Silly McGillies

The Lamb and the Lion

2011-11-12T21:31:00.001-08:00

The lamb and the lion shall lie down together . . . I think that's supposed to happen in the Millenium but around here it came a little early. Here is Senya and Nathan in their Halloween costumes.

Senya, Nathan and Liam

2011-11-12T21:23:00.000-08:00

Senya and Nathan have been playing together a lot! She has a tendency to roll over him and take his toys!

Liam had to get in on the action as well.

Halloween

2011-11-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

We went to our ward Halloween party. Liam was a firefighter and loved coloring.

Becks was a Ninja Turtle and Kayla was Snow White.

Halloween night we went trick-or-treating. It was so funny watching them pose for these pics. I thought Senya was going to fall off!

We also stopped by Great Grandma's earlier in the night.

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

A few nights before Halloween we carved our pumpkins. The kids had fun coloring while waiting for me to finish scooping out the guts.

Lonnie did most of the carving . . .

Senya in the Tub

2011-10-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

She just looked cute tonight in the tub . . .

and I even got in a picture, too!

Liam's Birthday Party

2011-10-23T21:46:00.001-07:00

Liam turned two this weekend. We celebrated with a pizza party. Liam got some new dinosaurs and some fun new cars.

Even Great Grandma showed up for the party.
Liam had a yummy chocolate cake with Lightening McQueen on top.
Senya was just happy to be there.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend and had a blast. The kids were definitely lost in the maze. They couldn't see over the hay bales.

They had a lot of fun climbing to the top of the mountain.

Their favorite ride was the horses . . .

and the airplanes.

By the end of the morning Liam was getting pretty tired.
The kids also really enjoyed cotton candy. Even Senya had a little taste.
Kayla enjoyed every bite.
Beckham gobbled it up in about 30 seconds.
Liam kept calling it his ice cream cone.

First lost tooth

2011-10-08T20:58:00.001-07:00

See if you can guess who lost their first tooth . . .

Yep, it was Kayla Sue and she was pretty excited about it!
Her brothers were very intrigued as well. She's holding her box for the tooth fairy!

6 Months

2011-10-08T20:54:00.001-07:00

This little cutie pie turned 6 months old this week. Beckham did a great job entertaining her for the camera. She weighed in at 19 lbs and 29 inches.

How to Eat Yogurt

2011-10-08T20:51:00.001-07:00

This little guy loves yogurt!! He eats a huge bowl every morning and looks like this . . . I'm so thankful for bibs!

Lonnie's Birthday

2011-09-27T20:43:00.001-07:00

MIA . . . there's no point in trying to catch up for the last few months so, we'll start with last night! Happy Birthday Lonnie! The kids were so excited to celebrate. They did a heart attack of heart art down the hallway for Lonnie to find when he got home.

They were also excited for Lonnie's cake. He asked for an ice cream cake and this is what he got!

Senya was studying the cake and candles so intensely.

Lonnie is celebrating his 29th birthday plus 2 . . . . that's for you Carrie!

Mmmmm ...

After dinner with the kids we went to Outback for a free steak dinner. So YUMMY!

Ksenya

2011-04-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

Pink toes for a little bundle of pink.

Sleeping in the hospital.
With mommy and daddy before going home.
A happy big sister.
Sleepy angel.
Her first bath at home.
She didn't like getting out of the warm bath and getting dressed.
Calmed down after a stressful tubby.
Hello world.

My Baby Shower

2011-03-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

My Grandma and my Aunt Theresa threw me a beautiful baby shower this past weekend. Grandma served fancy, yummy cookies and ice cream. Yum!
Theresa did a couple of fun games. In the following pics, my friends had to cut a piece of string that represented my circumference. Most people were pretty close . . .
. . . but my friend Alison cut the perfect piece of string. This is me feeling very amazed . . . it was as if she wrapped it around me and then cut it! Amazing.
I received mostly diapers, which is just what I needed!! I also got a few cute little outfits.

I also got two homemade quilts and this Adorable diaper bag. The picture doesn't do it justice but take my word for it - it's super cute!!
Thanks Grandma and Theresa!! Only 3 1/2 weeks to go . . .

Kayla-Sue

2011-02-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Any one who knows my little miss, knows that she's had a lot of problems sleeping. That could be the biggest understatement of all time! She takes a bus to school that pulls up in front of our house at 7:03am . . . that's right. She has to be up, dressed and ready to go. Normally that hasn't been a problem because she has always been awake when I go in to wake her. Lately she's been sleeping when I go in or at least being very quiet under her blankets listening to her glowing seahorse. Well, this morning everything was quiet so I sat on her bed and put my hand on her back to gently wake her. To which she responded in a very low, growl, "Get offa my bed. I tryin' ta sleep." I just started laughing. I'm going to take this as a good sign that the longer she is seizure-free, the more her brain is relaxing and letting her rest.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T21:22:00.001-08:00

So, the tradition in our house for Valentine's Day is a hearty and healthy breakfast of doughnuts, chocolate milk and strawberries! Yum! Liam mostly ate strawberries but he was impressed with his first few bites of doughnut.

Kayla helped me pick out the doughnuts and was so anxious to be able to eat even though she had a little bit of a cold. When she finished her doughnut she walked over to the almost empty box and said, "More muffins please!" Sorry Kayla, this is a one doughnut per person tradition. I tried to convince her to eat her strawberries but that was a bust.
We got some special chocolate milk that had characters from Toy Story on them. Kayla had Jessie and Beckham had Buzz . . . plus straws, because you can't drink chocolate milk without a straw!
Becks was just as anxious for Breakfast as Kayla . . . although he ate everything! I'm surprised he didn't lick the plate!
Later the kids got some new toys for their sand box and some bubbles. We spent most of the morning outside playing and they were thrilled.

Josh's 3rd Bday

2011-02-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

This cute little guy just turned 3! He was pretty interested in playing on the toys but was persuaded to come and have some cake.

He had lots of family come to celebrate . . .

Brett, Austin and Theresa . . .

Kayla & Becks . . .

Liam . . .

His daddy Scott . . .

Baby brother Andrew . . . (He was really hoping this was his party!)

and big brother Jackson. Great Grma and Uncle Lonnie were there too, but missed getting in a photo.

His mommy got some yummy cupcakes and then it was time for presents.

If you don't believe how yummy the cupcakes were just watch Liam eat one!

Awww, yes . . . ultimate enjoyment.

Random Photos and Stories

2011-02-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the kids have said and done some pretty funny things lately and if I don't write them down they will be lost forever.

I don't have a picture for this story but . . . the other night the Schwann's man came and Lonnie bought his ice cream. Later while having a discussion with Becks about ice cream Lonnie asked if it was a "sometimes" food or an "anytime" food. Becks said, "Its an anytime food because it's tasty and yummy and good for our bodies!" Well, he got the tasty and yummy part right!

The following set of pictures shows just how much Liam loves Marvin's cage. He kicks the poor pooch and his blanket out and then proceeds to chew on his bone. Ewww! That totally grosses me out. Beckham likes to get him all worked up by opening the cage door. Apparently Liam likes his privacy while doing disgusting things.

I just like this picture. Don't they look like little angels playing potato heads together?!
These two love to play dollhouse and "boy dollhouse" together. Daddy got them to pose for this one. Nothing like watching cartoons and playing next to each other!
This is Liam's demonstration of how to eat a sandwich. First you open it. Then you poke it and try to get the jam off. Then you wipe anything that doesn't make it into your mouth all over your shirt in case you get hungry later. Bread is simply a convenient way to serve jam.

The other night we decided to let Liam watch Kayla's old sign language video. Well, he wasn't the only one who got excited to see BeeBo the signing bear! Kayla climbed right up next to Liam and was telling him all the important parts of the movie. She used to watch this every night before for bed for over a year. It was really sweet to see her like that with Liam. Beckham was also reliving his past in complete relaxation mode on top of the couch. He's not supposed to be up there but he looked so comfy.

Liam loves the phone. Anytime it rings or he sees someone on the phone he walks around like this saying, "Heh-whoa!"
I'm pretty on top of making sure the kids get their naps but yesterday it just didn't work out. He took a power nap in the car around 11 and then wouldn't take his regular nap at 1. I finally let him out after he played in his bed for an hour. Well, he crashed just as we were about to eat dinner. It was so cute. We let him sleep for about 20 minutes and then tried to wake him. He didn't want to open his eyes until Lonnie mentioned pizza . . . he perked right up!
So, a while back Kayla had to get a tooth pulled. It hurt of course but she was very excited that the tooth fairy would get to visit her. She loved getting her first quarter. Then a few nights later she ran out of her bedroom telling us to wait. When she came back she had a picture of a tooth that she had printed off the computer. She stuck it under her pillow and then looked up expectantly. "Tooth fairy?" she asked hopefully. We all started laughing. I think she knew it was a long shot but you can't blame a girl for trying!
One last thing about Kayla . . . she made it 1 whole year! She has now been seizure free for a year and day. 2 more years to go and maybe she won't need to be on meds anymore!

31 Weeks

2011-01-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

Here's me at almost 31 weeks. I can't believe that we are going to have 4 kids in approximately 2 months. A friend gave me a carseat and a bouncy seat since I gave mine away this past summer . . . I didn't realize I'd be needing them so soon! I think I look like I am due at any moment but the doctor said I'm measuring right at 31cm. Go figure? She must not have any room in there because she is kicking me right in the hip joint and under my ribs. :)

Funny Stories

2011-01-23T18:47:00.001-08:00

So, the kids have said some pretty funny things lately . . .

The other night we were having a family home evening about being nice to people, even if they aren't being nice to you. I read a story and we talked about some examples. At the very end I asked, "So, should we be kind to others even if they are mean to us?" Kayla looked up at me and said, "No! No way mom." She was very serious and I couldn't help but laughing. I'm glad that lesson sunk in!

