Toddlerhood

Chad said it best the other day when he said that we no longer have a baby in the house, 

we have a full blown toddler folks.

I should have known this would happen eventually, this aint our first rodeo after all.  But it is still kind of bittersweet to watch my last little one grow into a walking/talking little fiend at a mere ten months old!  

However, it is just too darn hard not to be in love with her, so I guess we'll have to just celebrate her triumph over crawling!  Sophie really has been walking for a week or two, but in the past few days she has spent more time on her two feet than on her knees.  

We officially have had to come out of the denial that she was only partly walking and graduate her status to full blown walking.  Like I said, bittersweet!

She's pretty pleased with herself though!

Besides her determination to learn how to follow me around on two legs, she has also been working on:

getting her first, second, third and fourth teeth

shaking her head "no" when you ask her a question

nodding her head when you ask her a question

saying "no no", "bye bye", "hi", and we are pretty sure she says Blake, but it sounds more like "Day"

her first ear infection (a few weeks ago), and I think she is working up to a second

laughing her head off at the boys and their otherwise under-appreciated bodily functions

If you ask her where her baby is, she will wander around until she finds the dolly that she sleeps with at night, then she cuddles it and laughs and gives it kisses.

She was trying to keep up with the boys but they got too fast for her and went into their room and shut the door so I swear I heard her yell "Boy" from the front of the living room...it sounded more like "Bo" but she was on a mission to find them!  If they stay in their room too long with the door closed she will start smacking it and yelling for them to come and worship her.

She recognizes a lot of the family members that she sees most often and she really seems to like her Grandpa Mike.  He comes to get her from me at Church so that I can deal with Primary stuff and she always lays her head on his shoulder or pats him when he takes her from me.  

He and Chad almost have to arm wrestle each other for the honor of toting her around on Sundays!

  I really appreciate everyone's willingness to watch her for us...sometimes I even get a little jealous!

It probably gets redundant, but I honestly can't remember what life in this place was like without her happy little soul wandering around!  

Daniel Smith Colonial Days

Several weeks ago we found ourselves on a Saturday with pretty much no Church related business to attend to (something that pretty much only happens once in a blue moon) so we decided to take advantage and head up to a place called Historic Rock Castle up in Hendersonville, TN. 

 Now, it really should only take about an hour to get there, but if you are a McGhie you are naturally predisposed to taking the longest route possible while stubbornly refusing to ask for directions. 

Of course, I may have had something to do with the fact that we got lost a few times...but, ahem...that is another blog post.  

After a really long drive we finally made it and I am happy to say that Chad and I remain on speaking terms...

though at the time that was a lot to ask ;-)!

I had read about an event that was going on there called Daniel Smith Colonial Days. 

 It is basically like a reenactment of what life was like for early settlers of Tennessee.  People come from all around to do demonstrations and sell things that they make like soap, knives, musical instruments, clothes, furniture, etc.  

 A lot of the vendors just set up a canvas tent and sell their stuff outside it, 

so it was cool to be able to see their set ups. 

 One of them even had a brass bed, dining table and washstand. 

 That is my kind of camping!  

Trevor checking out the handmade knives that some guy made and was selling.
You can kind of see one of the tents in the background.

This type of thing is right up my alley since I love history of all kinds, and Blake is right up there with me.  Trevor is cool to go along as long as we promise to feed him, Kade is happy if he can run a little bit and Sophie is happy as long as there are plenty of people around to adore her. 

 I think Chad was just happy that we finally got there and that it didn't cost too much to get in.

  If you care to learn more about Rock Castle or the event,

 check it out here.  

Anyway, I was looking through the pictures that we took with our little piece of junk Kodak camera and I came across some that just made me smile. 

Why, of course I will share them with you! 

You're welcome!

The house is located on a really cool lake with expensive houses all around it.
 Chad was drooling over the private boat docks.

Blake playing an instrument that sounded a lot like a Dulcimer,
 but it wasn't one and I can't remember the name of it.

Kade trying out his mad skills with the musical instrument that I can't remember the name of.

