Wimbish Family Fun

4 Months

2010-07-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a great 4 months sweet Claire!

July 4th, Dentist, Splasheville

2010-07-09T13:16:00.001-07:00

It has been a fun summer! We were all a little bummed when we got back from Minnesota-- it was just soooo fun being with everyone. Thankfully, we had July 4th to look forward to! McLean loved the fireworks and playing with all the other children. Claire did well too! She slept in my arms through the fireworks.

The girls: Pam, me, Loren, and Jayme

Little Miss Claire sporting one of her July 4th outfits

McLean had his first visit to the dentist. He has been with me before, but this was his first trip to have his teeth "checked and counted." He was a little apprehensive and wouldn't get in the chair without sitting in my lap. So, most of the exam took place in my lap :) I did get a picture of him sitting by himself for a brief moment!

What would a trip be to the dentist without visiting the bakery afterwards? My dad always took us to the bakery after our visits to the dentist as children. My parents went with us to the dentist and we went to the bakery afterwards. McLean got a purple smiley face sugar cookie. We came home, napped, and then headed downtown to the new "Splasheville"--which are fountains in front of the court house designed for water play. There were a lot of children there and it was 91 degrees at 5:00. McLean was apprehensive at first, but warmed up as the night went on. He never ran through the water, but did splash by putting his hands in. Maybe he will be more comfortable next time!

Mimi held Claire the whole time--I actually ended up getting in with McLean!

McLean running toward the fountains--ready to splash in his favorite Toy Story swim shorts!

McLean and Papa surveying the scene before entering the "splash zone"

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Whiteside

2010-07-05T04:03:00.000-07:00

Blogger is not my friend right now. I don't know why, but the pictures are out of order and it won't let me move them. I have saved it several times and tried to work on it again, and it's just not cooperating! So, here are the pictures from the wedding in no particular order. We had a fantastic trip to Minnesota! The farmland was beautiful! You could see farms for miles and miles. The children did GREAT traveling and McLean really enjoyed staying in the hotel. Needless to say, we were all a bit sad about leaving. Porter-Ann was a beautiful bride and my brother was handsome himself. She wore 2 beautiful dresses on the wedding day. Here gown for the ceremony was short and she wore the cutest blue high heels! That evening she wore a beautiful long gown! Everything was beautiful! They are the sweetest couple and I am so thankful for a sister-in-law! The weather was interesting for sure! We had to evacuate the rehearsal dinner for a tornado! The weather was warm and sunny during the outdoor ceremony and was followed by a beautiful thunderstorm during the dinner reception that evening.

Mom and Dad at Wood Lake on Thursday night for the picnic.

Homewood

McLean running through the field at Wood Lake.

The Barn--this is where the lunch and dinner reception were held on Saturday.

Uncle Greg and Aunt Sonya helping out with Claire at the rehearsal dinner on Friday--before the tornado! We could not have done it without all of the help from aunts, uncles, and friends. Greg and Sonya kept McLean busy and entertained and held Claire quite a bit too!

Our family at the rehearsal dinner--the winds were starting to pick up in this picture.

Porter-Ann and I

Sweet Claire in the pack-n-play. She did incredible sleeping. She would even sleep while we were all in the room with the tv on!

Kevin and McLean sharing ice cream in the hotel room on our last night there.

The John Deere tractor dealership. Can you spot McLean?

Brian and I at the evening reception

Porter-Ann and I at the evening reception

I am so sad that I didn't get any at the wedding ceremony. I left my camera in the room :( We were also doing good just to get everyone dressed, ready, and Claire fed in time for the ceremony!

Rewind

2010-07-02T06:04:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to play catch-up to re-cap the past few weeks. The pictures are not in the best order, but here they are. McLean went to his first VBS right before we left for Minnesota. The theme was Buckaroo Roundup. We went to kick-off on Sunday and he attended on Monday.

Hard work pays off! Brian and Porter-Ann gave McLean a tomato plant and the cutest frog watering can. He has been pretty diligent in taking care of it. Sometimes he asks if he can just go sit outside and watch it grow. We have lots of tomatoes now and many are ready to eat! They are delicious!

Taking a hay ride at the kick-off for the Buckaroo Round-Up VBS

Claire hanging out in the stroller--it was really hot!

