we had to buy one at "The General Store."  Bad idea.  We should've known that a FROZEN SHUT $15 tree wouldn't make the cut.  After it dropped about 10 pounds of needles on our living room floor, we chucked it into the back yard and decided that the Landruses wouldn't be having a tree this year.  Karen and Bill took pity on us.  Actually, they couldn't bear the thought of Mae being scarred for life on the off-chance that she'd actually remember not having a Christimas tree when she was a year old.  So, they dug a 20-year-old artificial Christmas tree out of storage and gave it to us.  We set up the sweet little Mae-sized tree, decorated it with lights, garland, and decorations, and enjoyed a most festive Christmas!  Thanks Karen! Thanks Bill!

Warning: Tiger in the Park



Josh and I went to Franklin Park on Halloween Day to enjoy the fall colors. We have heard that, if we're very, very quiet, we might see the Franklin Park TIGER make her annual appearance!



We couldn't believe our luck!  We spotted her right away!

Josh noticed she was foraging for food, so he gave her a Coke to wash down her dinner.

"ROAR!"



Wow!  She's a scary (and cute) tiger!  I asked Josh if we could take her home and keep her. 



He said it probably wasn't a good idea, because tigers can be unpredictable.

 

Sorry, Kitty.  I hope to see you again next year!







Put Me In Coach



My co-clerk, Colin, got married Saturday night . 
Saturday morning he had a flag football game to work out pre-wedding jitters!
Josh was more than happy to help.
And Mae had fun just watching at first.



But soon, she wanted to play, too.

Mama didn't let her play though.
So she yelled for Dada from the sidelines instead.



"Yay, Dada!"



"Watch out, Dada!"
L to R: The Ring Bearer, the Groom, and Dada



It was fun watching Dada play again,
and it was fun watching Mae watch Dada play for the first time. 
I love my family!



Happy Birthday, Baby

We celebrated Mae's first birthday last weekend in Clarkston.  It's hard to believe Baby Mae is one.  She's shedding more of her"baby" title every day and quickly becoming "The Kid."  In fact, she started walking the day before her party, so she had some new moves to show off to her grandmas and grandpas.  Check out some pictures from her party!

Three dozen cupcakes. Three dozen fondant monkey faces.
Eighteen girl monkeys.
Eighteen boy monkeys.
One late night.

Mae's Cupcake

"Hmmm, what's this tastes like?" wonders Mae in her cupcake dress.

"I'll try just a little bit."

"Mmm...That's pretty good."

"And it's all mine?"

"Don't mind if I do."

"That was GOOD!  Can I open presents now?"

Cousins Luella and Rebecca dress up for Mae's party.

After a quick bath, Mae and Daddy open presents.
Mae gets her very own rocking chair from Great-Great Grandma and Auncy.

"WOW! Look at all these cool presents. People must really like me!"

What a Beautiful Smile