Welcome to the world Maddie!!

My niece, Madeline Anne McLean was born this morning, bright and early to my brother, Kevin, and his wife, Katie, sister Morgan. She weighed in at 9 lbs, 12 oz. Big baby! Morgan is in love with her - didn't want to leave her in the hospital. I wish we could be there, but will see her as soon as we can!

Two red-headed little girls! This is going to be fun! I am a proud Auntie today!!

A trip to the park... and then some....

We were headed to the park (after a short stop at the McConnel's to snuggle on Liam). Upon arriving, we saw that the school carnival was underway and so we went back to grab some money and headed over. Ethan especially liked the train ride, but told me he liked the fishing game the best. He got lots of suckers and temporary tatoos. Our favorite.

Ethan and Lucas had a great time and I was proud of myself for maneuvering it solo. Of course, the pride disappeared when we got home and I realized Lucas was wet. Really wet. Like he soaked his clothes and the stroller. He was also covered in the chicken and stars I fed him at the park. Oops. But, we got him cleaned up and Ethan entertained him with Peek-a-Boo while I got things cleaned up and ready for bed. Lucas laughs and laughs. It's his favorite game, for sure. Then we put him on the floor and he got on his hands and knees (ok, i helped a little) and rocked back and forth - a first step on the developmental path toward crawling!! He only lasted a few minutes, but it was very exciting. Come on little crawler! Of course, once he can crawl, life will get a bit more difficult... I know I'll regret wanting it to come.

Ethan played with the camera a bit. He's a real artiste! We really had fun tonight. I needed that. No one went to time out and we just played and laughed and smiled and giggled. We all need those days!

The boys went to bed and despite how tired I was, I did day three of the 30 Day Shred workout. My arms might fall off and my legs may be numb, but I can tell I'm getting stronger already. And, I have energy now, which I did not before the workout. A good thing, I think. This weekend is all about relaxing and playing with my cute boys! That's my perfect Mother's Day!

"Love you buddy"

That's what E told Brian tonight. Too cute. I only got to see the boys at dinner (had yoga beforehand and a teacher dinner after), but they were all in great spirits. Ethan keeps saying silly things and then telling Brian "Just teasing." A new skill!
We are so looking forward to tomorrow night! This week has been a whopper and we're tired! I just want to play and snuggle and relax- that' my only goal. And day three of our workout video. That too.
I think I am so tired I cannot even form valid thoughts. So off to bed I go - Happy Friday!!!

Scooterific

I'm thinking maybe Ethan got put in time out today. Every conversation I had with him had something to do with time out.

"Xander in time out."

"Why was he in time out?"

"He crying. He no eat his cereal"

"He was in time out because he wouldn't eat his cereal?"

"No, he playing. He not in time out. He playing with toys." (in disgust that I didn't understand.)

...

"Mommy, you the baby. I feed you"

"Ok, yum, yum."

"Now you cry. You go time out. NOW Time out!"

"Why"

"No mommy. Time Out."

I asked him if he was in time out, but he said no. He was playing. In other news, we found out his class is having a program on the 19th. I can hardly wait! Get the cameras ready, this is sure to be hilarious! Apparently the song is something about "I see you, I see you, I see you, I see you." At least that's all he'd tell us. And he kept singing "Going on a Bear Hunt" which was really funny.

We took him over to the school to ride his scooter. He was having a great time, but got really tired and then refused to ride it. Thus, it was slung over my back while I pushed Lucas in the stroller (Brian had the dogs.)

Tomorrow is my last big test. Woo-hoo! Here's hoping!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Tonight was a fiesta at church! We went to a party/fundraiser for the Africa trip several of our people are going to this summer. It was a lot of fun and made more so because our good friends, the Coates, were there. Lucas loved watching all the fun and taking it in. He was giggling, bouncing, squealing, and trying to steal the enchiladas off my plate.Ethan and Peyton waited oh so patiently for the little kids' turn on the inflatable bouncehouse/slide. It is funny that as they get older- they get rougher with each other and love every minute of it! Of course the night did end with Ethan giving Peyton a bloody nose, but hey, they're boys, right? And really, it was the stegasaurus that actually went up Peyton's nose, so can Ethan really be to blame? (I am totally kidding, I hope you all realize :))

They went up and over that slide so many times I thought the poor lady helping them was going to fall over. They loved flying down the slide into the multitudes of other children.