3 Months Old

2010-06-17T18:23:00.001-07:00

Oh My Goodness! I could just eat her up! We are celebrating the 3 month mark today! It has been hard for me to capture her smile by photo. She is becoming much more interactive these days. She smiles, coos, holds her head up, and is grabbing at toys. So. Much. Fun!!!! She has also started "squealing" when McLean gets too close or is in her face--pretty much most of the time. Bless his heart--he really does mean well and is absolutely crazy about her.

A smile
The more "serious--I'm checking you out" look

In her bed--Have I mentioned that it's her favorite place. I didn't really know that babies could like their bed! What a surprise. McLean was NEVER a fan of the crib!

Claire looks a little nervous, and McLean is enjoying every minute!

Busy Spring

2010-06-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy this spring and summer. We are adjusting to life with a baby and feel so blessed by our little girl--especially since we are getting more sleep these days. We didn't realize how easy life had become with McLean. However, Claire adds even more sweetness and fullness to our family! Kevin had promised McLean a camping trip. Claire and I went along to document the trip by taking photos. When we got there, Kevin and McLean set the tent up and McLean immediately put Buzz and Woody in the tent! He was so excited about them going camping with him. After the tent was set up we got the food out for dinner. McLean said, "Hey Dad- aren't we supposed to eat the marshmallows first?" Too funny! After a quick dinner, the rain clouds dumped a huge storm. Claire and I saw that as the perfect opportunity to head to our nice dry home. The boys stuck it out and roasted marshmallows, played in the creek, and went for a walk. They had a super time.

McLean insisted on wearing his "Birthday Boy" shirt on the camping trip.

Buzz and Woody ready to camp.

My mom, Claire, and I headed to Greensboro for Porter-Ann's wedding showers. I can't believe that my brother is getting married so soon. Also, he got a great catch!! We are super excited about her becoming part of our family!

An added bonus to the trip was that we got to stay with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mike and Sarah. They live in a beautiful place in Summerfield. Sarah is an amazing cook and provided yummy meals throughout the weekend. We so enjoyed getting to see them as well! Our Claire went to stay with "Gramma Claire", for whom she is named, during one of the showers. I tried to upload a picutre of that, but it didn't work. I will try again later. Now, we are packing and preparing for our trip to Minnesota for the wedding! We are looking forward to the wedding festivities!

Happy Birthday Sweet Love!

2010-06-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6

Kevin, you are an amazing husband, father, and friend! We are all so blessed by you and what you do for our family! I love sharing life with you and consider it a privilege to celebrate your birthday!

Busy Spring

2010-06-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Whew--it has been a busy spring and start of the summer! Between having a new baby and preparing for my brother's wedding in Minnesota we have been busy! We are loving life with the addition of our new baby girl--especially since we are getting pretty good sleep these days! Kevin took McLean on his first camping trip recently. Claire and I went to take pictures and eat with them. As soon as we set out the food, McLean said,"Dad aren't we supposed to eat those marshmallows first?" Too funny! We ate quickly and then the rain started. Thankfully, Kevin had already set the tent up. Claire and I saw that as the perfect opportunity to escape to our dry home. The boys stuck it out, roasted marshmallows, and played in the creek.

McLean was the most excited about bringing Buzz and Woody. He put them in the tent right after Kevin set it up!

We had a bird build a nest on our outdoor cabinet--right by the can of paint that needed to be thrown away! Here is the mama bird and one of the baby birds. I got to watch the other baby bird take it's first flight off the deck! So sweet! We have another bird here now and are waiting to see if there are any babies. This is my sweet soon-to-be sister-in-law, Porter-Ann. This was taken at one of her showers. My mom, Claire, and I made a girl's trip to Greensboro last weekend for the wedding showers.

We stayed with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mike and Sarah, in Summerfield for the weekend. Can I just say that Sarah is a wonderful cook and we enjoyed wonderful hospitality. It's always fun to visit with them!

This is our Claire meeting Kevin's sweet grandmother Claire for whom she is named! Gramma kept Claire for us while we went to one of the showers. Now it's time for us to finish working on the packing details for our trip!

Happy Birthday Mimi!

2010-06-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

We hope you have a wonderful birthday! Our whole family is blessed by you!

Rock Climber

2010-05-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

We started our weekend off with a cook-out at Jay and Gina's house. They were keeping their grandson that is the same age as McLean so the boys got to play. They have the most beautiful backyard with a waterfall! It didn't take long and McLean was in the water! He and Judah threw rocks into the water and climbed over all the rocks. We got caught in a terrible rain storm on the way home. The roads were flooding and it was really hard to see. Thankfully, we made it home. Tonight we are looking forward to having some friends over for dinner and Kevin is off on Monday. So, it should be a long fun weekend!