Today after church everyone was eating lunch. I left the kitchen to take care of Liam for a minute and when I came back Beckham blurts our that daddy gave him some 'daddy drink' (aka soda). I could see Lonnie shaking his head trying to get Beckham to be quiet but Becks just grinned wider and told me about his special drink again. This time Lonnie said, "Becks, I won't be able to give you special treats if you tell everyone. That's part of the 'Man Rule'. Beckham looked up at Lonnie and said, "What's a manimal?" Too funny. We all started laughing so he kept repeating manimal with a confused look. I think they learned about animals in primary today, so I can only imagine what kind of strange creature he was dreaming of in his head.

Finally, tonight Kayla really wanted me to paint her finger and toe nails. I usually do it while the boys are napping because it causes Beckham great stress. He doesn't like that girls get to paint on themselves and he doesn't. Lonnie was trying to console him by explaining that boys get to do lots of cool stuff that girls can't do like peeing standing up. He even promised him a camping trip where they could pee off of a mountain. That seemed to calm him down a bit because Kayla is a little jealous that she can't stand while doing her business. So, after his bath he came running out of the bathroom with his Buzz Lightyear gun yelling about how he was shooting the fingernail polish and peeing off of a mountain. I sincerely hope his imagination doesn't take that story too far . . . peeing off of his bed . . . daddy gets to clean that one up!

Christmas in January

2011-01-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

We got one last special Christmas moment in early January when we got a package from Grpa and Grma McGill. Liam was very excited. Did I mention that all of his pics seem to be taken in this chair? Notice his chocolate beard.
Beckham got this fun truck and trailer. He loved pushing the button to hear the music while eating his Santa sucker.

Kayla got a strawberry shortcake apron and chef's hat. She slept with it the first night and wears it daily.

Thanks Grpa and Grma!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

Beckham is looking ready to open presents!

He loved his new Buzz Lightyear nerf gun and got out all his other gear for the full effect.

Kayla got a kitchen from Santa that has a special highchair for her baby doll. She was a little nervous to see Liam in her space!

Here's my little Liam enjoying his first M&Ms. Notice the red one near his neck . . . he's saving that one for later!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've been trying to do this post for days . . . something was going crazy weird with my photo uploader. Today it finally worked! Yeah! These are some picks from Christmas Eve at my Uncle Brett's house. He picked out a special book and matching stuffed animal for the 4 oldest great niece and nephews. Then he read each book. He is a marvelous story teller and the kids were thrilled with their gifts. It was a really great way to end the night and get ready for Santa to come.

For Kayla he picked out "Olivia" . . . you could substitute Kayla's name and it fits her perfectly. She put on her tutu and princess shoes shortly after reading about Olivia. Apparently she needed to keep up with her ability to change clothes!

Next it was Jackson's turn. Brett got him a book called Chowder about a puppy dog.

Beckham got the book, "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie". This was probably the funniest story because Brett added a hand puppet. Everyone was laughing!

Finally, Josh got a book called, "Owl at Home". This was a pretty funny story, too. I think the adults laughed harder than the kids did.

Liam just had a good time walking around with his milk, eating snacks and hoping no one noticed him trying to get ornaments off the tree.

Sugar Cookies

2010-12-25T21:17:00.001-08:00

On Monday I told Kayla that we could make cookies sometime this week. Well, that started an all-day repetition of, "Mama, make cookies, now?" So, after naptime we made the dough and frosting. We all started out wearing aprons but by the end we were covered in flour.
Kayla licking batter off the beater.

Beckham copying Kayla.

Poor Liam watching from his chair. At least he has monkey!

Kayla loving the decorating part of making cookies.

Daddy helping Kayla. It was hillarious watching the kids try to spread frosting and taking giant fingerfulls of sprinkles.

Lonnie took a break from studying to help us decorate.

And the cookies turned out pretty good . . . just take a look for yourself!

Beckham's 3rd Birthday

2010-12-25T20:39:00.001-08:00

Beckham loves all things Toy Story . . . especially Buzz. This year he wanted a Buzz cake and this is what we came up with. I made a gluten free cake and added applesauce to it. It was actually very yummy!

Cousin Andrew crawling around the kitchen and listening to his ABCs.

Cousin Josh taking a break from cake.

Kayla and Jackson eating as fast as possible!

Liam . . . I think most of his pictures are in this chair.

Beckham opening his gifts.

For months Beckham has been playing with Kayla's pink and purple dollhouse. He generally brings his superheroes and Mack from "Cars" to play in the dollhouse but we thought it was time he got something a little more appropriate for a boy. He calls this his "Boy Dollhouse" and all of the kids loved it. He's not really into good guys and bad guys yet. He set up Batman and Joker to watch TV together in the batcave. Hee, hee, hee. Lonnie picked out 5 different characters with matching vehicles so there are plenty of figurines to play with. Good job dad! And now Kayla brings her ponies and strawberry shortcakes to play in Beckham's dollhouse.

If you are too little to play with the batcave, just play with the box it came in! It provides hours (or at least several consecutive minutes) of fun.

Kid Update

2010-12-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting my journal up to date and wrote a little about the kids. So here's a little update on my little monkeys.

Liam is getting so big. He walks and practically runs everywhere now. He loves to pull out bowls from the cupboards in the kitchen and loves to pull out the phone cord. He is also known to eat dog food, splash in the dog water, rip books, pull books off the shelves and “bug” the older kids. He laughs at himself and will clap when amused. He likes his milk and will do the sign when he wants a drink. He can say mama, dada, uh-oh and wave hello and goodbye. He also sings Ooh-Ooh, Ahh-Ahh when the playhouse disney monkeys start to sing. He is a sweet little boy and makes me very happy.

I can't believe that Beckham will be 3 in less than a week. He speaks very clearly and is quite bright for his age. He is a skinny little guy but loves to eat treats. I think if he had it his way he’d spend his days sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of snacks! He loves to be with Kayla even though she gets a bit aggressive at times. Last week we moved his bed into her room and he loves sleeping in there with her. I am amazed at how well they are doing in there together. They still wake up early but now Beckham will stay in the room with Kayla until I go and get them. It’s fun to listen to them talk to each other on the monitor. Becks loves to play trains, cars and superheroes. He has a good imagination. He still has tantrums that drive me crazy but at least he says sorry when it’s all over!

Kayla has started being able to do imaginative play better. She and Beckham have been playing together and I’ve really been trying to keep the TV off more often. She is starting to sing songs and draw symbols that look like letters. She loves to get praise for doing and saying things right. Lonnie usually spends some time with her everyday working on pronounciation. She is a great helper and especially loves emptying the dishwasher. Her favorite things to do are read books, play dollhouse and do ABC time on the computer. Her last seizure was February 5 of this year. That means she’s almost been seizure free for a whole year. I really hope that she can keep being seizure free so that eventually we can take her off of her meds.

My new camera . . . and pictures of fall.

2010-11-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas my dad got our family a very nice camera . . . one that I am fully unqualified to have or use!! It has taken me nearly 11 months to figure out how to use it . . . mostly because I couldn't find a full hour of time to watch the instruction DVD and figure out how to turn it on. It's actually a lot of fun to use. A few days ago we were playing outside and these are some of my favorite pics of the kids.

Liam by the tree.

All of the kids were having a blast running around this tree and kicking up the leaves.

Happy Beckham.

Marvin walking on all 4 legs. A few days ago he fell off of his doggy door ramp and broke his leg. He had surgery yesterday and should be fully healed in about a month. Poor little pup. He just wasn't prepared for the Rexburg-dumping of snow we've received in the last 3 days.

My cute little babe.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! We celebrated last night with our ward party and trunk-or-treat. Kayla and Becks were so excited to finally get to wear their costumes.
"To Infinity and Beyond"

We bought their costumes at the beginning of October and they've worn them most days of the week at some point in the day.

Liam was our cute little puppy dog. The older kids thought his floppy ears and tail were hillarious. It was really cute to see him crawl around and wag his tail.

We stopped at Great Grandma's house before the party for pictures and our first treats.

Tonight we celebrated by watching "Toy Story II" and eating popcorn and candy. Liam ate some yummy cereal. One is attached to his neck . . . I think he was saving it for a bedtime snack! Marvin was catching all the leftovers.

More?

Becks was loving his tootsie pop as much as he loves his new monkey jammies.

Kayla can't resist an opportunity to give me a classic cheeser! All in all a good holiday!

Liam's first birthday

2010-10-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Liam's birthday a little early so that my parents could attend. Liam was pretty excited about opening up his presents.

He wasn't too sure if this was really his.

Now he's sure and loving it!

This was my masterpiece.

His face really lit up when he saw the cake.

Tastes good so far.

What do you mean there's no more cake?

Kayla and Beckham liked the cake too.

On Liam's real birthday he was still loving his special firetruck.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

There is a really fun place to go to pick out pumpkins just outside of town. It's more of country market and mini carnival with a pumpkin patch on site. It was a lot of fun.

The weather was a little chilly but Liam tried to stay warm.

The kids got to ride a carousel, an airplane carnival ride and jump in bounce houses.

They pet some animals, walked through the corn maze and climbed the hay bale mountain.

Kayla just wanted to know what would come next!

Cotton Candy! I love the progression of pictures below . . . Beckham really enjoyed his cotton candy. I think he was sticky for the rest of the day.

Next, it was time for a tractor ride out to the pumpkins.

Kayla picked a white pumpkin, Becks got a bumpy one and we got a little orange one for Liam.

Sunday night we carved the two smooth pumpkins and the kids thought it was awesome to turn out the lights and watch them glow!

Unwrap My Present

2010-10-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

Beckham and McKayla like to play a game called, “Unwrap My Present”. They wrap different toys in blankets and then unwrap them. This morning they were playing in the kitchen when I asked Beckham to come get dressed. As I’m putting his clothes on I hear Kayla yell, “Beckham, unwrap my present.” To which he responds, “Kayla I’m getting dressed. Be patient!” She didn’t quite understand him and asked him to play again. He said, “I’m getting dressed ... be patient!” I was trying not to laugh because he was so serious about the whole thing! I don't think the humor of this little conversation comes through in a blog. I wish I had it recorded on video!

