So today and tomorrow are big days for me... My in-laws are keeping Corban overnight and I will FINALLY be doing Cate's nursery. Oh don't you worry- I'll post pictures when it's all said and done- haha. But I'm really excited about getting it done. Any guess on what color I'll be painting the room?? =)
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Anyway on a blog I read, they linked to this great giveaway that everyone who participates wins, so here I am. Lewasdesigns.com is a website selling wall decals. I really like all of the different 'swirly bird' decals, and by writing this- I get one free! How is this related? Well- the swirly birds will be going in Cate's completed room. Woohoo! Go here for details of the giveaway (which ends tomorrow) and to check out her other tuff for sale.
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The weekend has been fun. The most exciting news is that we planted our garden! We've got several varieties of peppers (sweet and hot), 4 kinds of tomatos, zuchini, squash, cantelope, watermelon, romaine lettuce, cilantro... I think that's it. Jordan built 2 3x3 boxes and a 1x6 with trellises (sp?) for the vines to grow up. We are really excited about it!
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I went through my summer clothes today (well, pants) and for some reason I have 6 PAIRS of green shorts/capris. Why? How did I end up with SIX? I don't even like green pants all that much... haha. And somehow, I have only one pair of jean capris- you know, the things I actually like and wear. I guess that's a result of relying on hand-me-downs to wardrobe me. Can't complain, I guess!
Alright, we're heading to a graduation open house, so I better wrap it up.

Warm weather seems to bring less free time, for some reason, so blogging has been low on the priority list. But, Corban is watching Curious George, Cate is sitting in her bouncer, and I'm going to post real quick.

Let's see here...

Breaking the paci has been mostly good. Except for Day 2 which looked like this:

I certainly didn't mind that though (but it came after an hour of inconsolable crying). And man, does he have some eyelashes or what?!

And while we're looking at pictures of my children sleeping, take a look at my little peanut:

Anyway, our weekend was great. Isaac (Jordan's youngest brother) graduated on Saturday, so we hung out for his open house all day. Sunday, we had outdoor service at church, and that was fun. I came home early with the kids, and that afternoon Jordan's grandparents came over to bring us a new futon (yay!) and help us take some things to goodwill (ie., the dresser that's been on our front porch for 3 months).

Monday was a blast though. Jordan had the day off, so it was great to get some real family time in. We went and worked out at the Y, and after we were done working out we got the kids and took them to the pool. Corban was pretty unsure about it, which really surprised me. I thought he'd love it, but he wanted us to hold him the whole time, and when we did finally get him to stand, he wouldn't walk. I'm hoping he gets used to it quickly though, as I plan on spending lots of time at the pool this summer! Cate loved it though, but I think that mostly had to do with her being in my 'water' sling. Have you ever seen anything cuter than a little miniature brown tankini? Other than the girl wearing it, that is...

Jordan surprised me by arranging a babysitter to keep the kids so we could go out on Monday! Yes! He's pretty great to me. :) Anyway, we went through Starbucks, took out our list, and had a romantic stroll through... Menards. And we had a blast. Really! We (as you know) have a million and a half home projects we're working on, and it was so nice to leisurely look around and plan and buy. Does that make us really old? That we take dates to Menards? Hah. I wouldn't want it any other way. After breaking the bank there, we went to Olive Garden for a delicious dinner. It was so nice to just sit and talk and enjoy eachother. The kids were great for the sitter, and we thoroughly enjoyed.

And...

my keister is so sore I can barely sit today. I took an intermediate 45 minute spinning class yesterday and it was AWESOME! The best workout I've had in years, honestly. But I'm feeling it today. It was pretty comical- I was the youngest person in the class by at least 30 years. I had a blast though, and the people were so much fun! It's felt so good to be working out again. And it's as hard as you make it. I'm not so out of shape that I can't keep up with 60 year olds. Just clarifying... haha.

Thus concludes Curious George and bouncy seat (She's now nursing), and this boring update.

'breaking' news!

It's a big day in the McG household.

For the last 665 days (that's every day of his life, in case you were wondering), Corban Gabriel McG has clung to his pacifier for dear life.

Today, he's clinging in a different way.

Notice the left hand. Closed tightly inside that little (but growing) fist is his beloved last paci. Now known as the 'boken, yucky paci'. The one of which my son so sweetly asked, "Fix it, pweeeease (insert head nod, with big eyes), Mommy.' Astonishingly, he took my 'it's broken, that's that' response and just held it in his hand and asked for his blankie. I was sure nap time was going to be a nightmare, but again, I was wrong. He wanted his sticker picture that his buddy A had made for him, along with the ball that was so kindly gifted, and off to sleep he went.