Beyond Blessed

2010-05-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

This past Mother's Day I had an overwhelming feeling of fullness and blessing! First, I am so blessed to have my mom. She is not only my mother, but also my friend! Second, I am blessed by my two sweet children. It was such a special day. We went to church and Kevin strolled Claire around so I could sit with my mom during the service. It was a special treat! I also got an incredible 2 hour nap--whew I needed it! We wrapped up the evening by eating dinner and hanging out at my parents house. My dad has hurt his back pretty bad and eating out with 2 children did not sound relaxing. My mom and I scooted away briefly to get a TCBY waffle cone after dinner. All in all, it was sweet and memorable weekend!

This was a picture from a "date" I had with McLean last week to get ice cream. He had been pretty upset and said he needed "Mommy Time". It was so sweet because when we left he asked if he could hold my hand on the date. That sure warmed my heart!

1 Month Old

2010-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, time is flying! Here is sweet Claire at one month old! She has been a great sleeper, so it's been hard to get a good picture of her awake. We are enjoying all the moments, as they seem to be flying by. McLean continues to be an incredible big brother and is so proud of her.

This and That

2010-04-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

It's catch-up time from the past few weeks. We are adjusting to life as a family of 4, and are sure enjoying our new little addition. McLean continues to be very interested in Claire and also helpful--sometimes too helpful! McLean says the funniest things sometimes. Recently, we were at a birthday party and they only had soft drinks. Well, McLean has never tasted anything other than water, juice, and milk. He was sitting by my mom when he had his first taste of Fanta Strawberry soda. He looked at her and said, "What's going on inside my mouth?" Too funny! In the past few weeks we celebrated McLean's birthday again with some of his friends at Chick-Fil-A. The party was a bit of a blur for me as I had to feed Claire right when it started. Overall it seemed fun and McLean had a blast. Claire has turned a corner with being able to be put down. The first 3 weeks she wanted to be held constantly, and mostly by me. This got a little challenging at times. Now, she is more content with the bouncy seat and play mat. She has also been doing great at night. She usually gives us a 4 or 5 hour stretch each night. However, last night she had a 6 hour stretch! Whoo Hoo! Talk about feeling good this morning--I felt like I could conquer the world! This weekend we are looking forward to Brian and Porter-Ann coming in town for their engagement party. Pictures to follow for sure! As for now, I better finish putting the laundry away--it's not going to put itself away.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah at the party!

Both asleep in the car after a fun morning walking around Lake Lure

McLean and Kevin flying his first kite.

Sweet Baby!

Loving the swing!

A tired "Woody".

We call her a little burrito when she is swaddled!

One month old!

Easter Cont...Z is for Zoo

2010-04-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

We have had the best Easter weekend! We were busy with egg hunts, church, and going to the Greenville Zoo. McLean really loved going to the zoo yesterday. His favorite animals were the elephants. It was a really hot day! Claire slept through our entire trip to the zoo!

Easter Celebrations

2010-04-03T13:41:00.001-07:00

We have had a fun start to the Easter weekend! We went to an Easter Egg Hunt at Fletcher Park today. We have never been before and had no idea it was such a big event. There were a lot of people there. McLean had his basket and was ready to get eggs! Kevin went with him to find the eggs and I stayed with Claire and the stroller. Kevin said that McLean passed on several eggs, but came back with a basket full of candy and not one egg! Needless to say, he was pleased with the suckers that he got! We are attempting to go to our church's Easter service tonight. We will see how Claire does! McLean is very excited! I will post more pictures later of our Easter weekend. We will wrap it up with a special Easter dinner at my parent's house tomorrow!

3 years ago...

2010-03-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

our family was blessed with McLean! The last three years of his life have brought us so much joy. He is such a great little boy and always has something interesting or funny to say! He is the best little buddy! We love you so much McLean and our family has truly been blessed by you! You are our gift and our treasure. As we tell you every night before bed, remember, that "You are a beautiful, wonderful, child of God!"

March 29th, 2007

Charlotte, NC

Turning 1 is so much fun!

What a fun 2 year-old!

Look who's 3!