Some Newish Pictures

2010-10-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I just have a ton of pictures from the summer that I figured I should post since I'm probably never going to get around to doing a full blog about them. This first picture is Becks. It's not the best quality but he looked so cute this day. He loves getting dressed up fancy! He was so proud of his little gray suit and tie. I just got him some new black church shoes and he is desperate to wear them. Everyday he asks me, "Is it church day?" Sorry kiddo . . . not yet!

In early September Lonnie got to go to a 49ers game in Seattle and came home with new soccer jerseys for everyone . . . well, at least everyone in the photo! The kids were so excited to have a "daddy shirt".

I love this picture of Kayla. It's so rare for her to smile pretty for a picture.

Several times a week we take the kids over to the park to play. Lately they've really been into climbing this big rock. Becks still needs a little help but Kayla climbs it like nothing else. Lonnie is hoping that his rock-climbing buddy Alan will be proud of the following photos.

Kayla gets a fun homework project from school to do with the family. This month the kids got to make crowns and they wore them for days.

Here's my Beckham. He's just such a good boy.

First Week of School

2010-09-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Kayla just finished up her first week of school and she loves it. Earlier this summer we had to make a paper chain to help her cope with the time it was taking for school to start again. She gets to ride the bus and she loves that, too. It takes almost an hour for her to get to and from school but she doesn't seem to mind. Her teacher seems nice enough and they've agreed to give her her medicine at lunch time. I made her a little necklace to help her teacher remember to give it to her. She made a new friend and I am grateful that she loves going to school. It's amazing how the atmosphere at home changes the moment she gets on the bus. No more fighting, no more tantrums . . . Liam and Beckham both take naps after lunch and this pregnant mama does, too. I love school!

11 Months

2010-09-23T21:18:00.001-07:00

Liam is a 11 months old! His two bottom teeth are still his only big boy teeth. His top teeth are so close to coming in you can see them through the gums. He can drink from his sippie and hold his own bottle although he prefers you do it for him. He likes his snuggle time. He often fights Marvin for scraps under the table. Marvin loves to follow Liam after mealtime for the occasional cherri-o that is stuck to his bum!!

Just for fun we made him a mohawk . . . I think he might be ready for his first haircut! He's holding his special monkey. He loves that thing and can't sleep without it.

I've just recently started letting him play in the rocks in the backyard with Kayla and Becks. He loves it and he doesn't eat too many of the rocks.

He actually took his first steps a few days ago. I was holding him in the standing position on the floor when Lonnie got down at his eye level. Liam thought I was still holding him and took 3 steps into his arms. Lonnie thought I was trying to show him that Liam could walk but I was just as surprised as he was. He hasn't done it since but it was pretty cool.

Marvin

2010-09-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

In mid-July we inherited a one year old Boston Terrier named Marvin. We got him from my brother and he's been a pretty good addition to our family. He's potty trained and hasn't chewed up hardly a thing. He even tolerates all the abuse our kids can dish out.

News

2010-09-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it's about time to let you all know that I'm expecting baby #4. It came as quite a shock. I wanted to say, "How did this happen?!?" but I think I know. Initially I felt a little sick to my stomach. Not that we didn't want another McGill around this place . . . I was just hoping for a little more time to enjoy Liam as a baby. And, I had just gotten up the motivation to really start getting the baby weight off . . . I am due around April 1st (no joke ;) ). They will be about 17 months apart. I'm still slightly terrified at the idea of 4 children not even 5 years apart but I'm trying to have faith that all things happen for a reason and that it will all work out. We are hoping this one will be a girl . . . a sister for Kayla and most likely our last. I've been feeling okay. Very tired and sick to my stomach but manageable. And, that's my news.

2010-08-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

This adorable little man is 10 months old. He's got two bottom teeth and the top ones aren't far behind. He is sweet and calm. He's also got those adorably pinchable super cheeks.

Nectarines

2010-08-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

We have a nectarine tree which produces really yummy fruit. This year the tree had a few problems and some of the fruit wasn't as good so I decided to turn it into pie. YUM!!

2010-08-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

The kids finished up their swimming lessons this week. I was really impressed at how well they both did. Kayla was a brave little fish as always but I thought Beckham would have been more scared. I think he followed McKayla’s lead. I can tell that he has learned not to be so afraid of the water. He is even letting me pour water over his head in the bath now.

Cousins: Josh, Jackson, Beckham and Kayla

Liam waiting for the big kids to be done.

Andrew waiting for the big kids to be done.

Sweet success . . . we finished!

Friday night we went to the annual Pasco Stake picnic. The kids had a blast. We got Subway for dinner and they loved getting to go on the water slide and bounce houses. One funny thing about Beckham, after finishing dinner he took off his pants to get his swim trunks on. But, he decided to go potty before getting dressed. He nearly peed on the blanket! It was embarrassing and funny because I’m sure people noticed what he did. Oh, well . . . you only get to be 2 once.

Sleep Study

2010-08-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I took McKayla to Seattle to do another sleep study. We got there nice and early so that we could do a little shopping at the mall. Kayla didn't think shopping was a good idea. So I took her up to the playland for kids.

When they do a sleep study they put wires all over her head, chest and legs to monitor depth of sleep, oxygen levels, heart rates, etc. she ends up looking a little scary! I never got a picture of all the wires they had to put under her nose but this is pretty close to being ready for bed.

In the morning she looks crazy because of all the leftover goop in her and on her body. Thankfully my dad got a hotel down the street so that she could have a bath before making the drive home. She wasn't thrilled about taking pictures so early in the morning.

Thankfully the study went pretty well. The equipment wasn't working right at first so we had to change rooms after she fell asleep. I was irritated but willing to move after saying a few prayers. I consider it a miracle that she didn't wake up as I picked her up and carried her down the hallway to a fresh room.

On the way home we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls. It was very pretty. Kayla loved it as you can see by that ginormous grin of hers.

His favorite things

2010-08-02T21:41:00.001-07:00

Liam has learned to crawl and pull up and create mischief. Some of his favorite things to do include eating computer paper and chasing the vacuum!!

Summer Fun

2010-08-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

I love these pics. Just a summer afternoon in the backyard swimming. The kids were having fun together . . . no fighting!!

Kayla-roo

Becks about to spit water

Sliding backward

Kayla loves to give her cheesy grin

Adorable!

My parent's mission call

2010-08-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

So, these aren't the greatest pictures but they are still fun. On July 2nd my parents got their long awaited mission call and were shocked to find out that they are going to Moscow, Russia. We've been doing Russian lessons when they are in town . . . which isn't very often these days! They enter the MTC on Oct. 25 and leave for Russia a few DAYS later. They are supposed to learn the language at home!

Mom was dying while dad slowly opened the call.

Congratulations and shock!

Spreading the news.

Favorite Pics from June . . .

2010-08-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

This is my feeble attempt at getting into my blog again. Here are some of my favorite pics from June.

6-23-10 Liam . . . fat and happy about his strategic towel placement. 8 months
6-18-10 3 McGills
6-12-10 Best Buds
6-12-10 Playing the piano together.

6-2-10 Help!

6-8-10 Crazy Becks . . . I'm not sure he really wants to swim in his hat, Kayla's strawberry shortcake shoes and bearman in tote!

Put Your Thumbs Up If It's Your Birthday!!

2010-07-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream

2010-05-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I promised Beckham that we could get ice cream after dinner if he took a really good nap. He was very excited about that. His only concern about getting ice cream was that we needed to call Uncle Kjetil and let him know that he needed to get some, too!

Liam's mustache
Now this is the life!

Picnic in the park

2010-04-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

A picnic in the park in CA. The kids had a blast with their cousins.

Liam

Becks (He was doing the moonwalk in case you're wondering!)

Miss Aurora

Kayla Sue

Brett - the master architect

Sac Zoo

2010-04-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to CA to visit family. One Saturday we went to the zoo with Grandpa McGill.

Kayla

Becks

Grandpa with Liam

Cute Baby!

McGill Family

Benjamin Surprises Mom

2010-04-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Benjamin had a job interview here in the TC but didn't tell my parents about it. This is my mom being totally stunned with shock to see her oldest son on her doorstep!

Ice Cream at Grandma's

2010-04-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago my grandma planned an ice cream night for all the relatives in the area. I'd say by the faces of these kids (including my dad) that it was a success!

Jackson

Joshy

Kayla-roo

Josh's dinosaur

Dad's deluxe sundae

Beckham (imagine crazy laughter)

Mom & Liam

Kayla's 4th Birthday

2010-04-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Kayla was so excited for her birthday. She could hardly handle the anxiety! She helped make her cake and went to sleep that night singing "Happy Birthday" to herself.

Mickey Mouse Cake.

Liam wearing Kayla's new princess earrings.

Pure joy with Grandma.

Beckham happy that the party finally started!

My parents and Liam.

Kayla licking the beaters after mixing her cake.

Make Thee An Ark

2010-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

I was having one of those mornings when my children were driving me insane. It left me wondering why I decided to become a mom. Ever have one of those days? I laid down for a short nap and then got up to read my scriptures. I read this talk I got in Sunday School and it changed my attitude for the day. Just thought I'd share in case anyone else needed a reminder and a pick me up!

W. Don Ladd, “‘Make Thee an Ark’,” Ensign, Nov 1994, 28

“There are … so many kinds of voices in the world,” said the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians two thousand years ago (1 Cor. 14:10). They seemed to be troubled by the same conflicting messages we hear today, and it can be frightening when you consider how fragile and fickle the fabric of our society really is.

There have always been strident sounds and discordant voices, and our day is no exception. Every day in the newspapers, over television, in movies and magazines, we are bombarded with violence and immorality clothed in the enticing voices of permissiveness.

In His sermon on the mount, the Master admonished, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. 6:34).

Sufficient, indeed, is the evil thereof unto this day in which we live. There seems to be a rising tide of evil, a flood of iniquity spreading throughout the world. Crime and violence are increasing at an alarming rate. Fear openly stalks our streets and invades our homes.

It has been said that you can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements, and many of the ones I see do not speak well of us. Someone said there was a time when movies were rated on how good they were, not on who was allowed to see them.

