Grandparents and the Hoover Dam

What a week we are having. Most importantly, Meme and Pap are here!!!!! They arrived on Monday night and Maggie is having a blast with them. We drove to the Hoover Dam yesterday. It is about an hour away from our house. It was so neat. And, yes we went on the Dam tour (ha, ha, ha- I just had to).

Meme and Pap are touring the gypsum plant with Andy right now and I am getting my rare few minutes of internet use since the cable company hates us. It may actually be another whole month before we can get service. And, guess what we are waiting on-our address to be input into the computer- CRAZY!!!

Anyway, here are some pictures from the Hoover Dam.

Katie

W * A * L * K * I * N * G

Big news this week. Maggie is walking. She began taking 2 or 3 steps late last week, but by Tuesday she had made it from the kitchen to the living room. We'll probably never catch her again.

Sorry, no pictures with this update.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!

We have had a great mother's day weekend together. We did some shopping yesterday and Maggie has been as busy as a bee playing. She is getting so close to walking, we are just holding our breath. She will take anywhere from two to five steps at a time without help from us.

I was given a first edition original Maggie Kennedy for Mother's Day. Andy helped Maggie color her first picture for one of my Mother's Day present. Needless to say, Maggie and I will be headed to the craft store this week to purchase a frame for it.

Also, Maggie is now sporting two new teeth on top. So, that's six teeth total.

On another note, congratulations are in order for our friends Toby and Eron Hamblin. Toby, Eron and big brother Todd, welcomed Ellen Brooke this morning. What a great Mother's Day gift.

Here are some pictures from Maggie's weekend.

Katie

99 Degrees and Rising

Well folks, the high tomorrow is 99 and our first time in triple digits should be on Monday. I'm amazed that it's that hot and there is still snow on some of the mountains.

Maggie is feeling better for those of you who knew she was sick last week. Not much else has been going on. We are in the middle of painting the condo, so that's keeping me busy at night. That's a good thing considering that we STILL do not have cable or internet service. We've been given an estimate of just 2 more weeks, so we'll see.

We found out that Meme and Pap are coming in another week and a half. Maggie can't wait!

Finally, here are a few pictures from aroun the house. You'll notice that 3 of them are outside. Look at the ground/dirt. You don't have to worry about weeds when you live in the middle of the desert.

~Andy

Jack Pete is coming to Las Vegas

Jack Pete will be making his first trip on an airplane today. He'll catch his flight in Jackson, connect in Atlanta and arrive here in Las Vegas tonight around 7:45. We are very excited that our little family will be complete again. I must admit I'm a little worried about him though, having to go through all of this by himself.

We're still getting settled in. Paint is going up on the walls. Gigi helped Katie and I pick out most of the colors while she was here visiting last week. We still have no internet or cable, and are forced to be entertained by the two channels that we can get with our rabbit ears. We're giving the cable company a few more days and then we may have to start checking into other options.

Here are a few pictures of the last few days (including Maggie's first Easter basket and her birthday present from her mother and me, a red wagon).

~Andy

First Birthday Party and Moving Status

Note: Sorry for the delay. We're moving and we do not have internet access at home right yet, so we're having to post when we can.

Maggie's first birthday party was last Saturday. The theme was Barnyard Animals and all of her grandparents were there. In fact, she had a big crowd. She really enjoyed her own smash cake, although it looked fairly disgusting to the rest of us by the time she was finished with it.

Katie and I flew back to Las Vegas on Sunday. The keys to the house were ready on Tuesday afternoon, and the movers arrived on Wednesday morning. We're almost settled. We plan to paint Maggie's bedroom this weekend before she arrives with Gigi on Tuesday. Jack Pete will be out the following Sunday.

More updates later. Have a great Easter weekend.

