Thankful Thursday

So, I've decided to add Thankful Thursdays to my blog...Sarah, I always look forward to yours! This week I'm thankful for... 1. Seat warmers! It's been so cold the last couple of weeks and it's great to be able to hit a button and have toasty buns :) 2. MapQuest. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am directionally illiterate! And yesterday I had class in Lexington all day, so I decided I would pick up my new real estate signs while I was in town. With the help of MapQuest I made it to my location with no problems, yay! 3. Sleep. This is mostly for the good little sleeper Bailey is. We have been so lucky, since she was 2 months old she has slept through the night! Now she goes to bed at 8:00 and usually sleeps till about 8:00 am! Most of the time when we lay her down she'll cuddle up with her blanket or Mr. Froggy Pants and tell us "Bye-Bye". It's such a relief to know she feels secure in her own bed...this also helps mommy and daddy get good sleep!

Snow, birthday party & a date night!

Saturday was a very busy day at the Maxwell house. Nick had to go into work from 8-2 to work on preparing a comprehensive review for CATS testing, and we were going to a Tree-Trimming party that night and I wanted a new shirt so I had decided that me and Bailey would go to the mall. Shana graciously offered to go with us so I could actually try on clothes!! (Thank you!) By the time I got ready and got Bailey ready there was a little snow on the ground! So I decided to take Bailey outside before we left.

She wasn't quite sure what to think about it :) Then off to the mall we went. She did so well up until the very end and she was starting to get sleepy. I was finally able to find a shirt, yay! We headed home, Bailey sporting her new hat and mittens.

Then it was home for a short nap and a quick lunch and then off to a birthday party. I worked with both Eric and Rebecca at Lowe's, they got married and now have a beautiful little girl named Brynlee Reese who is 1 today, happy birthday Brynlee! This was the first time the girls have been around one another. Another friend, Brandi, was able to come and bring her little boy Cameron who is 18 months.

Then it was back home for another nap and time for me to get ready for our night out! Justin and Shana came over to babysit (Thank you!).

This is a picture of the house where the party was...it's amazing! Especially at night with all of the Christmas lights on.

It has been in their family for years. People were stringing popcorn and cranberries to hang on the tree, and kids were making snowflake ornaments out of paper to hang, and we all helped decorate. The food was great and so was the company. At the end of the night the only people still there were all the teachers who had 1 & 2 year olds at home :) Here is a picture of me and Nick...this angle kind of makes me look a little dumpy :(