According to the Book of Mormon, the devil “seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself” (2 Ne. 2:27). The evidence of his handiwork is certainly about us. Elder Richard L. Evans once said, “If we don’t change direction, we will arrive at where we are going” (Richard Evans’ Quote Book, Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1971, p. 244).

It is not in idleness that our prophets admonish again and again to strengthen ourselves and our families—to hold family home evenings, to read and study the scriptures, to have daily personal and family prayers, and, to quote our prophet, Howard W. Hunter, to “treat each other with more kindness, more courtesy, more humility and patience and forgiveness” (Ensign, July 1994, p. 4).

The immoral influences of the world are especially destructive to children. But our children, like ourselves, aren’t going to live in a vacuum. They never have and they never will. In all their growing and developing, we can do much to help them, to protect them, and to guide them. But we cannot isolate them from the influences of their own time and generation. There will be times when other voices are in their ears, when other hands are on their shoulders, and when they are away from home.

We would do well, then, while ours is still the strongest influence in their lives, to give them a sure set of standards and a firm foundation of safe and sound principles.

The Lord said to Noah, “Make thee an ark” and “with thee will I establish my covenant” (Gen. 6:14, 18).

“And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. …

“And Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark” (Gen. 7:5, 23).

We all need to build a personal ark, to fortify ourselves against this rising tide of evil, to protect ourselves and our families against the floodwaters of iniquity around us. And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation, including President Hunter, as well as the prophets of old.

Unfortunately we don’t always heed the clear warnings of our prophets. We coast complacently along until calamity strikes, and then we panic.

When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and to prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.

The key is to accept the invitation of our prophet, whom we sustained this morning, “to live with ever more attention to the life and example of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially the love and hope and compassion He displayed” (Ensign, July 1994, p. 4).

The most important thing we can do—young or old—is develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If we do, we will always be comfortable with ourselves. Any questions of self-esteem and self-worth will diminish, and we will have a quiet confidence that will see us through any trial. And the Savior’s promise to us is “Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world” (D&C 50:41).

Whatever the anxiety or fear or frustration, we have only to remember the Lord’s comforting words to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Liberty Jail: “My son, peace be unto thy soul” (D&C 121:7). To each of us, He will always be there to say, “My son, my daughter, my child, peace be unto thy soul.”

And in return we should pledge, as did the poet George Herbert:

Sev’n whole dayes, not one in seven,
I will praise thee. …
Ev’n eternitie is too short
To extoll thee.
(“Praise [II],” The Works of George Herbert, ed. F. D. Hutchinson, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971, p. 146)

My brothers and sisters, I bear you my witness that Jesus is the Christ, that He indeed overcame the world through His atonement, and that He will always be there to comfort us if we will follow His example and do the will of the Father. And I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Photos

2009-12-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

10-22-09 My mom and dad with Liam.

10-23-09 All ready to go home.

10-27-09 Liam's first bath.

10-29-09 McKayla nursing her lamb

10-30-09 Halloween party with my parents.

10-30-09 Beckham the garden gnome

10-30-09 Kayla the butterfly

10-30-09 Liam's adorable booties

10-30-09 awww, cute!

11-6-09 I love this picture of Beckham!

11-6-09 His shirt says, "My dad is my hero"

11-15-09 Family photo

11-22-09 1 month old

12-7-09 Liam

12-2-09 The kids

Has it really been 2 months? (warning . . . very long post)

2009-12-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Well, the entire month of November came and went without a moment of time to write. How do I sum up the last 7 and half weeks since Liam joined our family? Blessed seems to be a good word. For the first two weeks after he was born my mom came over every morning to help me feed and clothe the kids, get a shower for myself and keep up with laundry and other household duties. Liam has been a great nurser and sleeper from the get go. There have only been a few truly sleepless nights . . .
I got interrupted by a phone call and it is now Sunday, December 20th! Anyway, Liam is a great addition to our family. My mom thinks he observed our family from heaven and knew exactly what he needed to do to survive here! Liam seems to be very responsive to interaction. He smiled for the first time right around a month old while I stroked his chin. He sucks on his tongue the way that I did when I was a baby. He basically sleeps through the night with one major feeding around 4am. I just started him on formula. I give him two bottles a day and that has been wonderful. It gives me just a little bit of freedom to leave the house for longer than an hour! He is a super chunk. He has big chubby cheeks and has nearly doubled his birth weight. He’s wearing 3-6mo clothes and will be wearing size three diapers very soon.
Everyone was worried about how Kayla would handle having a new baby, but she’s handled it very well. She has been very helpful and loves to hold Liam. She didn’t throw any tantrums when daddy started putting her to bed instead of mommy. She has also started staying in her room all night long until I come to get her at 7. That is a major accomplishment for her since she generally wakes up every morning at 4:30. She lays in bed listening to her glow worm and reading books in the glow of her nightlight. She looks forward to quiet time everyday and loves to do ABC time on the computer. She has been attending speech preschool and her language skills are definitely improving. I love to hear her say new things. She just got her hair cut to her shoulders and looks very cute. In January she’ll be going to Children’s Hospital in Seattle to have an EEG, MRI and sleep study. She’s actually been seizure free for several months but I’m curious to see if the doctors are able to discover what the cause of her seizures is.
I think Beckham has the hardest time adjusting to baby. For the first 3 or 4 weeks he was terrified to sleep in his own bed. He was afraid that I would leave. I started having to rock him and sing to him before bed and naps. Thankfully he’s bounced back and goes to sleep on his own after a few songs. I think he still gets nervous about his place in the family. When Lonnie’s home Beckham is very territorial. He doesn’t want Lonnie to hold Liam or Kayla. Overall, Beckham is very kind to Liam. He gives him kisses and is atentative to him. I think they will become good friends once Liam starts to play a bit more. Beckham just turned two on the 18th. We had a birthday party for him last night at my parent’s house. He has fallen in love with Toy Story and received lots of fun gifts . . . Buzz and Woody galore. He has definitely hit the terrible twos. He’s started hitting and setting Kayla up to get in trouble. He’s also a bit of a practical jokester and speaks very well for his age.
Lonnie has been working a lot at the factory. He’s the assistant manager of his department and has gotten a few raises. We just bought a “new” van and his school loans will start soon so we are very grateful for the raises. He’s been working a lot of overtime which is good and bad. It’s hard when he doesn’t come home on time at night. Dinner until bedtime is hard for me because the kids seem to go crazy. Lonnie has been very helpful with the kids and has handled my mood swings pretty well. He is wonderful daddy and husband. We are all lucky to have him.
I’ve had my ups and downs. I’m so tired all the time and can’t seem to get everything done no matter how hard I try. I’ve been having major pain in my right arm and shoulder. I’ve had several sleepless nights from that problem. That’s frustrating. Thankfully I start physical therapy this week. It’s hard to imagine that there is more to life than laundry and poopy diapers. It’s like the light at the end of the tunnel . . . it’s just a really long tunnel right now.
I have been horrible about keeping in touch with friends . . . Sorry . . . I'll try to be better!

Labor and Delivery

2009-11-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is the 3rd time I've been on the internet since Liam was born on the 22nd. Sorry for the delay in info and cute pics. Here's the low-down on the whole labor and delivery. Wednesday the 21st my mom and I took a super power walk. My whole body was sore when I got home. Around 12:30 in the morning on the 22nd I woke up and started timing contractions. They were very mild but they were happening every 4 minutes. After about 4o minutes and several prayers, I decided to wake Lonnie and call my mom. We got to the hospital around 2am. I told my nurse I was a little nervous that I was jumping the gun but I didn't want to have the baby in my living room! I was dilated to a 2 and she reassured me that I had made a good choice to come in because I was definitely in labor. Well, unfortunately my labor stopped around 5:30am . . . completely! After the waiting for it to pick back up on its own and getting a new morning nurse they finally put me on pit around 8:30. My nurse was new and was worried that there were problems with the umbilical cord so they upped the pit very, very slowly. At noon I was only at a 3. Ugh! I was feeling so frustrated because I had expected Liam to be born by noon. At this point, they decided to give me the epidural. I was really shaky because I hadn't eaten anything and my blood sugar was low. I kept telling the nurse I felt like I was going to fall of the bed while the anesthesiologist was getting started but she didn't come to me and brace my shoulders. The epidural sent shooting pain down my back and leg. I started sobbing and finally the nurse came to me. The anesthesiologist tried again . . . more shooting pain followed by my right leg flopping around like a fish. Excruciating. I was so glad that Lonnie wasn't in the room because it was so painful and I was crying so hard. Around 1:30pm my doctor came to check on me. He wasn't pleased with my progress and decided to increase the pit a little more. Then he said he'd be back after his office hours . . . around 5:30. I almost had a panic attack because that meant he didn't think Liam would be born for another 4 hours. I was trying so hard to keep myself in control. Luckily my contractions did eventually pick up and by 5:30 I was ready to push but the doctor wasn't there! The nurses kept telling me to hold on but after nearly 18 hours I didn't want to hold on. I wanted him out!!! Thankfully my doctor got there by a quarter till and Liam was born at 6:03pm after 3 massive pushes. He was 7lbs 12oz and 20 inches long. He is a great nurser and sleeper.
Just barely born.

Kayla meets her new baby brother.

Beckham wasn't too concerned about having a new baby . . . he just wanted my fruit cup!

Officially a family of 5.

My parents holding Liam . . . their 6th grandbaby.

Liam and his new monkey.

Dressed and ready to go home.

Cute baby!

Waiting

2009-10-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have to say that the last week or so of pregnancy is not my favorite. As most of you know, I'm the type of person who likes everything nicely organized. I like to plan things in advance and schedule them in so I know exactly what to expect. Well, unless you are getting induced or a C-section you can't really pencil in when you are going to go into labor and have your baby. It makes me just a little batty waiting for this little guy to arrive. I had an appointment yesterday and I thought for sure I'd already started dilating. The doctor told me that if I wanted to feel good about my progress I could claim a centimeter. That doesn't make me feel good. I thought I'd be a 3 or 4 with all the pressure I've been feeling. Ho-hum. I've finished everything on my "Get-it-done-before-the-baby-arrives List" and now I'm just waiting.