Welcome Claire Margaret

2010-03-21T13:19:00.001-07:00

I am not sure if anybody is still out there reading this, seeing that I have not updated in quite a while! However, our family has grown and we welcomed Claire Margaret into our family on March 17th! She weighed 7 lbs. and was 20 inches long. McLean is really doing a good job at being a big brother. He loves to hold her and kiss her! We feel so blessed and are really enjoying having a boy and a girl!

Final Holiday Festivities, Hello 2010

2010-01-02T12:12:00.001-08:00

Quick bike ride in the cold!
The girls at Christmas- Loren, Jayme, and Pam

McLean and Jack heading down the stairs. They had so much fun playing together!

McLean sitting at the table with mimi and papa.

We celebrated New Year's with Blair, Kory, and Millie! Happy 2010- we didn't even make it until midnight. We knew our little "baby alarm clocks" would be rising early in the morning!

The girls-Millie is such a cutie! We are looking forward to 2010 and the arrival of the newest addition to our family. 2009 was a great year and we are looking forward to great things in 2010!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T07:12:00.001-08:00

Here are a few highlights from our Christmas! We had the best Christmas and spent some great time with family!

The fun started on Christmas Eve. We went to a Christmas Eve service at our church with my parents, brother, and my aunt and cousin. McLean even sat through most of it! He loved singing the songs! We went out to dinner afterwards and then headed home to get ready for Santa. McLean was so excited about leaving cookies for Santa. However, after we put him to bed, he began screaming and crying because he didn't want Santa coming into his room while he was sleeping. It was so sad. I was the same way when I was little. I didn't want the tooth fairy flying into my room while I was sleeping. Finally, by 10:30 he got settled down and went to sleep!

McLean wearing his new Lightning McQueen slippers!

Uncle Brian worked so hard on his gift for McLean. He made him a wooden box. It was really neat! He put a wooden alphabet floor puzzle inside it. Oh, as you can see in the picture, McLean insisted on wearing his snow boots Christmas day.

The highlight for McLean was getting Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. Woody has already gone everywhere with us, and has not been put down yet!!!!

After his nap, McLean wanted to put on his Woody costume from Halloween! He wore it the rest of the day! Christmas was very magical seeing it through McLean's eyes this year! We loved all the time we got to spend with family and celebrating Christ's brith!

White Christmas

2009-12-23T17:48:00.001-08:00

We woke up to a huge snowfall on our first day of Christmas Break!!! It was so much fun to bundle McLean up and let him go play in the snow. We started the morning off by braving the storm and going to eat breakfast with Mimi and Papa. Then we headed to get McLean some snow gear: boots and a snow suit! The snow continued through Saturday and we finally got back out on Sunday. McLean was battling a bad cough/cold, so he really didn't get to play out in the snow very much. We just finished having our "Christmas" with Mike and Sarah. It was a lot of fun. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We are so excited to celebrate our Savior's birth!

Give Thanks!

2009-11-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

The Family
Just the 2 of us! (3 if you count Claire)

This picture captures exactly how I remember my Uncle Greg when I was little. He was always so much fun! McLean loves seeing him!

Pre-Thanksgiving Festivities

2009-11-25T12:34:00.001-08:00

We kicked off our holiday season by going to visit Kevin's family this past weekend in Greensboro, Summerfield, and Madison. We got to see a lot of people in a short amount of time. It was so fun and a great start to the holidays! McLean did great traveling and loved seeing everyone. We stayed with Kevin's brother Mike and his wife Sarah. Unfortunately, I set my camera out and never got a picture of the fabulous meal we had with Sarah's family. Sarah is an incredible cook and we left town with full tummies! We also got to see Blair, Kory, and Millie. The highlight of the weekend was telling Kevin's "adopted" gramma that we will be naming our little girl Claire after her! McLean told her as soon as we walked in and it will be a moment I will never forget. She has done so much for Kevin and we are so excited to honor her in that way!

McLean with Gramma and PopMcLean loved playing cars on the kitchen floor with Gramma. He cried when it was time to go!

Surprise! A picture of the 3 of us. This never happens!

McLean wanted to "hold" Millie.
Grove Park Inn with Mommy and Daddy

Happy Thanksgiving! We are heading to Hickory tomorrow to be with my family and we are really looking forward to it!

Big Boy Bed!

