Easter Babes

Like many others around the world, this past Easter we were able to spend the day with family.  We had a wonderful time at Hubert's parent's house and we were lucky enough to have Jake, Ashley, and Milo Baxter with us to share the holiday.  Here are some fun pictures of the babies.

This is Ellie showing off her new bottom teeth

Milo doing his famous new wave

Ellie with her Grandma Natasha

Milo with his surrogate Grandpa of the day, Gonzalo

Milo after he's put back a few gulps of his mother's finest breast milk

And finally, a picture of Ellie that I think is the cutest picture in the world

A Moment...with Meagan

On this segment of "A Moment...with Meagan,"  I will talk about an experience I shared with another individual this past month that really got me thinking.  No, it wasn't a deep conversation about such topics as religion, politics, children, or anything that would matter, it actually had nothing to do with any of that.  In fact, the other individual which whom I speak of has no idea he had anything to do with any experience I had.  So let's begin.  As I have talked about before, Hubert got me a wonderful jogging stroller for our anniversary, but because the weather here in Utah has been so cold, I have only been able to use it for short walks, that is, until last week.  You see, all of the sudden the days got warmer, the sun was out, and I wanted to take advantage of the weather so I decided to go on a little jog with my daughter in tow.  Now, there was a time, long long ago, where I used to be an avid jogger.  In no way was I running marathons, but I was up to about five miles a day and loving it.  I have never been in better shape nor have I ever felt better.  It wasn't until Hubert's seed found purchase that I stopped jogging due to pregnancy sickness and the overall hugeness that became of me.  But that was all going to change last wednesday.  As I got to the paved jogging path, I was overcome with the sense of health and well being; as if I was the most health conscious and in-shape person that Farmington, UT had ever seen.  It's funny what happens when you used to be in shape and want to be in shape again.  You seem to forget, or at least I do, that it took months and months to be able to get where I was at, but that wasn't stopping me.  I was going to run those five miles my first day back.  And so I began, and of course at the beginning you feel great, like you could do this for hours.  Two minutes later, I thought I was going to pass out.  Even though I had this feeling of doom, I wanted to push myself to at least run a mile, just one mile.  So I pushed and I pushed and kept going until I was sweating like a pig at a luau, my gut was hanging out, and my breathing was so loud it seemed as though the neighborhood children were running inside their homes for safety because they thought a werewolf was after them.  Along this jogging path, I encountered an elderly gentlemen walking towards me.  I didn't miss a beat, kept at the pace I was going at (which was a little bit faster than crawling), looked at him and nodded, and didn't give him a second thought.  It wasn't until further down the path when I saw him.  He was a young boy, probably 11 or 12, and all of the sudden I was extremely self-conscious of myself.  I will also say this, right after I passed the older gentleman, I was going to start walking, but when I saw this kid I made myself still run.   As I got closer to him, I found myself sucking in my stomach, breathing through my nose, and even running faster and as I passed him, he made no sign that he knew I existed.  So why did I do this?  That where this "moment" comes into play.  After this incident, I started to think about why this pimpley little kid made me so self-conscious and I came to a conclusion.  First, I will show my 7th grade ID.  

I know, it's no good.  When I moved to Utah, I was 11 years old, chubby, horribly shy, oh, and I had a horrific perm.  Because of all of these things, boys and me didn't mix and I was always horrified of what they thought of me.  You would think that 16 years later I would have gotten over this, but apparently boys of this age still effect me, BUT NO MORE!  I will no longer be uncomfortable around pre-teen boys who have no significance on my life.  Instead, I will jog by at a pace slower than when  my daughter rolls over, be completely unaware that my loud breathing will wake the dead and finally, be proud of my post-baby stomach and all of the glory it beholds (and it's a lot).  

Thank you for sharing my moment.

The Bowling Coalition

Every Monday, I have the opportunity to be on a bowling team and compete in a women's bowling league, which is referred to as the "Bowlettes."  It's really fun because I get to spend time with really good friends which are my sister-in-law, Ashley Steele, her sister, Reggie Peck, and a good friend, Angie Ballard.  What's fun about our team is that we all have  babies, as opposed to the very elderly women that we bowl against who each wear wrist braces which I assume aren't for their fragile bones, but for better agility while bowling. We are also the youngest team there, and finally, we are in dead last.  I'll tell you what, these other women know how to bowl and they take it seriously.  We just go because it's fun to get out of the house and be with friends and we get a strike every once in a while.  So in honor of our fabulous team in which we are named "The Pin Monkeys," here are some fun pictures.

"The Pin Monkeys"

Before bowling, Ashley and I like to get into character.  She chooses to pull a "Blue Steel," whereas I prefer to put on more of an ape-like persona.

After getting a strike, which happens rarely, we celebrate by either doing a handstand or clicking our heals together like the infamous leprechans do.

And of course, how can we be the "Pin Monkeys" without our little bowling babies?

Ellie and her favorite cousin, Milo the Magnificant

Gracie

And Sophie

Pictures of Ellie

I have some new pictures that I thought were so cute that they needed to be shown to all of the world, or to the few people that look at this blog.  

Getting her picture right when she wakes up in the morning

The first time she sat by herself and she loved it.

Sucking her thumb

Ellie in her warm bear outfit Matt and Jenny gave her while in my new awesome running stroller Hubert gave me for my valentines/anniversary present.

