Maggie's First Music Video

Maggie has been working on her moves for quite some time, but it wasn't until recently that we thought of capturing it on video.

Mo-Tab and more

Friday Mike and I were able to attend The Gift of Music, a concert put on at the Conference Center by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Utah Symphony and several guest artists. Erich Kunzel was an energetic conductor and very fun to watch; soprano Denyse Graves was very good but for some reason there was a certain timbre in her voice that made me think of Miss Piggy, so that was hard to ignore. Brian Stokes Mitchell was my favorite: He had a great stage presence and a versatile voice that was engaging and fun to listen to. From his performance, I also have a new favorite song: "New Words" by Maury Yeston. As always, the choir and symphony were fantastic. It's cool to me to think that my grandmother used to play at such concerts all the time when she played cello in Honolulu and with the Los Angelos Philharmonic.

Mike and I after the concert in temple square

Kathy was kind enough to watch Maggie for us and it was fun to have a date night alone (though Maggie is usually a good sport about going along with us). Mike also managed to get us conference tickets, so I am looking forward to being back in the conference center again quite soon!

Also, I have been doing some more sewing with Kathy and I just got a sewing machine and am excited to do more! My increased free time has also included time for scrapbooking and running again. I am excited to do the stake fun run on Saturday, though we might just walk it because of Maggie. And while I'm on the subject of walking, here is a darling picture of Maggie just before a morning walk earlier this week. I dressed her warmly because the weather has been changing. Doesn't she look cute in a hood?

The Pain of Kansas City Sports

This is as dark of a time to be a Kansas City sports fan as I have ever experienced. Considering that in my lifetime I have seen historic losing streaks and loss totals from the Royals, Elvis Grbac derial a Chiefs' play-off run, and Mark Redman being the closest thing the Royals had to an All-Star that is saying something. When a late push by the Royals to escape the cellar is the brighest spot in the last two years you know you have hit rock bottom.

The Chiefs

The Chiefs continue to amaze me at how poorly they can produce on offense. It seems so long ago when Trent Green, Priest Holmes, Eddie Kennison and Tony Gonzales were setting records. And for a defense with so many high draft picks and free agent money to give up as many yards and points as they do is also disappointing. And, the coaching staff must see something in Tyler Thigpen (that the rest of America does not) to feel that he actually gave them a chance to win the game last week. He looked overmatched in the preseason against running against the 3s. How he could be expected to lead a team to victory in a regular season NFL game is beyond me. He really does make the return of Brodie Croyle look really good about now. And, after what he has done to date, that's further proof of the state of things.

The Royals

The Royals' late September surge has helped to ease some of the pain of the torture of August. The pitching has been in its April form and the offense has produced some home runs. Dayton Moore has promised wholesale changes from the past. I hope that means signing Zack Greinke to a long-term contract. He and Joakim Soria are the closest thing to a star in a Royals' uniform. While it was nice to have the Royals stay close to contention for a least a couple of months this year, a long losing streak once again dashed any hopes of real competitive play.

Go Cougs!!!

The Johnsons have been our football buddies this year. We've watched every game with them so far and have been impressed by BYU's performance. Mike and Nathan enjoy discussing the plays, Jenny and I enjoy catching up, and Maggie and Isaac have yet to tell us what they think of the games but they seem to enjoy observing another baby up close. Saturday, we got to go to the game in person! Go BYU!!!

Maggie and Isaac, the littlest Cougar fans

Our little family watching the game

Maggie, sleeping like a baby

Saturday's final score (57 to O--BYU!)

Another Wedding!

Last week I was privileged to go to another wedding, this one for my friends Deborah and Brad who I taught with at Sprucewood. My friend Kristen graciously watched little Maggie for me. It was a lovely wedding. I love witnessing eternal vows being made; it brings back wonderful feelings from my own wedding day as well as renewed desire to always bring my best into my marriage with my wonderful husband.

Check out the happy couple

I also got to visit with my other friend Deborah, who was my facilitator last year when I was teaching at Sprucewood. Here we are at the luncheon.

I'm caught up!

Finally I am about caught up on blogging. It has been a busy summer and I have not had many opportunities to use a computer with internet. I have to go to the library and it takes a while for the pictures to upload, so we've been having to go by how long I can keep Maggie occupied.

Now as fall approaches, we are settling back into a routine. Mike is hard at work again and Maggie and I keep ourselves busy. I have been picking up some new activities and hobbies in my newfound free time: I've been visiting friends, working on some scrapbooking/personal history, going to institute, doing a lot of reading, and re-learning to sew. My first project was a nursing cover patterned after the one my friend Melissa made me (shown with the happy recipients).


Here are some other recent pictures of our girl: Maggie "chillin' " with her dad, being her happy self, learning to stand, and being reverent .