2009-11-14T12:38:00.001-08:00

Last night we started on a big adventure with McLean. When Kevin got home from work last night, he and "Woody", disassembled the crib. It made me a little sad to see it come apart, but excited to know that it won't be long and Claire will use it. We were prepared for a long night, however, McLean did great!! We snuggled up with him in the bed and read a story, prayed, and sang, and then when we turned the light out he told us to go get in our bed! We were quite surprised! He stayed in it until 5:30 when he called out for us. Kevin went and told him it was still night time and he went back to sleep until 7:30. Then, we heard the sweet sound of "footed pajama footsteps" coming into our room. We were so proud of him! As of now, he is asleep in the bed for his nap. What a big boy! We still have to paint his room and do new window treatments, but we wanted to go ahead and get him in the big bed!

Kevin and "Woody" taking the crib apart.

All snuggled in and ready to go to sleep!

Nap time today!

It's a.....

2009-11-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

GIRL!!!!!!

We were so excited to find out on Friday that we are having a girl! Everything looked great! Thoughts of pink have already started running through my mind. McLean is very excited to have a sister. He has referred to the baby the whole time as "she" or "her". Maybe he knew!?! We have also had such a fun Halloween weekend. Saturday was rainy and yucky, so they moved our church's big "Hoopla" even inside. It was absolutely packed. McLean really had a good time, and he enjoyed the music and the clogging the most. He is still wearing his Woody costume today. We have really gotten our use out of it.

Surprise! And, a Halloween Preview

2009-10-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

McLean was "bundled up" at Owen's birthday party!
We love our pumpkins! It is so hard to get him still long enough for a picture though.

Here is Woody and the Chick-Fil-A cow. They had family night and dress-up night on Tuesday. It was really fun and McLean is really enjoying his Woody costume. Our other exciting news is that we are having the ultrasound on Friday! We will know soon if a boy or girl will be joining us this March!!!

new pictures!

2009-05-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

Nothing much new to report. But, in keeping up with my committment to update more frequently, I have just added some pictures.

This is McLean and his friend Sam playing out in Sam's yard. They had so much fun, and were so busy running and playing that it was nearly impossible to get a picture of both of them looking! We are ready for the rain to stop so we can get out and play more.

5 in 2

2009-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

This is McLean and his teacher Ms.Jodi on the hayride. She is the best teacher and person I have ever met and we just love her!

This is the fifth post in the last two weeks! But, who is counting? I am! I am really trying to be better about updating. Last Friday was Farm Day at school. McLean really enjoyed it. He loved riding the pony, but did not want my hand supporting him on it. He told me to take my hand away, that he could do it. Mr. Independent! Check back for more updates soon--I am on a roll!

Birthday Party

2009-04-26T13:33:00.001-07:00

We celebrated McLean's party yet again and for the last time this year! It has been a month full of celebration due to Kevin being gone to Nepal for 2 weeks. McLean had his party at Hands On Children's Museum in downtown Hendersonville on Main Street. It was so much fun. We started the morning out by having McLean's favorite breakfast--strawberry muffins.

Jamie, Janet, Tricia, and I

Uncle Brian and Porter Ann made a special trip for the party

The guys/dads building their own cars to race down the ramp: Kevin, Wesley, and David--notice Bennett helping too!

McLean, Sara Margaret, and Sam playing in the rice table

McLean and Bennett pretending to eat apple pie

McLean eating with Mimi and Papa

McLean and Daddy sharing some pie

Cupcake Time

At the waterfall

Brian, Porter Ann, Mimi, and Papa--the best help in the world!!

Easter Cowboy

2009-04-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

I know, it's past Easter--but my brother just sent me this picture of McLean that he took with his phone. We went to the Saturday evening service at our church for Easter, and my brother came over that night to see McLean before we left for our trip. My brother had McLean dressed in his cowboy attire on top of his Easter outfit. Too cute! McLean was soooooo excited to see Uncle Brian.

Weekend Hiking

2009-04-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday was beautiful! We packed a picnic and headed to Dupont Forest with my parents for a hike. McLean actually "hiked" the first part of the trail. He didn't even have to hold our hands. He was so amazed with the freedom that he kept saying, "no hands, no hands!" Here are some pictures from our hike and a close-up of McLean that I just love!

Can you believe it? An UPDATE!!!!

2009-04-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

I know, I know---- it has been FOREVER!!!! I will try to be better. I have a new camera now, so taking pictures of an active, moving target (McLean) has just gotten a little easier. We now have big boy! I can't believe he is 2. It has been a month long of celebrating--we celebrated before Kevin left for Nepal, a little on his real birthday, a party at school, a family party when Kevin returned, and his party with his friends will be April 25th! We just got back from a mini-vacation over spring break. We headed east to visit Kevin's family for Easter. Enjoy the picture updates!