Now I know bed time might be difficult tonight, but we'll push through- the paci days (for Corban) are over. I really have mixed emotions about all of this, to be honest... Just one more step out of babyhood. Could someone please slow things down? My baby boy is just barely a baby. Sigh. Who knew being a mother would cause your heart so much joy and so much ache at the same time?!
Speaking of joy, though, my baby girl caught mid-giggle:

I'm pretty sure there's nothing sweeter than to be a Mama.
Even when your babies decide to grow up.

a recap (with pictures)

JD's MRI came back CLEAR! Free of tumor, not a trace of cancer... PRAISE GOD! It was an intense afternoon, day, week, waiting for the results, but we are so so thankful for the outcome. As I was driving home, a weight lifted off my shoulders, a song came on the radio that I definitely think was a reminder from the Lord. The chorus said:

But our Hope endures the worst of conditions

It's more than our optimism

Let the earth quake-

Our Hope is unchanged

Regardless of what that MRI would've shown, God still would have been good, still in control, still our hope... unchanged. But- We are most definitely praising and thanking Him for the many answered prayers! Oh... and celebrating:

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We endured the lock-in. It actually went really well, and I managed to stay awake until 2 a.m. It's taken me all weekend + today to catch up, but I'm starting to feel more human, minus the swollen glands in my neck and oncoming cold I've caught. How's that for a mathematical equation?!

We had some friends weekend with us, and it was wonderful. I really really love having people in our house- not too mention it was great company. :)

Oh- and we really duct taped kids to the wall. I have pictures to prove it:

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The end of the weekend brought on a full-fledged fever for my baby boy. We ended up leaving church because he was sleeping on me- which, don't get me wrong- I loved every minute of, but it was a definite indication that something was wrong. 102.5 degrees wrong, to be exact. We came home, took some tylenol, plopped in Nemo (which we watched start to finish) and then put Corban to bed for a FIVE HOUR nap. He was restless off and on during the night and grumpy gills come morning. See:

(okay, okay- I'll admit. This picture wasn't really from Monday. But it fit too perfectly not to use)

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We had Cate's 4 month check up (really... already?!) on Monday. (Before I get to her part, let me say that I had the doctor check Corban's ears, and yesindeed they were infected. Poor boy!) My little baby girl is just that- little. But she thinks she's sooooo big:

She has only gained 4 oz. in the last two months, and went from 75th to 25th percentile on weight. She also dropped off from 75th to 50th on height. She's 11 lbs. 8 oz, 24.5 inches long. A little pipsqueak! The doctor was somewhat worried about her big dropoff in growth, and is having us try a few things and come back in two weeks for a weight check (along with an ear re-check for big brother). I feel confident that my milk supply is not the issue this time around, so I'm not sure what's going on. We will see, I suppose!

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That's all that's been going on on our neck of the woods. Except that I dropped Corban's carseat on my toe today, and have a really nasty gash. I'll spare you the pic of that, though. And that my husband is working until 9:00 pm every day this week, so we're spending lots-o-time at the (fenced in) playground. And I've been drinking wayyyyyyy too much Diet Coke. And we've been working out really consistantly finally, and really are moving forward with doing a triathlon. And my house is messy, the weather is perfect, and life is really stinkin' good.

Hope you're having as GREAT of a day as I am!

I am so, incredibly tired right now.
But my to-do list is a mile long.
And my daughter has been sleeping for awhile... but my son just went to bed.
Not coordinated nap times means little work time for me.
It'd probably be good if I took advantage of the little time I have.
But instead, I'm writing a blog.
I'm really pretty grumpy right now.
Throwing myself a pity party, if you really want to know.

I attended my first spinning class today. I loved it. And I will return on Tuesday.
Hooray for exercise.
Jordan and I are going to do a triathalon together this summer. And run a 4-mile race on June 12th. Whoa. Commitment. Scary.
I told him that we should push the double jogger, that way I have an excuse for being slow. haha.

In other news, we've got that awesome event that I sure love tomorrow... the dreadful lock-in. I have to admit, they are my least favorite part of working with jr. highers. Thank goodness I only stay until the food is taken care of. I don't do late nights any more.
Unless you count last night. And the being-awaken-every-2-hours-ness of it. MMmhmm. That was late. And early. And it may be the reason for my grumpiness. Just a guess.

Can I take a nap? Please? Will you come clean house for me? and cook dinner while you're at it? Even after two shots of espresso, there's not a drop in my tank, I'm needing tooth picks for these eye lids. Maybe if I just get moving, the energy will follow. I can will myself to feel good. Maybe? Maybe not. Off to give it a try...