And finally, wearing her first hat that came off about 5 seconds after this picture was taken and never worn again.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Today, February 16th, is the 6 year anniversary of Hubert and mine's wedding and I can't believe how fast it has gone by.  I was sitting back and thinking of the day that we were married and how it seemed to be a comedy of errors that turned out to be so right.  First of all, my hair dresser showed up 45 minutes late to do my hair and by the time she got all of her things ready, my dad and I were already supposed to be at the temple.  Second, because during that time no one that was with us had cell phones, Hubert was pacing around the parking lot imagining my father and I pulled over on the side of the freeway with him trying to convince me that marrying Hubert was a good idea and not to back out.  Of course, that was the last thing on my mind.  I couldn't wait to get there.  And third, when I finally walked into the sealing room, I could swear I felt a gust of wind come my way that was from all the breaths of relief from the people who were there.  But I made it and we were married and I was so unbelievably happy.  To this day I still can't believe that I was lucky enough to marry the man of my dreams and in order to fully show how much I love my husband, I have authored a list to detail my thoughts:

1) No other person has ever made me laugh as hard

2) He's "really really good looking"

3) He takes me for my faults and loves me more for them

4) He has supported me in all my decisions

5) He has the most wonderful smile I have ever seen

6) He loves his daughter

7) He laughs at my jokes (most of the time)

8) He's my very best friend

9) He eats whatever I make him, even when I catch him gagging a little bit

10) He is the best man I know

Even though there are 10 things there, there could easily be at least 100.  I love you, Hubert, and happy anniversary.  I never knew life could be this good.  And as a tribute to our lives so far, I have posted a few pictures to show what the past 6 years have been to us.

When we were dating

Our wedding day

One of our trips to Zions National Park, a place we love
One of many trips to California
Being pregnant

The birth of our daughter (I was very tired and very swollen)

And finally, being a family

I love you, Hubert.  Not only are you my husband, but you are also my best friend, the person I talk to about everything, my voice of reason, and the person I love most in this world.  Thank you for loving me as much as you do and, again, happy anniversary.

The anatomy of the failed "roll over"

Lately, Ellie has been rolling over more and more, but she still has her moments where she gives up.  These pictures are here to show the stages of the failed "roll over."

Stage 1:  Although she doesn't like to be on her belly for too long, she's usually happy to look around when we first put her down.

Stage 2:  Frustration sets in and we no longer have the happy baby we know and love, we now have an angry baby.

Stage 3:  This is the third and final stage where she decides that she's done trying, puts her head on the ground, and gives up.  

A moment...with Meagan

Sometimes I like to sit back after the day is through and think about the moments in my life that I would consider "defining moments."  These moments include events such as the move my family made from Oklahoma to Utah, my graduation from college, the moment I knew that I was going to marry Hubert, my wedding, and of course the birth of my daughter.  All of these moments, and a handful of other significant and not so joyous moments make up who I am today.  But what about the moments that are not defining and insignificant?  It seems that these moments pass by us like a speeding car down the street.  Sure, we look at it for a moment, but do we follow it with our eyes to see where it's heading?  Most of the time, we don't.  These moments last merely seconds and are very forgettable.  But what about the non-defining, insignificant moments that stick with us?  The moments that for some reason we can't get out of our heads like the annoying popcorn kernel that gets stuck in our teeth and no matter how hard we floss it's not budging?  Well, that's where "A moment...with Meagan" comes in.  Every week there will be a new "moment" where I will share an insignificant moment that has stuck me and won't go away.  Hopefully, through my candor, others will feel comfortable to share their own non life-defining, insignificant moments.  So, without further adieu, here is my moment:

Recently, I was sharing a lovely lunch with my sister-in-law, Ashley Steele, and my very good friend, Becca Reisbeck.  For some reason on that particular day, Ellie decided that me sitting down wasn't a good idea so I stood for the duration of our lunch and the conversation that followed.  As I was standing there, out of the corner of my eye I saw a woman walking towards me.  She had a fur coat on and the reason I remember that she had a fur coat on was because my first thought was that I wondered how difficult it was for her to trap and kill the ten minks it took to make that coat and how grateful her starving children must have been for the meat the minks provided.  Alas, I was wrong.  How do I know?  Well, the 2 karat diamonds in each ear and her freshly manicured nails were a hint.  I'm not saying that wearing fur is wrong if you're, say, a mountain man or an Inuit living in Alaska.  I'm just giving my own personal opinion about non-hunting fur wearing people.  Anyway, back to my moment.  As the woman walked closer to me and began to pass me, she stopped suddenly and looked right at me and Ellie.  She mentioned how beautiful she was and went on about her eyes, her hair, her lovely skin, and so on.  I couldn't help beaming with pride at the loveliness of my daughter.  At the end of her praises she turned to me and asked me a question that I found strange.  Not because the question itself was strange, just in the way she worded it.  She said, "Do you know how old she is?"  What did she mean?  Of course I know how old she is, she's my daughter!  I went through 21 hours of labor, 1 1/2 hours of pushing, and an emergency C-section to get her out.  Of course I know how old she is.  So I turned to her and said that she's about 4 1/2 months old.  She then looked at me with bewilderment and said, "Oh, she's yours?" I guess that kind of question is valid.  I mean, it's not like we're twins, or anything, but the way she said it took me aback.  As if what she saw, instead of a doting mother over her infant daughter, was a gargoyle holding an angel wrapped in heavenly white.  I understand that's a ridiculous comparison, but if you would have seen this woman's face you would know what I was talking about.   So now, because of this woman, I decided to look at my daughter and really see if there was anything about us that is alike and this is what I found:

Exhibit A: I didn't intend for her to look terrified in this picture, but she does.  Anyway, at close examination both of our ears stick out at the top.

Exhibit B:  We both have blue eyes.  Yes, hers are a completely different shade of blue, but they are still blue.  Doesn't that count for something? Oh, and sorry about the red eye, I have a weird pupil.

Exhibit C:  And last, but not least, could anything else make me this happy besides my baby girl?  I don't think so.

So there you go.  That was my insignificant moment.  Please feel free to write your own moment that in no way is defining and in no way significant.  Thanks for being part of "A moment...with Meagan."