Thankful on a Thanksgiving Thursday

A family in good health.

Having exactly four days of vacation left so I could spend the entire week of Thanksgiving with my family & friends in Nebraska.

A family of great cooks.

Losing seven pounds before Thanksgiving so I could enjoy myself without counting calories on vacation.

In laws that enjoy drinking wine during the holidays.

A daughter that likes to take naps while driving long distances.

Long stretches of highway with no patrolman in sight so we can get to Thanksgiving dinner on time.

Friends who like Jose Quervo.

Family bonding at the crack ass of dawn on Black Friday.

Two energetic dogs who miss us terribly while we are gone so they become destructive while alone at Grandma & Grandpa’s house.

An amazing husband who doesn’t mind driving the two lane highways of Nebraska and Iowa.

Mommy's Little Turkey

Did I tell you how much I love my husband??

We have been on vacation this week and it has been extra hard getting Abbie back on her routine.  The first night here, she didn't get to bed until 10:30 and that was after we had to put her into bed with us and let her wiggle and fuss herself to sleep.  Then last night she drank her milk and was ready to go off onto dreamland until she was awoken by her cousins who were getting ready to leave after having a family dinner that evening.  I told Charlie that I would get her to sleep.  FAIL!!  She squirmed and screamed and cried for a good 30 minutes.  Finally Charlie came in and swept her up and it's like she melted in his arms.  She instantly stopped crying and soothed herself to sleep on his shoulder.  Then he carried her upstairs to our bedroom like he was her knight in shining armor and laid her ever so gently in the pack and play where she slept soundly for the next nine hours.  I just sat there in awe.  I just don't know how he does it and probably never will.  I will just sit back and thank the Lord above that Abbie and I have this man in our life.

A year of tears, laughs, milestones & memories...

Dear Abbie,

It’s so hard to put into words what I’m feeling today. I think back to a year ago and how my life changed forever the moment I heard your tiny little cry. You were a long time in the making. Daddy & I went back and forth on whether or not we wanted to have a baby. I just couldn’t see living a life alone without a child. You have blessed both me and your daddy in so many ways. Yes it was hard at first. The late night feedings, the adjustment to being a full time working mother. It was really tough. And at times I thought to myself, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ Motherhood is probably THE MOST challenging job I have ever had. There are days when I have my A game and some days I just want to throw in the towel. But then you crack me one of those smiles. The kind that melts my heart and gives me the reason to carry on.

The other night when I laid you to sleep, I thought back to when you were a newborn and you were so tiny and helpless in my arms. I would bundle you up in your blanket and rock you to sleep. Now you have outgrown my arms and your legs are no longer confined to a blanket but instead sprawled out on my lap. It hurts me to know that you aren’t a baby anymore but becoming Momma’s big girl. I hope you will let me rock you until your feet hit the ground like your Grandma Raine did for me when I was younger.

This morning your daddy went in late into work so we were both able to wake you up on your birthday. Your daddy picked you up and you laid your little head on his shoulder and didn’t move. I just wanted to cry. You are definitely Daddy’s little girl. You have changed your daddy into a completely different man. He has never been one that liked babies. He was completely fine with living a life without children. And then you came along and he did a complete 180. His face lights up when he sees you. It just tugs at my heartstrings when I listen to you giggle as your daddy gives you a bath. He does everything in his power to protect you. You definitely have your daddy wrapped around that tiny little finger, Abbie. Keep up the good work.

It’s been quite the year for us. So many tears. So many laughs. So many milestones. So many memories. I wish I could put life on hold to soak it all in. But I have a lifetime to spend with you and make many more memories. I love you Abbie and hope your 2nd, 10th, and 60th year of life will be as joyful as this past year has been.

                                                                  All my love,

                                                                  Mommy

Happy Birthday My Sweet Little Girl!!



Photo taken by Stephanie Phillips



Abbie & I’s favorite lullaby.

The same lullaby that her Grandma sung to me.



You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.

The other night dear, as I lay sleeping

 I dreamed I held you in my arms

But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

So I hung my head and I cried.



You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.

Please don't take my sunshine away.

Please don't take my sunshine away.

For the audio version, click here.