Psalm 62

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

Mother's Day weekend was really wonderful. A quick summary: I got to go out by myself, with no children, for several hours, wandering to and fro, doing whatever I pleased. Which ended up being a trip to the outdoor mall, with a stop at the coffee shop and into the bookstore, and a fast trip to Target to get diapers for my son and a video game for my husband. I did get myself some new shirts, so that was nice (That was part of the orders: spend some money on myself. Oh, darn it.) Sunday, we ventured to Cville and surprised both of our mothers. It was really nice to just be with family and it was exactly what I wanted. Jordan had a day planned just for us, but we're doing that next Sunday.

(Here's me, with my Mom! :) )

Guess what else my amazing husband had planned?

I had been telling him about all these things I was going to sell on Craigslist, clothes to Plato's closet, etc. And he tells me to gather all the $$ I can because we're going to remodel our master bath! Heck yeah!!! In case you forgot:

It looks like that. Really. I couldn't tell you the last time I opened the door. We do absolutely nothing in there, because it's disgusting. And cleaning it just won't do. In case the details are slipping past you, that's shag carpet, with avacado green appliances, with a once-clear door so covered in soap scum and who knows what else that you can't even begin to see through it. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. So- we will replace the flooring, sink, countertop, shower, and paint. And then we will officially have 2.5 working baths, and only an entry way left to be redone on our house. After a year and three months, we're getting there. Praise the Lord!

And lastly, who keeps waking my children up in the middle of the night? Or at 6 a.m.? And who's lulling Corban back to sleep at 10 a.m. for his nap? I just want you to know that I am not okay with it, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop. Thank you very much.

It was one of those mornings. You know, the ones that start about two hours too soon, and where it's evident that everyone feels that way.
I don't think Corban was awake 5 minutes before he threw his first tantrum. We're talking fists clenched, yelling at the top of lungs, downright angry tantrum. Fun. Good morning. After way too many of those, I decided it'd be best for us to leave the house, be distracted, strap Corban down so he can't hit me or his sister any more. So we do. I find a garage sale listing for the 'town' I live in, and it's primarily baby girls clothes. I figure we'll give it a shot. It was a miss. A big miss. We're talking, out-dated, washed a gazillion times, yet priced at $1 a shirt. I think not. We leave there and go to a neighborhood garage sale. There were lots of sales happening, but very few with kid stuff, so we went on our way. I decided I deserved (ha.ha.) a nice coffee drink for enduring the beginning of terrible two's, so I venture to that glorious establishment known as McDonald's to give McCafe a whirl. Let's just say 'miss' again. I'm no coffee snob, but what I ordered wasn't drinkable. It ended up in the trashcan at Kohl's. So much for that.
We drive to Cookie Cutter's for Corban's long-overdue haircut. Except after loading the kiddos in the double stroller, spilling the not-yet-tasted-or-trashed sugar free vanilla grossness all down my shirt and stroller, I wander in to find it swarming with children and two hours away from a free slot. Miss again.
We move onto Kohl's to look for Mother's Day presents. As soon as we were in the door, Corban was saying "bye-bye" so I knew I was in for a treat. It went something like this: Corban pulls box of shoes off rack. I put them back. While putting shoes back, Corban throws paci. I pick up paci. Corban pulls of box of shoes. Throw away coffee. Venture to home goods, but decide it's too dangerous with Grabby Gus in tow and in foul mood. Onto children's section. Corban pulls off entire stack of 'jumping bean' shirts. I pick them up and move him, just for him to pull dresses off a hanger while being moved. Cate starts crying. Hurriedly search clearance rack (with success!) and sprint to check out. Let dirty looks roll right off as I have two screaming children- one in tears, the other angry shouting- as I'm approaching tears myself. Pay $3.85 (after $8 in-store credit) for 2 shirts and a pair of shorts (all Osh-Kosh) and leave.
Well that was fun. I decided we were d-o-n-e at that point, and started heading home. I talked myself into a drink from Starbucks, partly because my throat hurt and I'm out of coffee at home, partly because I wanted something happy and mostly because both children had fallen asleep and I was savoring a few quiet minutes. $4 of pure bliss, my friends. I'll regret it tonight, as I've sworn off ridiculously overpriced drinks that kill my budget, but hey... it was good for a minute. (ha).
Long story short- some days, being Mama isn't easy. I don't love like I should, am not patient like needed, wish 5 o'clock was here the minute I wake up. But after my husband's reminder to pray (and a little rest+caffeine), I'm feeling much better, refreshed, ready to play and laugh and love. Besides- who can resist an almost two year old asking for "Jesus" (a cartoon dvd we have of Bible stories), empathizing with the man crying, telling me 'he sad, mommy'?! And then putting Cheerios on his head and telling me 'cereal hat!' and laughing hysterically?! Or swinging his foam sword at a miniture baseball saying 'hit it, Isaac!'?! (Oh yes ma'am, that all happened in the last five minutes. See- my life IS fun!) I love my Corbanator, tantrums and all. But especially when he giggles, talks, laughs, loves, plays, eats, uses his imagination, kisses, throws, jumps, climbs...
Off to have fun! It's a new day!

oh.. the sweetest things

First giggles caught on camera. It's only five seconds long and very worth your time. :)

a little update

I think I would be a professional gardener if money grew on trees.