McLean's first Easter Egg Hunt
Is there another egg under there?

Eating cake at Lauren's 1st birthday party

Easter with Gramma and Pop

Talking to Millie

Just the 3 of us

Uncle Greg and Jesse

Tired and ready to go home!

Stay tuned--it won't be as long next time!

Happy 30th Birthday Uncle Brian!

2008-11-11T16:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Brian! We hope that it was extra special!

Love, Kevin, Julie, and McLean

Let me hear you roar!

2008-11-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

McLean loves "punkins" We had to buy one that was big enough that he couldn't pick up. He had a smaller one, but he kept picking it up and dropping it.
McLean was a lion for Halloween. He did not want to hear the hat with the mane though. So he just looked brown, warm, and fuzzy. When we got ready to go to our church's "Hoopla", he went and got his trick-or-treat bag and put on his fire hat.

I waled around with McLean at Hoopla while Kevin pulled the family duty of working a booth.

Here is Kevin serving cotton candy. We were going to switch half-way through, but he decided to stay since he was already so sticky. He was the only one doing the cotton candy, and the line was sooooo long the whole night.

On Saturday we met Mike and Sarah downtown, since they were in town for a wedding. We walked around and ate a yummy lunch. This pushed McLean's nap back, which worked perfect for the time change.

You know you are an adult when...

2008-10-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

you intentionally drive out to look at the leaves. Last weekend, Kevin and McLean and I headed out to Brevard. We walked around downtown and ate lunch there. Then, we drove through Pisgah National Forest up to the parkway. We drove the parkway by Mt. Pisgah and back home. The leaves and the views were incredible. It was a fun day. Last Sunday, we celebrated a big milestone for our friend Owen. He celebrated his first birthday and it was soooo much fun! We have been busy this week with my dad's surgery. He had neck surgery on Wednesday. He came through the surgery well after a long day of waiting---the surgery was delayed and started late. Now, we are praying for a quick and painless recovery. He seems to be in good spirits now.

Change of Scenery

2008-10-09T12:11:00.001-07:00

We went to Madison and Greensboro to visit some of Kevin's family this past weekend. We have not been out of town in a while, it was a nice change of scenery. However, it sure felt good to come home to the mountains! We had a great trip. Here are some picture highlights of the trip.

McLean eating chocolate chip cookies at 9:00 Saturday morning--only at Grama's house!
McLean loved Pop!
The Street Festival in downtown Madison--McLean was not scared of the clown.
Leaving the street festival. Kevin's grandparents live in downtown, so we were able to walk to the festival.
Hanging out with Uncle Mike and eating ice cream.

As you may know, our little fellow is pretty independent. He won't eat anything from a spoon from us anymore, because he must do it himself. Well, the ice cream was a different story. He was more than pleased to let me feed him the ice cream.

We got to eat at Fuzzy's BB-Q on Sunday with Gram and Pop. Yummy, yummy!

On Sunday, I went to Blair's baby shower for her sweet baby girl that is due in December. It was at a really cute tea room. Fun times!

Inspiration

2008-09-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

We were given this quote at school during our devotions time on Friday morning and it truly inspired me! I hope that you find it encouraging, inspirational, and freeing from perfection!

"The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one."

Have a good week! I am wrapping up the weekend and preparing for the week to start, as Kevin has gone out to fill the cars up with gas. This gas crisis is crazy! Thank goodness that he thinks for and takes such good care of our family.

Must be a "Guy-Thing"

2008-09-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I enjoy spending time shopping, walking, or hanging out with my girlfriends. I have never challenged my friends to any competitive sporting events. Well, Kevin and two of his friends have created their very own decathlon. Together they chose 1o different events. Some of the events include a one mile run, field goal kicking contest, long jump, putt-putt, making it to the top of Mt. Pisgah in the shortest amount of time, etc.... Well, last Sunday they did the first 3 events: the one mile run, the field goal kicking contest, and the long jump. I am happy to report that Kevin got 1st in the run. Each of the other guys also got 1st in the other events. It was really fun to watch. They will continue each week competing in different events. Should be fun and interesting!

Kevin, Robbie, and Jason starting the race

Way to finish strong Kevin!

Everyday ordinaries...