All About Maggie

All About Maggie

Name: Margaret Anne Kennedy

Age: One year- TODAY (well, today when I started this but it's now Friday technically)

Weight: 23 lbs

Height: around 28 inches

Favorite Foods: Well, most anything, but if I had to list her favorites they would be:
Chargrilled chicken from Chick-fil-A
Ice Cream of any kind
Anything that anyone around her is eating that she does not have

Favorite Toy(s): Singing Barney, Monk-monk, red tricycle/car, spatulas and other various pieces of Tupperware

Favorite Movie: Anything with Barney as the star. I now know all the Barney songs!!!

Favorite Activities: Swinging at the park, going on walks with me in the jogging stroller, just being outdoors in general

Bedtime Routine: Bedtime is around 9 pm these days as Maggie is getting transitioned to Pacific time. She drinks 7 oz of whole milk and goes to sleep with about 3 pacifiers in the bed as she throws some over the edge during the night. She will sleep 11 hours.

Morning Routine: Wake up around 8 am and she must hug on Monk- monk (see above) before she does anything else. She enjoys eating her cereal and drinking her milk before playtime begins.

Language skills: Mama, Dada, Kitty Kat, Jack, Dog, Bye Bye, Gigi (more of e e), Gran, Papa (well, that ones more of tata)- All of these have their own variations and pronunciations as well.

Birthday Activities: Woke up at 8 am, refused to take a morning nap, had lunch with Papa at Chick-fil-A, went to Wacky Bear and made a stuffed rabbit (April), took a nap, went on a car ride, had dinner with Gran and Lulu, devoured a strawberry cupcake, had a bath and went to bed at 9 pm.

April Fools

Happy April Fool’s Day

Thankfully, we have not been fooled (yet).

Maggie and I did have a first this morning. No, she didn’t walk. But I did. Maggie and I walked in our first ever 5K. We walked in the Mississippi Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure race. I have been working out some while we have been in Mississippi and Gigi was going to run in the 5K, so Maggie and I decided to walk. Well, Maggie rode in a jogging stroller. Anyway, having not ever competed in a 5K, my only goal was to not finish last. Well, we did pretty well. I finished somewhere around 51 minutes. I was very excited and Maggie had a great time.

That’s all for now. Anyway, I will definitely have more pictures on Thursday night after Maggie’s birthday!!!

Katie

18 more days until everything is settled

Katie is letting me do this post, so I'll give everyone an update on where we are. First of all, she's here with me and will be through Tuesday morning. I close on the condo a week from Thursday, and then go back to Jackson for Maggie's first birthday party that weekend. Then Katie returns with me and we start moving in. We think the movers will be here on April 11th. Gigi is bringing Maggie two days later. Jack Pete will be coming a few days later via air cargo!

We've had a great weekend. We checked up on the progress of the condo. It looks almost finished. We also bought Easter basket items and Maggie's birthday gift, a red wagon, but don't tell her! Here are some pictures of our condo and weekend.








~Andy

Freeze Warnings and hoedowns

So, it's the second (or third?) day of spring and tonight we are under a freeze warning. Crazy. Just like when I was in 8th grade and it snowed during spring break. Anyway, due to the oddly cold weather, Maggie has a runny nose, but she is getting better. Also, it snowed in Las Vegas this week. Anyway...

I am off to Vegas in the morning- woo hoo!!!!

Tonight we are all going to my grandmother's assisted living facility for a "Spring Roundup". The invitation suggested western apparel. We will all be sporting bandanas. There will definitely be pictures taken.

Here are a few pictures from Maggie's week with Gran and her new friend Jaycie.

More pictures next week when I return.

Katie

Swings and Wet Weather

The weather here is so wet right now. Let's just say that yesterday's trip to the mall ended up with me so wet, I was able to ring the water out of my shirt. Maggie, however, was just fine.

Maggie also went to the park last week for the first time. She had an absolute blast on the swing. We took a great picture of her. There is actually a picture of me on a swing as a child and our expressions are identical. Pretty neat.

Maggie and I spent the weekend at Gran's. Maggie loves getting to eat Gran's food and playing with the dog, Lulu. She played so hard that she took a good nap this morning. I will have pictures on the next post of Maggie and Gran.