I'm just saying...

Ahem. Moving on. Perhaps I'm experiencing a bit of buyers remorse, as I spent WAY more than I usually do in a day. What did I buy, you ask? These:

It really was a steal of a deal, as all of the toys shown are Melissa and Doug, brand new, in the package, and purchased at 50% off the retail price. Thankyouverymuch, craigslist! Several of the items will be put away for his upcoming second birthday, and a few of them are 'older' toys, which I don't think he's quite ready for. You really can't find cheap M&D toys, so we decided it was worth the splurge right now.

Speaking of cute:

Oh wait. We weren't? Well, look at that boy! Seriously past due on a hair cut (I think he's resembling a Lawrence brother... remember Brotherly Love?), swinging in his sister's swing (which she doesn't swing it). Gosh, I just love him. He's so much fun right now... speaking in sentences, loving on us, making us laugh. Have I told you that he calls me "Mommy Kristen"? As opposed to his other Mommy, I guess. It's a riot for sure. And he's also sleeping in his big boy bed like a champ! It was another far easier transition than I ever dreamed it could be. We'd (okay, I) had been really inconsistant on trying to get him to nap in there, and then he fell asleep in the van Saturday night, I put him in his big boy bed to sleep at night, same thing for nap the next day, and WHAM! transition over. No more crib for my boy. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me sad. He's such a little boy these days... nothing baby, besides his paci, about him. And we're dropping that in two weeks.

Also growing up:

3 1/2 months old already. Where has the time gone?! Can I just tell you that she's already ROLLING ACROSS THE ROOM!?! I thought I was months from mobility.... WRONG! So across the room might be a tiny exaggeration, but she has done 3 consecutive turns at once. That's pretty close to across the room. It'd easily be across the bed or off the couch at least. She also has moved beds and is now in her own room in her crib. I have yet to pack away the cradle, but it makes me sad to think about. And I miss her being right next to my bed. You really can never imagine how much you could love your own child, huh?

Oh- and remember how she was a chunky monkey when she was born?! Well, she's a pipsqueak now (see last post if you don't believe me.). I had bought her 6mo. and 9 mo. clothes for spring and summer, and 6 months literally falls off of her little waist. I've been wearing her newborn sized pants on her as capris! I (also) bought her some bermuda shorts and jean capris today, which actually fit her.

Okay, this is getting long, boring, and full of punctuational and gramatical errors, and I need to clean and not proof read. Sorry 'bout your luck - haha! Off to clean the kitch, fold laundry (it's a never ending cycle, I tell ya), and maybe relax for 2 1/2 minutes. Probably not though. Adios!

lotsa limb

I was a bystander.

This may end up a jumbled, emotional mess- I don't know- but I need to sort out my thoughts and clear my head and even back pedal a little bit.
Yesterday was a really hard day for me. I spent all afternoon at my brother-in-law's double header, which was also a benefit for a wonderful man, former coach, and father of friends, who has cancer. I was fine until they wheeled him in. It wasn't that he looked bad- he didn't. It was just an overwhelming rush of emotions that I fought the rest of the day, that errupted when I finally was in the van by myself. I cried... no - sobbed, as I sorted through the day and peeled back the layers of what was going on inside of me.
Yesterday, I was a bystander.
Yesterday I wasn't the sister of the boy with cancer.
Yesterday I was the friend of the family whose heart broke for what they are enduring.
Yesterday I was the one who didn't know what to say, how to act, what to talk about, but just wished I could do something, anything to help ease the situation.
Yesterday, I was you.
And I'm sorry.
I didn't know. I hadn't been there. I haven't been on the other side of things.
It is hard. You do hurt. You do cry for us, for JD, for all he's enduring. You would give anything to take it all away, even just take part of the burden. You do do that, you do carry the burden. It weighs heavy on your mind. You pray for us, you worry about the upcoming MRI. You have a glimpse of what it's like to be on this side of things simply because you love.
And I'm sorry that I discounted that.

There's more- so much more- that goes into yesterday and all that happened in my heart. I think I want to just start and stop here for now, though. I'm still processing, still praying.
And I want to say thank you. Thank you for simply caring. For loving, for crying, for praying, for being. I took a walk in your shoes yesterday, and it was hard. It was hard and I'm sorry and thank you.

today

Is a much better day.
In case you were wondering.
:)
Happy Weekend!