Belated Thanksgiving

I feel like I've been a blogging fool today! But I've been a little behind and have been trying to catch up! We had a great Thanksgiving. Thursday we went to my step-dad's parents house for lunch and Bailey had a good time playing with her cousin. Friday night we had my family over to our house. It was a blast! We had great food and then most of the family played Apples to Apples after dinner. I was exhausted from the cooking and cleaning up, so I hung out on the couch with my step-dad and Bailey and we read books and played with her toys. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures :( Bailey LOVED all the food! And I must say that I think I made my best apple pie yet! I try a new recipe every time I make it, but I think I'm going to stick with this one...for now anyway :) The real reason for this post is to say what I am thankful for. Last night I was in a "feeling sorry for myself" kind of mood thinking about how it seems we can never get ahead, and how I'm having a hard time finding my next client to work with, and how I'm so ready to move, and on an on! So I realized I needed to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for! (In no particular order) 1. Nick! On the 18th of this month me and Nick will have been together for 8 years! He is such a loving and thoughtful man and I know I sometimes take him for granted. The school recently did a canned food drive for the Amen house and his classes raised 1937 food items! I was very proud of him! And last night when I was down in the dumps he offered to try and find a second job...even though between teaching, coaching, parenting and starting his Masters in January there's no room for anything else, the offer was very appreciated! He cooks just as much (if not more!) than I do, and for the most part helps keep the house clean :) I love him more every day (even on the days he's driving my crazy!) 2. Bailey. I don't even know how to put into words the ways she changed my life. I love everything about her. She can make me smile with the silliest things! I love that she is a mommy's girl! Each day she seems to learn something new and she is growing up so fast! Her love is so pure and it just reminds me that that's how we should all love one another. With no strings attached, just true love. 3. Family. Over the last few years my family has grown closer and closer...I think all the babies will do that to you! I was an only grandchild for 16 years, so there were no babies for a long time! And now there's my two cousins (Anna-6 and Jacob-8), my nephew Quentin who is 2 1/2 and Bailey! I am especially thankful for my mom. We have always been close. She is my best friend and I can talk to her about any and everything. She watches both Bailey and my nephew, and it is such a blessing. Knowing that we don't have to worry about the cost of daycare or about how Bailey is being treated when we're away from her is such a piece of mind. While I want so bad to be able to stay home with her myself, this is definitely the next best thing! Recently my mom has also decided to get her CNA license. She is now working at Dover Manor (a local nursing home) 3 nights a week. And she is talking about going back to school to get her nursing degree. I am so proud of her! 4. Friends. We have such an amazing group of friends, who are all considered Bailey's aunts and uncles. When she was born they were all there in the waiting room...and I can remember when they wheeled Bailey out I could hear them all "ooh"ing and "aw"ing over her! 5. Having what I need. While I may not have everything I want...we do have everything that we need. I am ready for a bigger house with more room around us, but we do have a good house. We are able to afford it...and with the foreclosures I've seen lately I am very thankful for this! We never go hungry (which you could tell by looking at me and Nick :) ) 6. A good job. I seriously may have the best boss ever! I feel like her and her family have adopted me. I am a part of their real estate team, and when they talk about the future of the business I am always included. On Wednesday she gave me a $100 bill and a big hug and told me to enjoy Black Friday shopping! I tried to give it back to her, and she said we had had a good month and she wanted to share with me, and that every woman deserved a little mad money :) And while I am always looking for my next client, I have to remember that I did sell a house not even a month after activating my license and that I have two out of town clients lined up who are moving here in the spring. 7. God. Me and Nick have not been going to church (reasons which I won't go into here), but we are looking at where we want to start going. We both like a smaller more traditional church atmosphere. I definitely want Bailey raised in the church and for her to know the loving grace of God. For these, and so many other things, I am thankful.

The Christmas Tree

After Nick got back from playing basketball Saturday morning we decided to put the tree up. Bailey was napping so we knew it would be easier to drag everything out then. When she woke up she wasn't quite sure what to think about all her toys being moved out of her corner and about the big tree in their place! And after working up the nerve to touch the tree, she decided she didn't like the prickly branches and ran away from it!

She decided she much preferred playing with the garland!

Now, day two of the Christmas tree being up she got a little braver and ventured a little closer...

Day three all bets were off!

She became quite intrigued by a little jingle bell ornament. This was an ornament Nick had received from his players his first year coaching soccer. She was quite excited when she managed to get it off of the tree...and was then as equally upset that mommy put the ornament on a higher branch out of her reach!

Did I mention Bailey loves books?

I finally got some shots of Bailey with her books... Her and daddy reading together Bailey reading to me! And these are just some cute pics!

Books, books and more books

Bailey has a new found obsession with her books, and I am so happy! I love to read...although it seems I never have the time to any more! and I have hoped that Bailey would have a love for reading as well. The love of books started with her just wanting to play with them. She thought it was so funny to pull them all down from her bookshelf in her room and shuffle them around on the floor. That eventually led to her wanting us to read to her. Granted, she would usually lose interest and start chewing on the book :) Now, she is doing much better and we actually get through most of the stories. The cutest thing, however, has started in the last couple of days. She is "reading" her books herself. She sits with the book in her lap, turns the pages and just jibber jabbers the whole way through! And she'll nod her head along the way as if she's really telling a story. I love to sit and watch her do this. I will have to snap a picture soon!

HUGS!!

Tuesday night I was sitting in the floor playing with Bailey and she crawled up in my lap and was facing me. We were sitting there playing and all of a sudden she just reaches up and puts her little arms around my neck and gave me a real little person hug!!!! It was the sweetest moment ever. She sat that way for a couple of minutes, and then she leaned her head back, grinned at me and went right back to hugging! It's like she knew she was being incredibly sweet. It's amazing, you think you can't love them anymore than you already do, and then at a moment like, your love just soars!!! Being a mother really is the most amazing gift!