Video of the Week

Today marks the beginning of Abbie's Birthday week!!  I hope to have lots of posts for you this week.  We start with a very special video I have been working on for hours on end for the last week.  It is the largest Abbie & Mommy Production I have ever worked on.


Ladies & Gentlemen....I present to you...

Abigail Paige Vogt - A Year in Review

Abigail Paige Vogt - A Year in Review from Megan Vogt on Vimeo.

My first attempt at cake decorating

Keeping up to speed with my latest craze to become the next Martha Stewart, I decided to take a whirl at cake decorating.  Tomorrow we are going to have family/Abbie's 1st birthday pictures taken.  The last set of pictures are going to be of Abbie going to town with her birthday cake.  Well I have never been a fan of the cheap smash cakes from Wal-mart.  And I'm not going to spend a butt load of money on someone to make it for me.  So why not make it myself!! 

First of all, the cakes didn't come out of the pan like I expected.  We had quite a mess on our hands in getting it look leveled and ready to frost.  Then I didn't do the best at frosting the cakes so I had Charlie take over and he did a suburb job!!  Well that was until one of the sides decided to not cooperate (as you will see in the picture).  I did all of the piping.  Charlie wanted to do something fancy but I told him since neither of us have any experience in cake decorating, that we should stick with the simple dot.  Although the dots were looking more like Hershey kisses so I had to go back and take off all of the peaks.  Then I tried to fix the whoopsie that Charlie encountered.  I made it look a little better and tried to cover it up with the piping as well as I could but it's still pretty noticeable.

But for the first time at decorating a cake, I don't think we did too shabby at all!!  Who knows.  With a little practice, I may just become so good that Duff will hire me to become one of his cake decorators at Charm City Cakes!!

Now it's time to go clean my kitchen.  Why can't there be a fairy that comes in and cleans your kitchen while you are sleeping?!?

Video of the Week

I apologize for the lapse in video posts.  Last weekend was busy with party planning and preparing my house for company this last weekend.  I hope you will forgive me.  I made sure to make up with it with this week's video.

Abbie Eating in her Sleep from Megan Vogt on Vimeo.

No tricks...just one adorable treat!!

This year Abbie got to celebrate her first Halloween.  Trying to keep up with Martha Stewart, the homemaker in me really wanted to make Abbie's costume.  But I never took Home Economics in high school and can hardly sew on a button.  Charlie's mother is a seamstress so I have never had a reason to learn how sew. I don't even own a sewing machine until one was donated to me by my mother in law and delivered two days before Halloween.  I figured a Halloween costume as my first sewing project that needed to be completed in two days was just not going to happen.  So I took the easy route and bought Abbie's costume.





MINNIE MOUSE!!

The costume was 12-18 mos but was on a little bit of the tight side.  It was almost impossible to squeeze her into it and definitely wasn't made for tall girls like my daughter.  Thank goodness she had tights on or her tooshie would have gotten cold hanging out. Her little dress shoes had a slight wedge to them and Abbie stumbled as she walked in them.  And the ears...she hated the ears!!  I'm not exactly sure how I got her to keep them on long enough for this picture.  The minute she felt the headband going over her head, she would rip it off.  I wish I knew how to sew so I could have sewn them onto some ponytail holders and I could have attached them to her pigtails.  Mommy definitely didn't think this one out when she was planning out Abbie's First Halloween costume. 

Abbie got all sorts of candy.  Too bad the poor girl only has 2 1/2 teeth to enjoy it.  I'm afraid that Mommy & Daddy may have to enjoy it for her!!  Her cousins came down to visit for Halloween so she had lots of fun going door to door with them Trick or Treating.  Maybe next year she may know how to actually say Trick or Treat.  I was pretty disappointed with the neighborhoods we went trick or treating to.  Back in the day when I used to go trick or treating, almost everyone had their lights on and you scored big time on candy.  Hardly anyone in our neighborood were passing out candy.  Are people just afraid to open their door to anyone these days, even on Halloween?  Or are they just "Boo Humbugs"??  Next year we are definitely going to hit up the festive neighborhoods.  And I'm going to make sure that Abbie's costume is a lot more comfortable & enjoyable!! 

Vogt Family - Halloween 2010