Pumpkin Time

2009-10-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch and got to do a few fun things like a bounce house, carousel, hay pyramid, corn maze and hay bale maze. It was FREEZING outside but we had a good time. We ended our fun with a trailer ride out to the pumpkin patch where both kids picked pumpkins. All in all, some good family fun.
Pyramid . . . I was so scared Beckham was going to fall off!

Freezing on the trailer ride out to the pumpkin patch.

Kayla looking very serious about her pumpkin. She was probably too cold to smile all the way!

Beckham loved his very little and very bumpy pumpkin!

Baby Shower

2009-10-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official . . . I have the best sister-in-law ever! Actually all of my sisters-in-law are great but yesterday Jess threw me an awesome baby shower. Everything was so beautiful and the food was fantastic. We had chocolate fondue and lots of yummy things to dip in it, cider, an apple cake, a veggie tray, crackers and pumpkin butter. There were a nice mix of guests . . . some people I haven't seen in at least 10 years. I wish we could have gotten a group shot but . . . my camera's batteries died. This was the first shower I've had where my mom and grandma could attend. That was nice, too. I received a lot of really great gifts and several packs of diapers. All of which will come in very handy. I can't believe that I am 37 weeks. I miss laying on my stomach and being able to run. I've been getting tons of braxton hicks with this pregnancy . . . I hope that means Liam won't incubate too much longer. I think he will be born on the 23rd and I'm crossing my fingers he won't be late.

YUM!

Debbi playing the Dirty Diaper game . . .

Julie, Shelli, Sue and Natallie checking out the contents of their dirty diapers . . .

Natallie?!? Don't worry, it's just chocolate!

At home after the shower showing Lonnie some of the things we received. Thanks everyone!

Lonnie's Birthday

2009-10-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

Lonnie just turned 29 and this is the first time in our marriage we haven't been in CA with his family to celebrate. I think it was a little weird for Lonnie but we had a fun day anyway. We got a babysitter and went to the movies. It's amazing that it's been so long since we've been to a movie considering we used to do that all the time . . . before we had kids that is! We saw the newest Harry Potter and loved it. Then we went out to dinner at Red Lobster and finished the night off with homemade icecream cake. YUM!

That's one cool cake!

Beckham helping daddy blow out his candle.

Kayla feeling the love for daddy's cake!

My mom and grandma.

Happy little family full of cake!

McKayla's Potato Heads

2009-10-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago McKayla made these potato heads. I thought they were quite ingenious!

One cute kid

2009-10-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

A little while ago there was a blog post going around of childhood pictures. Well, I finally got a few pics of me scanned into the computer and thought I would share.

Me and my parents a day or so after birth. April 1979
My Grandma Sue and me. August 1979

One year old. April 1980

My brother Benjamin (20 mo.) and me (4 mo.). December 1980

Mother's day 1981.

Free Ultrasound

2009-09-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

My new doctor just got a new ultrasound machine and was offering free ultrasounds. Well, who am I to turn down anything free. It was fun to see Liam's face in 3D and know exactly where he's at in my tummy. He's about 5 and a half pounds now which means he'll probably be about 8lbs when he's born. The doctor said my due date according to today's measurements is probably around the 23rd . . . that's also when I think the baby will be born. My official due date of the 27th has never seemed right. Only a few more weeks to go.

Prince of Pizza

2009-09-10T14:24:00.001-07:00

Okay, so not long after we moved to WA we were really hungry for Pizza one night and splurged. We even shared with my parents and grandma. Needless to say, there wasn't much left . . . a slice, maybe two. When we got home I put the box on the table and hurried to get the kids ready for bed. I was finishing up with McKayla and calling the kids to come in for family prayer and scripture time. Hmmm . . . no Beckham. We all went out to the kitchen to find this. He was laughing like crazy. I think Lonnie was disappointed he wouldn't be having pizza for lunch the next day but . . . you gotta admit this is pretty cute!

Waterslide Mania

2009-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Shortly after getting to WA there was big church picnic with free bounce houses and other activities. We took the kids and McKayla was freaking out when she saw all the fun things to do. She was especially excited about the HUGE waterslide. I knew there were going to be water activities so I packed a large bag with everything we could possibly need but somehow forgot McKayla's swimming suit. She was not concerned about such formalities. She waited somewhat patiently in line but when it was her turn to climb up the steps to the top of the waterslide she couldn't keep her footing. Daddy to the rescue! He pushed her up most of the way until she made it to the top. She went flying down the slide laughing all the way. I was laughing so hard I nearly wet my pants. Plus, once she was down the slide she couldn't keep her balance to walk off of it. She slipped and slid everyother step. It was hillarious. In fact she slipped right off the slide into a puddle of mud and thought it was great.

Go Daddy, go!!
Can't I go just one more time? Please!!

Super-slippery. . . she could barely walk off.

Covered in mud and going back for more!

Not the best shot of the kids but . . . our kids are loving time with cousins. This is McKayla, Beckham and Jackson . . . all cleaned up after the festivities.

Upsidedown motorcycle

2009-09-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I hate trying to put pictures on my blogs. These pics are in reverse order from the way I wanted them to be and I don't know how to rearrange them. If anyone wants to share any tips with me . . . feel free. Anyway, I wrote a little about these pics but I left it at the bottom so that maybe the pictures will make sense. Please scroll down!

Beckham on his new "Motorcycle".

Kayla loves her helmet and knee pads.

Rock on!

Cousin Brett, Beckham and Kayla checking out Grandpa's bike.

Beckham's in heaven. He LOVES motorcycles!

When Lonnie's dad got to Rexburg for Lonnie's graduation, the kids were enthralled with his motorcycle. Grandpa McGill bought them helmet and pads . . . the kids thought they were soooo cool. It gets better though. On his way back to CA he stopped at our new apartment in WA. Lonnie, Grandpa and the kids took a trip to Walmart and returned with "motorcycles" of their own.

Lonnie's Graduation

2009-08-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been nearly a month since Lonnie's graduation. He was as proud as could be to achieve this accomplishment. He was actually chosen to speak at his commencement which I think just shows how hard he worked for his degree. His dad, mom, step-dad and nephew all came to support him as well as my parents. They also put in a lot of work to help us with our move the following day.

Lonnie with the kiddos before graduation.
Lonnie and my parents.

Lonnie and his step-dad, nephew and mom.

Lonnie with his super-hot wife!

Lonnie and his dad. Tim wore this shirt to represent Lonnie's island heritage. :)

26 weeks

2009-08-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I loaded on a bunch of pics so my next step is to blog. I'll probably do a few short posts in the next little while. Here is me at 26 weeks. I'm 29 now so just add another inch or two. I always think these kind of pics are funny looking but . . . I'm officially in the 3rd trimester and feeling very tired. October is feeling very, very close.

Finally settled

2009-08-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally getting settled and really need to leave a more detailed blog but . . . I only have a few minutes. I did want to let you all know that Lonnie and I got new cell phone and land line numbers. I sent out a mass email but if I missed you and you want it . . . let me know! I promise to write more soon!

July 4th

2009-07-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July was a fun filled day. We started off going to the parade at Porter Park. The kids loved it. McKayla liked getting candy but was a little nervous when they threw it from the floats.

Here's McKayla looking festive before the parade.

This is Beckham's favorite hiding spot . . . right behind the couch. We're lucky we found him before the parade started!

Beckham and Lonnie. Beck's got his "BobBobs" . . . aka fruit snacks.

Adorable. Who can refuse a 3-year old with flying pigtails and a punching balloon.

After the parade we played in the park for a while and then later played at the splash park. Kids had a lot of fun. We ended the night with fireworks at the Johnsons. I think our kids were intrigued and frightened by the fireworks. They are definitely not ready for the big, latenight shows!

Beckham at the splash park water wheel.

McKayla will go up and down this slide for over an hour. The girl has limitless energy.

Playing at the park.

Ride cowboy, ride!

July 3rd

2009-07-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice, extended 4th of July weekend. On the 3rd we took our kids to Yellowstone. It's only an hour and a half away. If only we'd known it was so close we would have gone more often! Oh, well. McKayla really liked going to the "big park" and loved feeding the "goats" (any 4 legged animal). Beckham had a lot of fun, too. I was surprised by how well behaved they were. We saw geysers and hotpots, lots of mule deer and buffalo and people from all over the world. We also saw Old Faithful spout a little but a very considerate storm rained on our parade before we got to see her really blow. We were soaked and freezing. Kayla looked up at me and said, "Kayla freezing". Poor baby. Our friends had gone the day before and came back with sunburns so we wore shorts, t-shirts and sandals. I didn't think to bring our rain ponchos and hot cocoa.

Lunch time. Is this a cheesy picture or what?

Me looking fabulously soaked. Brrr!!

Family Shot at a hot pot.

Beckham and Daddy.

Here and there

2009-06-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven't updated in a while so I thought I better write something. I'm getting very excited about moving. We officially have 26 days left in Rexburg. I've been packing a box or two every day. Just little things here and there. We have 2 trailers reserved for the trip and just found out that we are officially approved for an apartment a few blocks away from my parents! Yeah! Everything has been falling into place and that's exactly what I've been praying for.

Lonnie has been sick for about 3 weeks. We just found out that he's got a bacterial infection in his tummy area and it's been causing a lot of problems. Luckily things are looking better. He took a medication a few days ago that caused him some serious discomfort today but hopefully got rid of everything causing the problems.

McKayla has been very stubborn lately. That's a shocker for a child who is normally so docile. Insert heavy sarcasm here. We've been going on lots of walks and trips to the park to make her really tired so that she actually sleeps at night. Her favorite thing to do is, "feed him doggie", which translated means walk to the neighbor's dog and pet it. :) She hasn't had a seizure in a while and that's a good thing. I'm hoping it means the seizures are completely under control. We'll see what happens with the stress of the move.

Beckham has been kinda grumpy due to teething and has figured out that screaming will get his sister in trouble even if she didn't do anything. I guess I need to pay attention more to what is going on. He has an obsession with motorcycles and airplanes. He's a funny little boy. When we take him to play at the park he'd rather walk around and drink his sippie cup than play on the toys. Today he found every pine cone in the park and made a little pile. He was so proud.