Sophie and Chad humoring the lady who talked our ears off about the musical instruments
 that I can't remember the name of.

The guy who actually makes them (and probably knows what they are called),
he also knew how to play them  really well.

You can't really tell here but he was about five feet off the ground...kind of wish I had one of these to put him in  "time  out" every now and then!

When we first got there they were doing a demonstration of Native American dances and
different styles/purposes of them.
 Chad and I were a little worried that guy's skirt was going to fly up and give us all another type of demonstration. 

This guy had a nice fake French accent.
 Rock Castle is behind him.

The back of Rock Castle...I'm always a sucker for a cool looking old house.

I seriously wanted to put this guy in my diaper bag and bring him home with me.
 I am pretty sure that would be illegal and more importantly...Chad wouldn't let me.
 I think he was still mad at me for giving him bad directions.

Check out the cane that he made!  He said he is making a whole series of canes with souls peeking out of them.
I like to think his name is Geppeto...but I think it was Bob.

Attempt  #1 of trying to get a decent picture of the kids with me.
 Check out Kade's face!

Attempt #2.

Imagine me smacking my forehead with the palm of my hand.  Oh Trevor.

At first I laughed at this one because my boys actually thought we wanted to document them drinking their root beer,
 and then I noticed that Kade is quite literally showing his tail!
 Oy vey.

When I first saw this one I was like, "Oh finally!"
Then I saw Trevor's tongue.

 Oh well, maybe next year!

Trick or Treat!

With all of the craziness of the past few weeks: sickness for just about all of us, Primary Program (and extra practices), the Ward Halloween party and Trunk or Treat (Primary was in charge of it), some issues with Blake that I won't get into, and a few other upsetting challenges, we have not had a chance to just sit back and enjoy Fall.  

Yesterday was finally Halloween and many of the stressful events were over, so I just wanted to spend time with my family and watch them enjoy the costumes that somewhere in all of that craziness I was able to put together.  

We don't normally go trick or treating since our ward does a pretty good trunk or treat close to Halloween, but since I was completely busy during it this year with Primary being in charge (I am the 1st counselor) the President had to work, though she sent her husband and he was a HUGE help and the 2nd counselor was not there.  I barely got to see my kids in their costumes.  I can't say I really enjoyed it all that much either, though others have said that they had a good time (which was more important to me anyway).  I owe a big thank you to everyone who jumped in and helped with serving and clean up and the activities for the kids.  Chad and the rest of my family was especially awesome and kept our kids in line while trying to help me as much as possible. 

Anyway, when Chad got home from work we took the kids to Bar B Cutie for dinner (one of their favorite places) and then we headed to a neighborhood near their school that has sidewalks on both sides of the street...which I pretty much always took for granted when I lived in California.  Sidewalks just make for a much safer trick or treating experience.  The boys had a blast and Miss Sophie made for the cutest little cupcake on the street.  She kept waving at the people who were passing out candy and saying "Ha" (hi) or "Ba ba" (bye bye).  We're wondering if she is going to end up with a Southern accent.  We only really went to part of one long street before Kade, who was suffering from the same fever that Trevor and Sophie had last week, decided he was DONE.  He hitched a ride on Chad's shoulders while the big boys went to a few more houses, then we headed over to our old neighbor's house so she could see the kids and made it back to our house by 8 p.m..  

All together it was a really enjoyable evening.  It is so much fun to watch the boys get into their characters and laugh with them as they experience fun traditions. 

 Here are a few photos that we took of their costumes before we left the house:

Blake as Ron Weasly

Trevor as Harry Potter

Kade as my knight in shining armor

Sophie as a cupcake 

Of course I had to be a baker if Sophie was a little cupcake, I wore my costume to the church party but left it home for trick or treating.

It never fails that as soon as we get in the car after trick or treating or trunk or treating, the boys start planning out what they will be next year.  

As for me, I am just happy that it is all over for now and that I made it through everything without having a nervous breakdown...although Chad might disagree on that one ;-)!