2008-09-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

I admit I am way behind! It seems as though I encountered blogger "freeze". I let the busyness of life win and I have neglected to blog. I would think about blogging, but didn't have any fun ideas. Then it hit me! It's not the "big" things or events in life, but the small "everyday ordinaries". For example, when McLean proudly wears his watch and points to it! Or, when I give him something to eat and he says, "Thank you my daddy", and when he spots a tractor miles away and says, "Tractor Mommy". Those are the sweet moments of my everyday ordinary life. So, after sorting through my pictures I found some pictures that have captured our last little, or should I say long bit, since I have posted. Enjoy!

Bath time is so much fun!

Just like Daddy!

Hay ride at Skytop Farms Apple Orchard

Building barns with Brian

Sorry For the Delay!

2008-08-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Loving the beach!
Brian, Porter-Ann, George, and Tarr
Hanging out in the backpack!
Sour lemon
Fourth of July with Blair, Kory, and their sweet little girl on the way.
Picking up seashells.
Visiting Southport.

We have had a really busy and fun summer! McLean loved the beach and kept us running the whole time. Gone are the days of sitting on the beach reading a book---but how worth it! Brian and his girlfriend were able to join us for part of the vacation. Sorry for the dealy--I hope these pictures make up for lost time.

Lots of Pictures

2008-06-22T13:15:00.001-07:00

We had a play date with Ann Harrison. She was so kind to share her snack with McLean!
McLean loved digging in the dirt.
When we went out to eat Friday night a firetruck pulled into the parking lot. The fire fighters were so kind to let McLean get in the truck.
McLean has started to use a spoon by himself. He insisted to use the spoon at the Mexican restaurant Friday night. He ate a lot of beans and rice. We all paid for that later!!!
On Saturday we joined our friend's Wesley, Jamie, and Owen for a picnic at the park. We had a great time! The boys got to "play" together afterward, and they were patting each other--very sweet! We hope that you all had a great weekend too!

Well Prepared!

2008-06-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I came home after running to Target after dinner to find what you see in the picture above. Kevin is an incredible father! He had loaded McLean up in his car, towels in the front, and float in hand to head to the neighborhood pool! They looked so cute!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

We love you Daddy and Papa!

Picture Catch-Up!

2008-06-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from Mike and Sarah's wedding on May 17th.

My long-time friend Pam came to visit with her little girl Emma. We met Jayme and her kids at the park. From left to right we have Emma, McLean, Jack, and Sara Margaret.

McLean loves to swing!

So tired!

2008-05-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

We have been staying busy this spring. Kevin's brother got married last weekend and it was a beautiful wedding!!! Welcome to the family Sarah! We are so excited for them. I haven't uploaded my pictures yet, but I will try to soon. I just posted some random fun pictures. While we were in Greensboro for the wedding we got to see our good friends Kory and Blair. It was great to catch up with them and congratulate them on their little one that will make it's appearace in December. We are off for a busy weekend! Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mimi

2008-05-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

We all love you Mimi!

Accidents Happen

2008-05-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had planned a fun Friday night to visit Lake Julian. We were going to have a picnic, feed the ducks, and play on the playground. After we ate and fed the ducks, we headed over to the playground. When we got McLean out of the stroller we quickly realized that he had a blow-out! It just so happened that this was the one time that we didn't have an extra outfit. So, we loaded him back in the stroller and headed to the car to cahange him. He rode home in just his diaper. We will have to try the playground another day!

Catch Up!

2008-04-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long! I will try to do better. Here are some recent pictures of our happenings. This weekend, my parents and I took McLean to get his first "real" pair of shoes at Stride Rite. At first he picked his foot up real high and took "giant-like" steps. It didn't take long and he got used to them, left the store, and walked through the mall. The other pictures are of McLean with a fire fighter and police. When I was leaving my parents house on Sunday afternoon we loaded Daisy, McLean, and a big tub of my summer clothes into the car. When we closed the car door, the big tub hit the door lock and locked all the doors. Needless to say, my purse with my keys was in the car with Daisy and McLean. We had to call roadside assistance and they sent the police and the firefighter since they would come the quickest. How stressful!!! Everything worked out. What a weekend!

Birthday Fun, McLean is 1!

2008-04-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to our new, hopefully more secure blog! Last Saturday, March 29th, we celebrated McLean's first birthday. It was filled with fun, laughter, cake, friends, balloons, presents, family, and all the birthday essentials. He really enjoyed his cake and took a great nap that afternoon! It was truly a special celebration.