I am almost 23 weeks now and feeling a little like a chipmunk with my chubby cheeks. Mostly pregnancy treats me well but the heartburn and sciatic pain have started. People are constantly asking me if I'm okay because of wincing when I walk. It kinda feels like all the bones in my lower spine are loose and sliding around. It also feels like a horse kicked my hip and it's super bruised. Waa, waa, waa! This happens every time . . . luckily it goes away as soon as the baby comes out!

Liam Scott

2009-06-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Just to clear up some questions about the new baby's name. Liam comes from Lonnie. He picked it out a long time ago and has always loved it. I got McKayla . . . he gets Liam! Scott was Lonnie's mom's maiden name. There's also the fact that we both have Scottish ancestry. Well, there is a joke in our family about my youngest brother Scott "dibbing" family heirlooms. I'm a little concerned that he might try to dib our new baby. Hands off babybrother . . . he's not up for dibs even though he'll share your name! :)

Puppy Dog Tails

2009-06-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I just found out that my internet is going to be down for the next 2 days! So, I'm sitting outside of a laundry facility using WIFI to post this. I know - dedicated! We had our ultrasound today and found out that we are having a boy. I'm very excited because I think that Beckham will be a much easier roommate than McKayla. We are going to name him Liam Scott McGill. So, here are a few pictures from the ultrasound.

Here's his head. His hand and body are in the top right of the photo.

Here's his foot.

Last but not least . . . his manly joy.
I can't really figure out where the rest of the body is but there's an arrow pointing to his little boy parts. :)

Header

2009-06-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

Corrine . . . I need help with my header . . . see what happens when friends let friends blog alone!

Just for Carrie

2009-05-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I've put this dress on McKayla a couple of times. She always looks cute in the dress. Last Sunday I dressed her in it specifically so that I could take a picture for you. I even did her hair extra pretty in case you can't tell. However, she was extremely grumpy (see previous post for definition of grumpy) this particular day and we were running late for church. So, I tried to get a picture after church. She looks as frazzled as I felt. I'll try to get a good pic one of these days but for now you'll have to be content with these!!

What Train?

2009-05-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

So, I guess I fell off the blogging train . . . again. Maybe I've never actually gotten all the way on! Here's a little status on us. Lonnie is graduating on July 23rd and after that we will be moving back to the TC in WA. I think I hear a few "yeahs" from some of you out there. We are working on getting an apartment near my parent's house and Lonnie will be working for my Dad. He's excited for the job and the opportunity to be around my family a little more. Most of our marriage we've lived closer to his family so this will be a little change. I've already begun packing things (actually, just adding things to boxes I've never unpacked the entire time we've lived in Idaho!!).

I am almost 19 weeks now and we find out what we are having on June 8. I'm very curious to find out if this one is a boy or a girl. McKayla changes her mind every day about whether the baby in mommy's tummy is a bruder or dister. I think I'm looking preggo now but all of my clothes are a little too big so most people must think I'm just getting fat! HA!

McKayla is on a new sleep medication that is like Valium. They also increased the dose on her other medication. This week has been stressful to say the least. Every time they change her meds McKayla gets a little "grumpy". That grumpiness includes aggression, anger, defiance, whining, screaming and general big-time attitude. My patience is wearing thin but thankfully she seems to be having less attitude problems and is starting to be more herself again. I expect another week of craziness before she's completely Kayla again.

Beckham is tolerating a grumpy sister and gives her a run for her money on occasion. He's been getting in all his molars . . . it seems like he's been teething for months. There is only one more molar waiting to push through. Poor little guy.

Birthdays Galore

2009-05-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting to McKayla's 3rd birthday and my 30th! We celebrated on the 15th by going to Red Robin for a free lunch thanks to the birthday club. Yum! McKayla shared with Beckham and my meal was free so we only had to pay for Lonnie!

McKayla and Lonnie at Red Robin.

Momma and Beckham.

Then that night Lonnie and the kids had a dance party where they all put on hats. It was really cute because Beckham fell in love with wearing hats. They tried on cowboy hats, fisherman hats and baseball hats while dancing around like crazies!

Beckham in daddy's baseball cap.

McKayla still loves her cowgirl hat.

Daddy and his kiddos.

Then we had the real birthday bash on the 17th at a place called Blast Off in Idaho Falls. It was kinda like Chuck E. Cheese and we celebrated with our friends the Johnsons. The kids had a lot of fun playing on the giant jungle gym playground thingys, trying on costumes, playing in the arcade, eating pizza, opening presents and eating cake. Although not my number one pick for celebrating my birthday, it was a fun day. The kids had a great time.

McKayla in the ball pit.

Beckham checking out the playground.

Beckham loves Elmo and he didn't want to take this costume off.

Riding on the Tonka Truck. I think they rode this thing at least 10 times.

Beckham really loved McKayla's birthday cake.

This year we decided not to spend a lot of money on gifts and were pleased to find out that McKayla was still happy. This is her new bubble bath.

Look at the anticipation on her face as she watches Lonnie help her unwrap a princess cell phone!

Lonnie and I went to Olive Garden for my birthday the following day so I got a little celebration of my own. Yum. For those of you who are wondering, it feels great to be 30. I was actually kind of excited about this birthday for some reason. Lonnie keeps teasing me about getting older but I think he's just jealous. I think he's trying to catch up to me but some things are so great you'll just never catch up!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

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

So, I haven't been keeping up with my personal journal very well and I'm trying to back track and catch up a bit. Here is something I just wrote from a few days ago that I thought might give you all a laugh at my expense. The only compensation (and the main reason I'm sharing this) is that I know all of you have had days and moments like this!

Thursday, April 23, 2009
Today was awful. McKayla woke up with a fever and didn’t sleep well last night. I canceled my VT appointment and decided to take her into the doctor instead of to pre-school but . . . we had a flat tire. So, I had to get a tow truck and get our van over to Les Schwab. The crazy thing is that it only cost $12.50 to fix and there wasn’t a nail or anything. It was just leaking air. The receptionist said that there might have been some dirt that was holding the tire open and allowing a leak. Well, after that I took McKayla over to the doctor. I told him I thought she might have a UTI since she’s been refusing to go pee, so he asked her to leave a urine sample. I used all my mommy magic to convince her to go but she refused to potty. Unfortunately, I really had to go and just as I sat down McKayla lunged to open the door. I darted off the potty to stop her but couldn’t stop the flow of pee . . . I am pregnant. So, I proceeded to pee all over the floor. Mortified is the only word I can think of to describe that. I cleaned it up with paper towels but I still had to tell another adult what I had done. Ugh. Thankfully the doctor was very understanding . . . he can just add it to his list of crazy things that have happened at work.

Where have I been?

2009-04-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have been wondering what happened to me since I haven't posted anything for several weeks. We've definitely been busy lately and tired! It's way past my bedtime but here are a few pictures from Easter Weekend. All the pictures loaded in the reverse order (if anyone knows any secrets for fixing that I'd love to know!).

Easter evening we took the kids to the park to play and run off some of the sugar they ate. McKayla loves to hang from the monkey bars but she hates to drop!

Here's Becks on the slide.

McKayla's favorite thing to do is swing, swing, swing!

I just love this picture of Beckham on the toys.

After church we had quite the ordeal getting the kids to take pictures in their nice Easter clothes. Thanks mom . . . they looked adorable despite these horrible pictures.

Mommy, McKayla and Beckham.Kayla Sue

McKayla pretty much dominated the entire egg race on Saturday afternoon and she loved sorting through her loot.

Beckham and Aiden looking for eggs.

Beckham just getting started looking for eggs.

Beckham, Sadie, Aiden and McKayla all waiting for the egg hunt to begin. You know, I feel really blessed. I wanted to do Easter dinner and most of the celebrating on Saturday this year so that Sunday would be more focused on the Savior and so that I wouldn't be in the kitchen all day. The weather was supposed to be rainy but it was absolutely beautiful all afternoon. When our friends went home . . . it started to rain. Coincidence, I think not. We had a fabulous ham and lots of other great food. Sunday we just enjoyed the leftovers. It was a great Easter.

Friday, April 11th. I tried dying eggs with my kids. After 4 cracked eggs I decided to color the eggs and let the kids eat the broken ones. McKayla was afraid to touch.

Beckham took a big old bite, didn't like it and continued to destroy his egg. He squished it and threw it all over the floor. Good times! I'll try to write more soon.

Who says Bribery isn't healthy?

2009-03-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Lonnie and I went to a Home and Family Conference at BYU-I. In one of the classes we took, the teacher talked about not bribing our children. Well, I'm sure he had good reasons for that and scientific data to prove it but . . . McKayla has been doing awesome at going pee in the potty but poops her pants everyday. So, this morning we went to the Dollar Store and bought 5 new toys that she could only have when she went poop in the potty. Well, not less than 15 minutes ago she looked like she needed to go. I reminded her that she'd get a toy if she went in the potty. She thought about it, walked over to her chair and went #2. She was so excited to pick a toy . . . she chose her princess pom-poms. She has been running around the house playing with them ever since. I love bribery.

Beckham

2009-03-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last year for my birthday Lonnie gave me a Willow statue of a woman holding a baby. It was titled "My Little Angel" and was supposed to represent Beckham. I've always thought of Beckham as my little angel and he lives up to his title. Sure he's becoming more adventurous and asserting his little toddler will to make mischief. But, overall he's just a little joy. He eats with a spoon and will help you put toys away. He's mellow and funny. He loves to dance and laugh and watch Shaun the Sheep. He's a snuggler and the sweetest little guy I could have asked for.

Coming in October

2009-03-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, my little secret is mostly out of the bag. So, for those who don't know . . . I'm expecting our 3rd baby. We had our first appointment yesterday and I am due on October 27th. Yeah. Here is our little gummy bear for your viewing pleasure.

