The Pumpkin Patch...

A few weeks back, Grandma and Grandpa decided to take Maisey to a local pumpkin patch. Once there, she got to pet some farm animals, go through a hay maze, decorate a pumpkin and even go on a hayride! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the evening.

Maisey definitely has Grandpa wrapped around her little finger.
Maisey was in a silly mood and surprisingly decided that it would be fun to put her head in the scarecrow cutout.Here is Maisey picking out her pumpkin for decorating.She finally found the perfect pumpkin!
...and she definitely loved decorating her pumpkin with Mom and Grandma

Here is her final pumpkin creation :o)Maisey at first was too afraid to go through the tunnel, so Grandma showed her that it wasn't so scary.

Here's Maisey leading Grandpa to the hay maze.

...Grandpa, where's the exit???

Towards the end of the night we decided that it was time for a hay ride.That was so much fun that Maisey was pooped and decided to chillax with Grandpa!
...but there is always time for a little more fun, this time in the playhouse...and she decided that the tunnel wasn't so scary after all!Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great time :o)

Summer Vacation

I LOVE summer vacation and our favorite place to go is California. Brian and I have a dream of one day owning something on the beach but, for now, we are just happy getting a chance to get away and spend time with the family. This year we decided to have two parts to our trip. First, we went up to Anaheim to hit the beach and Disneyland with the Brian's fam and then we took just us and Maisey down to San Diego to go to Sea World and have our first us only vacation time in a few years. Other than some minor mishaps...Maisey and Daddy getting food poisening from Sea World (we think it was the eggs)....everything was wonderful! Here's some of the highlights from the trip :)

Maisey didn't understand being stuck in a car FORVER and had a few melt downs. But, she's adorable even when in the midst of losing her cool.

Hunnigton Beach day. She was tuckered out from all the fun in the sun :)

You can see Maisey showing Uncle Dustin and Grandma the flying Peter Pan boats. I guess we were constantly pointing things out to her and, midway into the trip, Maisey started pointing things out to us!

Maisey loves her cousin Gage. For some reason, they make each other smile--most of the time it's Gage making Maisey smile.

Maisey loved the Celebration Parade for the most part. She flirted with Bert from Mary Poppins and enjoyed looking at Winnie the Pooh and Tigger (that is until Tigger got too close and Maisey thought he was coming to take her).

At the end of our Disneyland day. All of us made it past midnight with the exception of Maisey. Then, the trams were broke and we had to walk back to the parking garage. It seems a lot closer when you are riding on a tram!

On a side note, Disneyland rides are A LOT scarier than I remembered. Maisey was terrified in Pirates and spent the whole ride with her head burried in my chest. Small World was just her speed and by far her favorite ride.


Then there was some camping.....


And Sea World..... (she loved the Dolphin show--Blue Horizon--the best!




And more fun at the beach!



Needless to say, the car ride home was a little different than the car ride there :)

I am so very grateful for time with the family! Here's to another great vacation!

Allow me to introduce you...

To some this is old news, but to others this may be the first time that you hear. Kim and I are excited to introduce you to Anneliese Rae Vehon! We thank God everyday for the blessing of Maisey and we look forward to becoming a family of four and welcoming another beautiful baby girl into the Vehon clan. We thank you all for your love, support and prayers over the past years and we are super stoked to be able to share our growing family with you in the future. Look for Anneliese's arrival in early to mid November.

Last Few Hours

Yes, I'm that mom. When Maisey let's me rock her, I cuddle her too tight and cry as I ask her not to grow up too fast. When I had to pack up her 0-3 month clothes, I cried because my baby was growing up before my eyes . Switching her to a bottle full time was hard for me as it marked yet another mile-stone in her life that brings the inevitable--mommy will be needed less and less.

It's hard to believe that in a little over two hours I will be the mom of a one year old. Even though I'm so incredibly proud of her and enjoy every day getting to see who she is (who God has specially made her to be), it seems like just yesterday I met her for the first time. I remember the first time I got to see her and was unsure what to think-this real being laid in my arms and I couldn't believe it was true. I always knew I wanted to be a mom but, even at that moment, I didn't understand how big of a gift it really would be to get to be a mom.

Over the last month, I keep reliving the first few moments and days of Maisey's life and am so grateful all over again; to God for giving me the gift of Maisey, the gift of my own life, and the gift of getting to carry life again. To my friends and family for loving us and loving Maisey through the challenges and immense joy and to my husband, Brian, who I look at and still can't believe loves me as much as he does.

To my beautiful daughter, I love you more than any words can express and am so thankful that God gave me you. There is not one thing about you I would change. I love that you know exactly what you want and you make sure we know it too. I love that your daddy makes you laugh in ways I will probably never be able to. I love that you are starting to figure out how to pull your daddy's heart strings--you are a smart one Maisey Ann. Use it for good. I love that you give the greatest looks--dirty looks and all. I love your many different laughs and the way you scrunch up your face and blow your nose when your in a playful mood. I especially love that, first thing after you wake up, you giggle when I come to get you and cuddle so tightly when I pick you up. I still just can't believe how much love it is possible to feel for such a little person. Thank you, God, for trusting me with your child. --Love, Mommy

It's been awhile.....

So I am definitely not as good at updating the blog as I wish I was. While I will try to do better about updating more frequently, I make no guarantees :o) Well time has flown by and we are now three weeks away from celebrating Maisey's birthday. I know that everyone always says that time flies, but holy cow....time freakin' flies! It seems like only yesterday we were bringing Maisey home and now we are baby proofing the house as she gets ready to walk.

Since she is growing up right before our eyes, we wanted to capture her as she sleeps peacefully. She loves to cuddle with her Maisey doll that Aunt Jen got her.

Earlier in the year we got the chance to head up to Happy Jack and spend the weekend with the Celaya's and Cassaday's. It was a nice drive up (minus the transmission issues) and there was still snow on the ground.

The Cabin

Mommy and Maisey enjoying a few moments together at the cabin. Maisey loves her mommy!

This year was Maisey's first Easter, so of course we had to get her an Easter dress. Here is the Vehon family Easter picture. Maisey loves her Uncle Dustin.

I always wondered what Maisey does while she is sitting in her car seat, so when we were stopped at a light I peeked the camera over her seat and got this pic. She is a cutie.

It was always easier going grocery shopping when we could just put her car seat in the cart, but she was getting pretty tired of that, so we decided to let her sit in the big girl seat and needless to say she Loved it!

Since Mommy and Maisey are morning people (much to Daddy's dismay) Kim decided that we should have a breakfast picnic at the park. We also played at the playground and fed the ducks and geese. Maisey thoroughly enjoyed feeding the geese...

...until the geese thought that her fingers and toes were bread and began to try to eat them. Who needs 10 fingers and 10 toes anyways???

This past weekend, we were able to go to the park and celebrate Abi and Leah's birthday. This year their party was at a splash pad. Maisey isn't the hugest fan yet, but we at least got a good picture from it.

and finally, here is a short vid clip of Maisey playing her new favorite game....