Maggie’s Second Rodeo

After many nights of regret following sleeping through her first rodeo, Maggie got a 2nd opportunity to see a rodeo last Friday. This time she stayed awake and would have tried to participate in the Mutton Bustin’ if we had not arrived after all of the entries had been filled.

The first rodeo

The second rodeo (note alert baby)

Maggie’s First Train Trip

On Thursday, September 4th, Maggie rode her first train, the UTA FrontRunner from north Salt Lake to Ogden with people from Mike’s work.

Watching the scenery

Kristen's Wedding!

My dear friend Kristen Smith, who I have known since Long Island days, married her sweetheart Stephen Pace on August 22nd. Julie Frederiksen, Amy Brennan, Becca Badger, Maggie and I all drove up to Bountiful together. I was lucky enough to attend the wedding ceremony while my kind friends Amy and Becca watched Maggie for me. After the wedding we took pictures and then there was a lovely luncheon in town. Jenny and Nathan Johnson and their baby Isaac were there and this was Maggie’s first opportunity to meet the Johnsons. It was a wonderful opportunity to visit with friends and it made me so happy to see Kristen marrying such a wonderful person who is so well suited to her!

Here they come...

The beautiful bride

The happy couple

Friends!!!

(me, Jenny, Kristen, Julie, Amy, Rebecca)

VanDerwerken Visit

My aunt, uncle, and cousins came to town at the end of August as my cousin Elizabeth is a freshman a BYU this year. We had several opportunities to visit with them and Maggie loved my cousins. Lauren especially loved to help with Maggie. We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Graduation

My belated graduation ceremony was on August 15th. It was neat to have my family there to celebrate with me and I was even allowed to have Maggie walk with me. She was amazingly good during the whole thing. I think by the time we walked across, she was asleep, so she’ll have to take my word for it that she was there. It will be a fun story to tell her when she is older.

After the ceremony, we had lunch at Tucanos (a Brazilian barbeque restaurant), which my Grandmother said was the best restaurant she had ever been to. Then we all went to the dollar theater to see Prince Caspian (which, by the way, has my sister Catherine’s favorite song in it) and on the way back to Park City stopped for ice cream at the Dairy Keen in Heber City (and no that’s not a misspelling of Dairy Queen, it’s just the Heber version).

Me and the Magster

With my parents, Mike, and Grandma Wanlass

Mike, Maggie, and me with my siblings Cat, Rachel, and Matt (we miss Becca!!)

Enjoying ice cream (yum!!)

Park City!!!

My family invited us to spend the week of August 10th with them in Park City. We stayed at Marriott’s Summit Watch, in two very spacious and comfortable suites that had their own jacuzzi-style baths. The resort was lovely and had an indoor-outdoor pool, several hot tubs, a basketball/volleyball/tennis court, a fitness room, several barbeques, and tons of shops and restaurants. The location was terrific. It was right on Main Street across from the town ski-lift and along a lovely hiking/biking trail. We spent the week partaking in much of what Park City had to offer including biking, hiking, the Park City Mountain Resort, scenic lifts Thursday, we fit in a trip to the Pine Valley Ranch, a family ranch near Kamas, UT where we visited with our Bradley, Kilbourne, and Haglund cousins as well as Dave Epperson. Friday was my graduation ceremony. We spent our last day Saturday relaxing around the hotel and taking a hike up the mountain so we could take the free scenic lift back to our hotel.

Biking with the fam

The first carousel ride

The adoring aunt and grandmother

The amazing alpine coaster!

Maggie at the ranch with her "great" grandma

Mike and Matt enjoying a canoe ride

Rachel showing Maggie the wonders of nature (a butterfly)

Enjoying s'mores

On the bus

At the pool in Lehi

Aunt Rachel gives one last push before she has to leave :(

Maggie's Blessing

Maggie’s frustration of watching babies her junior being blessed before her ended on August 10th. With many members from both sides of the family in town, Maggie had lots of loved ones in attendance. It was a special day.

Maggie with Parents, Grandparents, and Great-grandparents on her blessing day

With the Wanlasses

Just the three of us

My Birthday

08-08-08 was my twenty-third birthday, as well as the birthday I have been waiting for my whole life. It was not a disappointment. Mike made me a delicious breakfast and then presented me with an assortment of gifts. I got a book of short stories by Agatha Christie to feed my recent appetite for mysteries, a copy of the book What to Expect the First Year, a cd “Colors: Live at the McKay Events Center” (I really like the subtitle—it makes it sound so exciting), a pretty turquoise necklace, and a J. Crew gift card. Mike really spoils me. Later we visited with some of Mike’s family members that were still in town and then visited the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point (where I lost my favorite sunglasses L). That evening we went to Kathy’s for dinner. My sweet nieces had put up birthday decorations and we all ate pizza and enjoyed ice cream cake (my favorite)!

Me with my bed-head opening presents

Mike and me at Thanksgiving Point Gardens

(if you look closely you can see my sunglasses resting on the stroller--the last I'll see of them)