New Cell Phone

2009-03-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I just got a new cell phone number. I've been trying to spread the word but . . . it's hard to contact everyone. So, if I've neglected to send you the number, please leave me a comment and I will send it to you privately. :)

Pee & Progress

2009-03-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I'd just like to thank everyone who has given me ideas to help with potty training. McKayla is doing better. Today she peed in the potty three times and only twice on the floor. She's walking around the apartment in her "special pairs" of undies which she mostly doesn't like unless I ask her to take them off to sit on her potty. At that point, she will do most anything to keep them on. She is very strong willed. I've learned that she is motivated by big girl drinks like Capri Sun and juice boxes, as well as, privileges such as going outside, ABC time on the computer, helping mommy make dinner or riding around on daddy like a cowgirl. She despises sitting on the potty but always looks so pleased when she actually goes in the right place. Go figure. I am looking forward to the day when I know she is really fully trained. I feel so tense all the time wondering if she needs to go. I am even dreaming of potty training. I wake myself up yelling, "Oh, not there!" or "McKayla, you did it!" I don't really think that's a fair reward for working so hard to help my child become a big person. Dreams should be saved for more relaxing things like sitting on the beach or eating really fattening brownies.

Potty Training

2009-03-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

So, I'm tired of all the poop and am attempting to potty train McKayla. So far, I am failing miserably. I bought her candy and pullups a few days ago. Then I tried putting her on the potty every 20 minutes or so. She managed to only go to the bathroom inbetween sitting on the potty. So, yesterday I went and bought underwear and decided that diapers/pullups would only be for sleeping. Well, yesterday she only went to the bathroom twice . . . stage fright? And both of those times were in a pullup in preparation for sleeping. Aaagh! So, today has been more exciting if nothing else. She peed on the bed, she peed on me, she pooped in her undies and peed in her pullup. She won't even attempt to go on the potty and she is above bribery. Help! Does anyone have any ideas to help me, 'cause I obviously missed the memo about how to successfully potty train your child.

More Poop

2009-03-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

So, the poop saga continues (see below if you missed yesterday's blog). McKayla is on a new medicine to help her sleep through the night. It's been working pretty well and she's even slept through the entire night a few times in the last night. However, it also makes her a little grumpier in the daytime and leaves her with absolutely no desire to nap during the day. Today I tried something new . . . quiet time. It set up our portable DVD player in the bedroom, tucked her into my bed with some books and told her I'd be back in an hour. In retrospect, I should have kept the baby monitor on but I was enjoying the quiet to read my scriptures, do a little email and some family history research. I heard a few noises in the room but overall I thought she did pretty well. Boy was I mistaken. My room was thrashed. She took out all the tissues from the tissue box, dumped all the books on the floor and took off her diaper on my bed. Now, taking off the diaper wouldn't be so bad except that it was filled with poop. There it was . . . a giant log on my sheets. YUCK!!!!! I'm getting really sick of poop. I really hope I have nothing to report about poop tomorrow.

Poop

2009-03-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

So, my kids love to take all the books off of the bookshelf and look at the pictures. It's not my favorite to clean it up afterward but at least they're having fun. Well, today they pulled everything out and were sitting quietly playing together on a pile of books. I was just about to take advantage of the quiet to make lunch when I realized that McKayla and Beckham were laughing hysterically. I walked into the room to check on them and found that McKayla was painting Beckham's face like an Indian . . . with poop from her diaper. There were big globs hanging from his forehead,nose and chin. There was a big smear on the rocking chair and their clothes were covered. The books were equally defiled. YUCK! I hurried to get them into the bathroom for a bath when I saw Beckham put a fingerfull in his mouth. I nearly puked. I spent the next little while bathing the kids, scrubbing the chair cushion, doing laundry and putting all the books away after scrubbing off any lingering poo. Ewww.

All She Wants

2009-02-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

So, McKayla is a funny little girl. Her birthday is coming up but so far all she wants are things that I simply cannot give her at this time in her life or possibly ever. For example, since she was a baby she has been fascinated by the mole on my neck. Now she likes to touch it, ask, "What's that?" and then tell me that she wants one, too. She usually asks several times a day. The 2nd thing she really wants is a bra. Yep. I keep trying to tell her that she will get one someday she just needs to grow a little. Unfortunately by the time she actually gets her own bra she probably won't be so excited! Life just isn't fair. Her final request is a tail. I'm sure it seems like a realistic request considering lots of her favorite things have tails . . . dogs, cats, lambs, mice and even Toodee from Yo, Gabba Gabba. No matter how many times she asks, I'm not getting her a tail. She'll thank me for that one later I'm sure.

Flickr Photos

2009-02-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

I just added a ton of pics to flickr. You can click on the link to the right to see them. Hope you enjoy.

The Binki

2009-02-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

So, McKayla has had a binki forever . . . almost 3 years now. It's been her friend, her companion, her stress reliever and chew toy. Well, last week at Walmart I determined that I was not going to buy anymore binkies after the new pack in my hands got lost or destroyed. It took a mere 2 days after opening the new pack for her to chew holes in both of them. So, Sunday morning I cut the tips off of both binks and told her that they were broken. Mean, I know, but I was having a hard time keeping a straight face while I looked at her. She looked so confused, so concerned. She turned it over and around and then tried to suck on it. She was not impressed with the broken binki and threw it on the floor. Every once in a while she picks it up to check if it is still broken. Thankfully, she has been coping remarkably well without them. I did feel a twinge of guilt today at Walmart when she kept looking wistfully toward the baby section. She knows where binkies live. I know she tought we went there to get new ones. Oh, well . . . I didn't feel that much guilt! There is a light at the end of the binki free tunnel. I can almost taste the freedom.

Jill's 25 Random Things

2009-01-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

So, there's this thing going around Facebook called "25 Random Things About Me" and it was actually pretty fun to type up so I thought I'd share.

1 - The most beautiful thing I have ever seen was a fenced off garden in the middle of a very scary neighborhood in Russia.
2 - I love cookies.
3 - My middle name is Suzanne just like my Grandma and just about every other first born daughter in my family.
4 - St. Patrick's Day is a very important holiday in my house . . . who'd of thought with a last name like McGill.
5 - Sometimes people ask me if I ever realized that my name rhymes . . . hmm, I guessed I missed that one.
6 - My husband has enough Samoan blood to claim that he is a Pacific Islander but he is tall, thin and has blue eyes and blonde hair. Go figure?
7 - I am proud of myself for the time I spent working for JP Morgan Chase. That job seemed to validate all the time I put into my education even though I studied linguistics and not finance or business.
8 - My all time favorite movie is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I watched it so many times that one day my husband came home with some chic flicks just so I'd have some other options. I still watch my favorite the majority of the time.
9 - I really don't like lima beans.
10 - My first kiss was like something you read in a fairytale . . . Perfect!
11 - One of my dreams in life is to go on a cruise.
12 - I love waterskiing and iceskating.
12 (again!) - As a kid I had horrible nightmares. I also thought that there were monsters under my bed. The only way I could go to sleep was to imagine that the monsters would eat my sister first because she was on the bottom bunk. Sorry Carrie.
13 - I am a bit "Monkish". Translation - everything I do is organized.
14 - I play the violin and I used to be pretty good, but it terrifies me to play in public. Ironically, I love singing and speaking in public.
15 - I've always been afraid of making mistakes. Sometimes I was so afraid that I didn't seek out my dreams.
16 - I'm a great cook.
17 - My mom is my best friend.
18 - I love floral design . . . especially weddings. I really miss that creative outlet.
19 - I am amazed at how difficult it is to be a good mom. It takes everything I have to give and then some.
20 - I had a lamb in 4H and sold it at the fair to buy a 10 speed when I was 10.
21 - I have always wanted to go to beauty school and intend on going some day.
22 - I learned to feel and be confident in my own skin around age 25.
23 - I can't believe I'm almost 30 and I feel excited for what the next 10 years have to offer.
24 - I love and appreciate all of my siblings and my parents. I think that is very rare.
25 - Don't make me laugh too hard or you might get a puddle on the floor!

Lonnie's 25 Random Things

2009-01-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

25 Random Things About ME.
1. I hate talking on phones but ironically I spent two years in a job talking on phones.
2. I love reading about pirate history.
3. I love Yo Gabba Gabba. I know that it's a kid's show.
4. I used to drag race in the NHRA Jr. Dragster program, and I won every race.
5. Sometimes people ask me if I know there was a famous soccer player that has the same name as my son Beckham.
6. I once tried to impress a girl I liked by drinking salt.
7. My middle name is Earl.
8. I love eastern Europe.
9. I have enough Samoan blood to claim pacific Islander on legal documents. My grandmother still lives with my clan the Galeai (pronounced Nally (like Wally) I) on Pago Pago.
10. I used to play in a metal band.
11. I actually write and play electronic music but as soon as I finish a song I delete it.
12. I hate needles and spiders.
13. I daydream about space.
14. I like to run in circles while listening to music...... it helps me think.
15. My daughter wishes she had a tail and frequently asks if she can have one.
16. My favorite animal is the duckbilled platapus.
17. I own every season of Alf, Dinosaurs, and Planet of the Apes the T.V. series.
18. I am related to the drummer of the 80's band the Jets.
19. I want to be a professor.
20. Growing up I had a crush on Helen Hunt.
21. I always had crushes on red heads but never dated one.
22. Futbol is my favorite sport.
23. My very first kiss was on a Disney ride.
24. My wife is a year and a half older than me.
25. My wife is the most beautiful girl in the world, that means all you other girls can only be................. did you guess? Yep 2nd best.

A little snow in Rexburg

2009-01-27T19:37:00.000-08:00

So, Saturday it snowed a lot here and after getting dressed for the day (and doing my hair), I decided to take my kids outside. Once we all had our boots, gloves, hats, coats and snowpants on (at least 30 minutes later) we went out into the cold. I attached a bungee cord to our little green sled and pulled the kids through the parking lot. It was hilarious to watch my kids. I was laughing so hard I could hardly see. I wish I could have taken some pictures. Luckily I did pull out my camera to get a shot of McKayla's snowman. I think he's pretty cute. It was a fun morning.

This is me feeling really exhausted after running through the parking lot!

Beckham was very excited to go back inside where it was warm. He liked the sled the first time around the parking lot but then he became wary of it.

