Maya Kate

Not sure what to say other than . . . Happy Birthday to me and Maya! I couldn't have ever imagined that on my 37th Birthday we would add Maya to the family. June 28th is so great I just had to share it.

Maya made a dramatic 1st appearance. It was the most amazing sound ever to hear those first gasps for air followed by that perfect cry.

That tiny hand wrapped around my finger for the first time. This friend seems familiar to me somehow.

We've waited so long for you

It's ironic, Janna does all the work and I get to be the first to hold her and say hello.

"Mom. I know that voice"

I love my girls, all of them.

June 30, 2011. 10am

We have had a lot of support from family and friends the last few days, and even more over the last few years. Maya's arrival is nothing short of a miracle. She is doing very well and eating like a champion. While I'm boasting, I'll toss in that I have personally changed 6 diapers already. Awesome.

Thanks to all of you for your fasting and prayers that helped get Maya here.

We had professional pictures done at the hospital by Bella Baby Photography. They turned out incredible.

bellababyphotography.com

password: 0628mayamangum

Here are a few of my favorites:

Poisonous Sewer Aardvarks

I would tell you what's going on in this photo, but it's more fun to anticipate what your guess might be. What happens in Grandma's basement, stays in Grandma's basement.

We all walk around the house like this all day so that we fit in.

Gymnastics Recital 2011. Superstar gymnasts.

I'm figuring out this fingernail polishing stuff. It's true, I buy the expensive brands in the coolest colors and spend lots of time painting it up. What a blast. I didn't know you're supposed to seal the paint job with a sealant. Gotta get some of that next, Janna's toenails are calling to me since she can't reach them right now.

Some kids bring their toys to show and tell, some kids bring cool rocks or seashells. We bring rats - so what? Somebody has to educate the masses on what great pets they are, I nominate Lauren. I went to class one day (me, Janna, and Rylee) and carried this cage all the way into the school with little kids gawking at me all down the hallway. I told them it was a poisonous sewer aardvark. "WHOOOOOA!" was the response.

Moab, Utah

Friday, May 14th. My Red Rock Relay was the next morning. So we visited Arches National Park and saw some absolutely amazing scenery. You have to hike about 1 mile to get to Delicate Arch (above), then hike 1 mile back.

We also saw Balanced Rock. This structure is amazing, you can stare at it all day long - it's honestly suspenseful because you know it's going to fall any moment. Keep watching.

The next morning we were at the starting line by 8am. The course was 70 miles, out along the Colorado River, through the RedRock Canyons, up into the La Sal mountain range and back into Moab. We each ran twice, it took us about 8.5 hours.

The object in my hand is our team "baton" (a snap-on wrist wrap, nice & sweaty too)

My team from left to right: (Taylor Monson, Justin Nipko, Steve Schaeling, me, and Patrick Monson, unfortunately Lance Tilley is missing from this photo)

Here is my team entering the finishing stretch at the park in Moab. I was bummed Lance missed this photo of our team - that's a story for another day. We actually placed third overall out of about 200 teams.

Team name was "The Guns of Sierra La Sal"

Catching up

I'm a hesitant blogger. My words in writing are and never will be a something I take pride in. Mark promises he'll lend his talents to embellish the pictures I post. Here's hoping he'll find a minute :) But for now, (and perhaps forever) enjoy a glimpse into our goings and comings.

Easter Sunday with Cousins and of course, too much candy!

I'm not sure how this wizard ended up in time out, maybe it's better I don't know.

Traditions

Tea parties

Wizard magic

Grow baby grow! I wish spring would come and stay, winter can't seem to leave around here.

Do Leprechauns visit your house too? Maybe you should try a trap, complete with lots of glitter.

Any names to throw in the hat for our baby Mangum girl list?

As far as my mom's concerned, her name is Ruby.

A little craziness

Monkeys climbing the walls anxious for weather warm enough to outdoor adventure.

Top bunk buddies!

Valentines from Omaha, Thank you Elder and Sister Mangum!

Something new from something old, Creation Museum day. Lauren loved building this with The Engineer.

Toilet fort

Missing teeth.

Glimpse into Rylee's imaginative mornings.

Mark's Choice

Yep. It's been a while since I posted some pictures. I have some favorites from the end of last year, not sure these were ever posted or not . . . worth a second look anyway.

Rylee, making a cake for me. I wasn't allowed to look at it until it was all done. She must've spent a full 1/2 hour on this cake. Making and remaking, if I could've brought it home I would have.

Huntington Beach, CA. Rylee was not a fan of the water, but the sand and shells were just her thing.

This "L" has nothing to do with the word "CALIFORNIA." It's simply there because it's the first letter in Lauren's name.

Why are all these other letters on this plaza too? All we really need was just an "L" and an "R."

I'll only ever get a picture of Lauren in this stage of life once. This is it. Classic in my book. To me, this shows how proud you can be when you look very abnormal compared to the rest of society. Yet, still sport a smile and freckles that that are nothing but beautiful.

The frozen mud puddle in the lot next door. Awesome.

Rylee tries on my ski boots. Next time we head to the mountain, she thinks she might venture along. By the way, my ski's didn't last very long. After about 2-3 hours those tragic excuses for mobility down a mountain came off and were replaced by a snowboard. Ski's? What was I thinking?

Rylee, lost in some world. She comes out on occasion just to go the bathroom.

This was my Halloween gift to my girls. Orange fingernail polish and a black fingernail marking pen. We had a great time decorating nails. I'm no artist, but they were satisfied and even thought these were pretty cool.

I had the opportunity to actually be at Laurie and Tim's home in Ohio the week leading up to Halloween. This was at their ward party at the church. The Busch family has this giant chest of costumes that comes out and anybody can be anything they want for Halloween. Me, I was some type of witch with a black cape. Quite the wierdo to be exact, but it was a blast to walk around and introduce myself as Laurie's brother. They would stop and say, ". . . oh" as if "Wow, Laurie is so amazing . . . what happened to you?" I loved it. It's true, Laurie and her kids and Tim are truly amazing. This trip to see Taylor, Dallin, and Carly was one of the highlights of the whole year for me.