Addie can sit so well now! She and Lucas made eyes at each other, but with them both having such nutty older brothers, they like to just sit back and watch. Plenty of entertainment!

It is just so great for Ethan to have a best friend. Crazy to think that we forced them on each other from the womb on and yet they are so happy to see each other every time. Good friends. Good times.

It's been a crazy week all ready. Last night was the 4th/5th grade track meet and I was out cheering on my kids in the 50 degree weather with lots of wind and crazy rain. I was so proud of my kids- persevering in that awful weather. My boss gave me a plastic trash bag to wear- I looked great!

Speaking of my boss- it's teacher appreciation week... He and our building admin showed up today in class in chefs outfits with a violin, singing horribly out of tune, with a delicious chocolate pastry. It was great- the kids loved it, I loved it. It really is great working for those guys. Such generous, giving people. And big dorks to boot. I love it!

And I suppose I should mention the gorgeous roses Brian brought home for me today. Sigh. They are beautiful. So all in all - a good week so far.

The End of the Weekend....

We had a great time last night! We had lots of friends and "family" over to celebrate Ethan's birthday. He loved showing Peyton all of his toys and loved opening his presents from our kind, kind friends. We all had a great time chatting, playing with babies, and catching up.

At the end of the night- Ethan and Peyton lined up about 50 toys in a straight line going across the floor- it was too funny! Toddler work is hard work! Liam and Ella met for the first time and Liam was in absolute love with her! Who wouldn't be, she's adorable! But still, he just giggled and smiled and flirted. Of course, those pictures aren't uploading for some reason.

And as we well know, a fun night means a somewhat torturous morning. Ethan decided he was a rockstar- even gelled up his hair and rocked out on stage! Our church service was great and then we went home just to relax for awhile. I even got to read a Stephanie Plum novel!

Ethan and Lucas had great fun playing on the sink while I cleaned out the 2 inch deep layer of baby soap that had spilled on the bottom of the tub, so they could take a bath ( a whole lot of bubbles, I'm telling you!) I suppose I should have known that the above scene would have ended with toothpaste all over Lucas' hair, but it wasn't too bad- and he didn't mind! He seems just to be happy when Ethan plays with him. And I suppose I should have known that the event would end in Lucas shrieking as Ethan doused him with cold water, but he did laugh too.

This week is busy. The end of the year always is. My hope is that we continue to get healthier and stay sane. At least the house is pretty clean!

Birthday Highlights

What a fun birthday! Ethan loved it and was so excited when he realized that all the presents (except one) were for him! He tried to pass them all out, but was more than happy to just keep them :) Uma and Upa did send him a gift to give to Lucas - and he was so excited that now Lucas has a "same hat". They are so stinkin' cute... He also got some really cute clothes from them that he insisted on wearing right away.
Ethan took cupcakes and "treat bags" to his daycare with stickers and M &Ms. All the kids were thrilled and I could tell he felt like a king! They did a great job of making the day special for him.

When he got home, he got to open a couple more gifts - including his favorite thing- money!

Grammy and Grandpa got him this really cool talking/walking dinosaur. I think he was a little scared of it at first. He'd push the button and then run behind one of us or behind the couch to watch. But now, Spike Jr. growls and laughs and stomps all day long :) No fear necessary!

E's Auntie Angie and Uncle Nick sent a piggy bank that Angie painted and some quarters to go in it. He loves it! He keeps putting money in it and then giving it a little shake- too cute! I think he might have more money in the bank than we do! (I am just kidding, don't worry...)

I've been pretty sick- recovering from the pinkeye and then some nasty allergies turned sinus infection. I think I might be on the mend, but am still sounding pretty bad... My mother refuses to talk to me- in hopes of saving my voice...

Tomorrow we're having a BBQ with friends to celebrate Ethan's birthday - where we'll do the whole cake and candles bit. Time to clean! If any of you out in blog-land will be around, shoot me an email (katieannemc@hotmail.com) and I'll give you all the specs on the shin-dig. We're going real sophisticated- Ethan has requested hot dogs with black cake and black frosting. Hopefully it's going to be nice outside, but regardless, we'll have fun!

I'm off to tape my mouth shut- the only way to keep me from talking!