Notice McKayla doesn't even have her coat on anymore. Hey, at least I got her back out there to take the picture!

2009

2009-01-20T19:58:00.001-08:00

Well, this is my first official post of the New Year. I'm not keeping up very well. Actually, I am just starting to feel like my life is getting back in order after the last 6 months of bouncing from place to place. We have gotten rid of a lot of excess stuff and as a result actually fit in our apartment. I guess less really is more. I think the kids are starting to feel at home here as well. They are both sleeping better and that is a blessing better than all the money in the world. Lonnie is studying like crazy and working for one of his professors. I am babysitting in the afternoon in my own apartment to earn a little extra cash. I much prefer this to working at the gym. It's nice to get my laundry done and fix dinner while playing with a few extra kids. I don't feel so stressed out babysitting like I did at the gym. McKayla will be starting preschool next week and she is very excited . . . so am I! Beckham is his happy-go-lucky self, but I can sense he is quickly changing. He is discovering his agency and doesn't always listen to mommy any more. For example, he thinks it's fun to eat things out of the garbage and hide McKayla's binki. They make each other laugh constantly . . . especially at the dinner table while throwing food on the floor. I could give the karate kid a run for his money with my washcloth and my wax on and wax off cleaning up the mess. Oh, well. Gotta run for now. More to come soon!

A few pics from the delinquent blogger . . .

2008-12-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't written anything for several weeks . . . actually, I haven't written the entire time we've been in WA. It's difficult to get much screen time in this house. Oh, well. I thought I'd post a few pics for tonight. Hopefully, I'll get to Beckham's first birthday and Christmas in the next few days before we head back to Rexburg . . . brrr!

11-28-08 Kids sleeping in the back seat. They kept holding hands. It was so cute!

12-10-08 Beckham loves spaghetti!

12-6-08 Beckham was sleeping in the room where McKayla's coat was hanging so we improvised with my sweatshirt. It was just a tad too big!

12-4-08 McKayla celebrated getting earrings with a big fat chocolate sundae from Dairy Queen. She thought she was pretty hot stuff. Later that day she took one of the earrings out and I had to repierce it myself. Ew. She wasn't too happy about that either. Since then she's been good about keeping them in.

Flickr

2008-11-20T21:14:00.000-08:00

I just added a TON of pictures to our flickr account. Feel free to check 'em out at the link to the right. I think I've maxed out on the number of pictures I can add and I still have a bunch more. Oh, well. That'll give me something to do next month, right?

Proposition 8 - Marriage

2008-11-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

My thoughts about Prop 8 have been rolling around in my mind for several days now. I’m not the type of person who usually gets involved in this kind of issue. I’d rather sit on the sidelines and let the world go by. I’ve always been afraid of offending others or being labeled judgmental. I’ve been trying to get my thoughts about gay marriage written out as politically correct as possible, but I’ve finally decided to write this the way I actually feel about it. I apologize in advance to those who choose to be offended. With that said, I am glad that traditional marriage passed. I only wish it would have passed by a larger margin. For me, marriage was instituted by God and defined as a union between a man and a woman for the purpose of companionship and populating the earth. The need for companionship can be filled in a lot of different ways but creating life requires a male and a female. Not only that, sexual powers are God given and only to be used within the bonds of marriage. I realize that the majority of people don’t live that way, but God’s laws don’t change just because we don’t follow them. I say leave marriage alone; it’s sacred and not ours to change. I have many homosexual friends and they are some of the kindest, funniest and most loving people I know. It’s not my place to tell them how to live. I can love them without agreeing with their lifestyle. If they choose to fulfill their need for companionship with someone of their own sex, so be it. Give them the legal rights concerning insurance, taxes, death, etc. that they seek but don’t change the definition of marriage.

I see that our country is completely divided on this issue, but I would hope that people will cast their minds to the future. If gay marriage does pass someday, what comes next? Will we legalize threesomes, polygamy, incest, bestiality? With the door open to gay marriage, how could we then say no to these other types of unification? This thought leaves me feeling sick. We live in a society that would rather embrace immoral practices than stand up for what they believe to be true. People are so afraid of saying the wrong thing or being politically incorrect that they have lost the courage to stand up for what they believe in. Most people who live by moral principles are labeled as judgmental. However, the ability to make judgment is crucial to our well-being. We use our judgment every moment of our day as we choose what to eat, what to wear, who to associate with and all the other things we will or will not do. I am grateful to have judgment, to think, to reason, to act – to stand up for what I believe in. I’m tired of being labeled as hateful because I feel no hate. I just want to know that my right to believe in traditional marriage is protected. I don’t think my little letter will change the world, and I didn’t write it to start a fight. I just hope it makes people think.

Doggies and Goats

2008-11-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

Beckham is obsessed with the doggie bed. Basically, the doggie bed is a giant, stinky pillow that's covered in dog hair. Often after giving him a bath, he crawls to the pillow and rolls all over it . . .YUCK! Oh, well. No matter how many times I pull him off, he crawls right back. He is also very fond of sneaking into the laundry room to eat the dog food. Friday night we went to our ward Halloween party. Beckham decided he needed a little pre-party appetizer. No matter how cute this picture is . . . imagine the smell of fish. Ew.

10-24-08 Yummy
10-24-08 Rrroar!

McKayla's favorite thing to do in California is visit the neighbors goats. The first thing she says when she wakes up is, "Goats . . . outside?" Translated that's a request to go feed the goats. She could stand by the fence and feed them all day if I let her. She squeals with delight when they bleat, butt heads and put their hooves on the fence. Thankfully, the goats seem to love her as much as she loves them. As soon as a goat catches a glimpse of her, it starts bleating and runs across the field. That seems to signal all the others to stop whatever they are doing and join the race to get the first leaf. She giggles and laughs and slurs through her bink, "Goats . . . funny". I wish I could squeeze so much happiness out of something so simple.

10-20-08 Beckham, McKayla and Mama feeding the goats.

10-20-08 Daddy and McKayla feed "Lamby" the white goat.

10-20-08 Cute!

Ahhh!

2008-10-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

So, I just did an intense little work out to deal with some stress and then I did a cool down with a piece of cake and some blogging. I'm sure many of you can relate to this type of cool down. In my opinion the only reason to exercise is to justify dessert! I'm mostly kidding about that.

Any way, no need to delve into the stressors so let's talk about happier things. This past week I got a new calling (even though we'll only be here for another month) and I'll be helping with the Activity Day Girls. We are going to do an activity about journals. That should be fun and messy. No activity is complete without some glue, glitter and stickers! HA!

On Saturday we took the kids to Discovery Kingdom (formerly known as Marine World). I didn't take enough pictures which shouldn't surprise anyone but we had a lot of fun. Beckham fell in love with the penguins and McKayla got to feed a seal. We rode Thomas and ate really expensive, greasy food. Now that's the life. Lonnie was disappointed that we didn't get to ride any coasters, but I guess that gives us an excuse to go back in a few years.

10-25-08 The kids LOVED the penguins!

10-25-08 McKayla and Mommy ride on Harold.

10-25-08 Daddy and Bubs take a ride on Thomas the train.

Blessings in California

2008-10-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Well, as some of you know Lonnie and I intended to live in Washington while he's off track at BYU-I, but we ended up in California. We've talked a lot about why we're here now and there seem to be a lot of little blessings all around us. First of all, the blessing of work for Lonnie and for his step-dad. With a wedding coming up soon my in-laws needed contracts to pay for everything. It seems that just as we came to CA my father-in-law started getting more contracts than he knew what to do with. Secondly, there have been lots of opportunities to help family members here. We've gotten to know nieces and nephews better, help my sister-in-law move into a new house, be a shoulder to cry on, baby sit while my brother and sister-in-law work, work on projects around the house and even cut my brother-in-law's hair (btw . . . he's had dreds for the past 14 years and it took almost 5 hours of cutting and combing to leave him with a manageable hair cut). Another major blessing is that our kids haven't been sick once while we've been in transit. I wouldn't really be able to take them to a doctor here since our medicaid is for WA. Health is a huge blessing. Finally, last night I got to help a lady who needed some gas money and it just made me feel good. Like everyone, my testimony waivers at times and I wonder if I'm really on the right track. Then little miracles occur and they remind me that there is a purpose to life and the relationships we make. I started this post nearly a week ago . . . so much for having more time on Sundays.

Sunday

2008-10-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

So, I blog on Sundays because I think I have more time on Sundays. I'm not really sure that's true but so far it's working out. This week I finished weaning Beckham. He had his last feeding Wednesday night. Thursday night Lonnie put him to bed for me while I was out. Lonnie said he kept looking around the room for me but eventually gave up and went to sleep. The hardest night for us was Friday. He threw a big fit going to bed, and I felt sick to my stomach that I was the cause of all his frustration. Thankfully, I didn't give in to the temptation to save him from his agony with a little sip of milk. He cried a little while longer and then it happened - he went to sleep! It feels great to have my body and my wardrobe back. No more lifting up my shirt day and night. No more outfit restrictions due to lack of access to the motherly goods. Freedom never felt so good. Beckham has taken to the formula remarkably well. There were a few days he didn't drink too much but each day gets better and better.

Lonnie is a wonderful husband and father. On Thursday night he volunteered to watch the kids and put them to sleep so that I could go to a class all about digital scrapbooking and blogging. What more can a wife ask for? The class I went to was very interesting and there are two more coming up. I can't say I know any knew tricks because that would require me to go to our teacher's blog and do some reading. However, I thought I would post her blog for anyone who's interested in doing a little reading. My teacher's name is Ann Kerr and she just taught a class at BYU Education Week. She knows her stuff. www.digitalhotspot.blogspot.com

Here are a few more pics just for fun. Until next Sunday . . .

9-24-08 I love your bubble 'do!

9-26-08 Lonnie's 28th Birthday Poster. Pretty clever if I do say so myself!

9-27-08 We went to a huge birthday party and while the birthday boy opened his gifts, Beckham explored the bounce house and had a blast.

9-28-08 Don't worry Beckham . . . some day you'll be as cool as me.

10-5-08 Beckham loves to crawl!