I am off to Las Vegas this weekend to spend some time with Andy. We will be celebrating a late, very late, Valentine's Day. We have plans to go see the almost-completed condo and eat at Emeril's.

Katie

What a Splendid Weekend

Maggie had a wonderful weekend with Daddy. She was so excited to see him and cried when he left this morning. On a side note, Andy is having a lot of difficulty getting to Las Vegas today. He was originally flying from Tupelo to Atlanta and then Atlanta to Las Vegas. His flight from Tupelo this morning was cancelled so he was routed through Memphis and Cincinnati, finally arriving in Las Vegas. Well, as of 6:45 tonight Andy was sitting on a plane in Cincinnati, delayed for the third time today due to mechanical problems.

Anyway, Maggie played very hard with Daddy this weekend and enjoyed her wagon rides. Maggie also enjoyed playing with cousin Anna and her friends Ethan and Grace. We are back in Jackson now and will be until we finally get to move to Las Vegas.

Here are some pictures. One of the pictures is of Maggie on the reservoir in Jackson from last week. The others are of Maggie's weekend with Daddy.

Katie

More Pictures from Maggie's Week

We are headed to north Mississippi tomorrow for our weekend with Daddy, Meme, Pap and Cousin Anna. We will have plenty of pictures from our weekend when we return to Jackson. In the meantime, here are some pictures from Maggie's week.

Katie

Only One More Month To Go

Only one more month to go until Maggie's first birthday. We cannot believe how fast the first year has gone by and how much has changed in our lives in that year. We are enjoying our time in Mississippi. We have spent a lot of time shopping and enjoying seeing family and friends that we do not get to see on a regular basis.

We are headed back to north Mississippi this weekend because DADDY IS COMING TO SEE US THIS WEEKEND FOR 5 WHOLE DAYS!!!!!

Here are some pictures for you to see how much fun Maggie is having.

Katie

Things are finally starting to move again

I haven't posted in a while, but I have some hot scoop, so I thought I would surprise Katie by posting it myself.

WE HAVE A CLOSING DATE FOR OUR NEW CONDO. I will do the walkthrough and paper work on Thursday, April 6. We should have the keys by the following Monday. Our plans now are for me to fly back to Mississippi for Maggie's first birthday party on that Saturday, and then Katie will return with me on Sunday. We are hopefully scheduling the movers for Tuesday morning, April 11th. It's so great to feel like there is an end in sight.

Thanks for keeping up with us.

~Andy

Finally

There is so much I could say about the past week but I don't even know how to start. Let's just say that moving with a 10 1/2 month old with an ear infection is not the easiest thing I've ever done. The week started with a trip to the pediatrician to check Maggie's ears. The short version of the story is that we got to go back to the doctor on Tuesday and Wednesday also and Maggie had to get two antibiotic shots each day. We will attempt to take her to the doctor here in Jackson sometime later this week to see if those shots actually worked. The bad news is that we are more than likely going to have to look at getting tubes in Maggie's ears as soon as we get to Las Vegas.

The movers finished up packing and loading mid-day Thursday and Maggie, Meme and I got on the road to Mississippi. We spent the weekend in north MS and have arrived in Jackson to spend time with Gran, Gigi and Papa now. Whew!!!!!

The best part is that we are now reunited with Jack Pete. However, it is taking Maggie a little time to warm back up to him. But, by bathtime tonight they were becoming fast friends again, so don't worry Daddy.

That's all for now. I'll try to post more now that we are less crazed.

Katie

The End of One Chapter, the Beginning of Another

Today is my last day of work and Maggie's last day at school. It is bittersweet for me as I leave friends and a job that I have truly enjoyed. I also wonder if Maggie will enjoy staying home with me and not get to play with friends for 8 hours a day. The realist in me knows that she will not feel this way but this is me we are talking about here.

Anyway, Andy comes home tonight and we are counting down the minutes.

This may be the last post for a while- maybe two to three weeks as we make the transition to living our lives out of suitcases.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Katie

PS- HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAN!!!!!!!