The McClung Family

Valentine's Day...6 Month Check-Up

2012-02-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

I just love these two so much! They make me smile, laugh, and feel so loved! I love watching them grow and change. I love that they love each other which is so clearly evident when Weston laughs at and watches everything Macie does. I love hearing Macie sing to Weston, give him toys, and say things like "Awe brother, he's so cute."

I treasure the memories I have with my brothers from when we were little and as we grew up. I hope Macie and Weston have just as much fun together throughout life. I think they will.

I think Macie is like her momma...she loves LOVE! She is wearing her love shirt again. I seem to wash it and it is on the very next day... money well spent.

Happy Valentine's Day from our Prince Charming!

Macie's Valentine box for school. She loved her party! When she got home we looked at all her notes, candy, and gifts. She said, "We need to call my friends and thank them."

6 Months Old

Weston went to the doctor! He is a growing boy. He weighed 17.1lbs (38%) and was 29.3 inches (99%)! However, I kind of think the measurements of his height might be off a bit so I might try again to see if it is accurate. If it is, I have another tall one since Macie always seemed to be in the 90th percentile. He had to get more shots but didn't cry as much this time. Oh how it breaks my heart to see tears rolling down his face. Macie was a big help and sang him a song when he was crying. Again she stood on their step stool the entire time helping the nurse and the doctor. She only took a few pictures this time because she was more concerned about when she would get one of her Valentine suckers for being a good girl during the appointment.

Weston is sitting by himself but still falls over every now and then. He reaches constantly for anything he can. Yes, he did grab a pancake of Macie's before I realized it. I panicked and pulled it out of his mouth. He can almost roll over from his back to his belly. He just a little bit more to go. I keep watching and waiting. He is eating three food meals a day along with his milk. He seems to be sleeping fairly well. BUT that little guy has been waking up randomly over the last two weeks at 2, 6, 5, and then sometimes at his normal 7. I think he likes to keep me guessing. He also keeps letting me know that he is different that his sister who was very predictable. That's ok though...I think I will keep him!

So we had a little bit of snow the other day! Macie woke up, put on her warm clothing with her pajamas and kept saying, "I told you it would snow. This is great snow." After a bit she came in and then said, "I need to warm my toes by the fire." As I drove her to school and she saw the rooftops covered with snow she said, "We need a sled to slide down them. We can borrow Grammy's sled." Ok, so no sliding off roof tops but it would be great fun to go sledding. I hope we get a good snow really soon so that we can really play in it.

Family...

2012-02-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

Over and over again, I thank God for my family! Blessed beyond measure is how I feel!

A week ago today, Josh, Lyndsie, and Blake welcomed their newest family member. Blair Reece was born at 12:39PM. I actually stood outside the door and heard her first cry which made me cry. Wow, how precious and how tiny she is especially compared to her 6 month old cousin, Weston. We are excited to watch her grow and be a part of her life.

Grammy and Papaw came for a visit on Wednesday and Thursday. We were happy to see them since it has been too long since our last visit. Macie and Weston were excited to have them here! Weston is showing off his "Prince Charming" pjs from Grammy. Yes, he is that....he just smiles which melts your heart and makes you forget if you are having a bad day.

I try and I try to get Macie to just smile her pretty smile. She likes to make silly faces way too much but that is ok!

Zack and his dad are laying by the fire. I thought this was funny and sweet! We went to eat at this new restaurant called the HARD EIGHT. It recently opened and after all our talk of how good it is...we were a little disappointed. It is still a favorite but I think they need to work out all the little things so we will give them a while before we go back.

Macie is taking Rosy for a run. She ran back and forth...great exercise for both of them. Macie is also showing off her sweet Valentine from Grammy and Papaw!

Nonnie and Pappy came over for a little Valentine dinner. Zack got his BIG GREEN EGG and was eager to use it. We had homemade pizza Friday, chicken Saturday, and ribs on Sunday. Ribs are romantic and the perfect Valentine meal, right? Maice got a sweet dress up doll. She loves these things. As of now she has three and they are out in her room with all their different clothes all over.

Weston loved his book. When he saw the sack he was honestly kicking his legs and acting excited.

Macie had her first roasted marshmallows the night before Blair was born. We have talked about this and read about Curious George doing this so it was fun to finally roast marshmallows. She ate 5 or more!

Cuddle time.

I was excited that Macie and Blake got to spend Tuesday together while Lyndsie was still at the hospital with Blair. We had lunch under a tent, jumped on Nonnie's bed, made a Valentine puppet They had a great time; however, both had to go to time-out once. The only reason I say this is because when each was in time out at different times they clearly made it known to me that "bad choices" were made by the person in time out. They are great pals though so hugs were shared and they moved on to their next adventure.

Smiles

2012-02-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

Sitting Up

Macie favorite outfit that she wants to wear every single day.

I was playing with my camera so the boy in the distance is blurring which he is supposed to be. Anyway, this boy is our neighbor and is as sweet as can be. He was walking on the rocks behind our house and Macie put her hands over her mouth and said, "Be careful, Ethan." I thought she meant because he was on the rocks but then she continued, "Watch our for snakes."

As January Comes to an End

2012-01-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

We started food...PEAS! Weston devoured his peas so I was so excited to make greenbeans too! However, he doesn't like his greenbeans yet! Maybe with time. Weston has been eyeing our food for a good bit of time now and I guess that is why he was thrilled to finally taste something other than milk and cereal.

Macie and Weston spending a little time together. Macie insisted that she needed the boppy to hold him.

Looks like we have another THUMB in the mouth.

Macie in a matter of minutes mixed her "moon dough" with water! She told me she was making healthy soup. Macie was well entertained with her "cooking" but what a mess it made.

Sleeping with his monkey.

We had a very rainy Wednesday which turned out to be lots of fun! Macie always says she is doing "science" so I mixed a little water with vegetable oil and together we dropped food coloring into the container. The drops of coloring sit for a small amount of time in the oil and then disperses into the water.

So after "science," Macie played with the containers and water in the sink. She loves doing this but water goes everywhere too! I walked away for a few minutes and came back to the kitched to find her completely naked washing her body with handsoap.

Macie had Western Day at school. Even though she was brave riding the pony last week she didn't want to ride Rowdy, the horse at school.

It is so hard to believe it is January with some of the wonderful weather we have had. We have gone to the park about once a week and even had a picnic last week. I know the really cold weather will come at some point but this is nice! No complaints from us...it is nice being outside with the little ones.

Weston tried out a swing last week at the park and other day I had my camera so I got a picture. He loves swinging. He smiles the whole time. Macie enjoys pushing him in the swing too!

Since I had the camera out, Macie wanted to take a picture of us! She did a pretty good job! She loves her camera that Aunt Barbara got her for her birthday. She takes pictures all the time and will say, "Aww that's cute."

Weston and Colton...they are probably going to be good friends like Macie and Jacob. We had a play date and both babies were finally awake at the same time.

Here's a video of Weston talking. He has just started doing this. It is so sweet to hear!

Fort Worth Stockshow Video Clips

2012-01-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

Fort Worth Stock Show

2012-01-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time this past weekend at the Fort Worth Stock Show. Last year we were able to go and loved every minute and this year was equally good if not better! The weather was wonderful so that was an added bonus. Josh and Blake, Nonnie and Pappy, and my gang met up to go to the stock show. I am so glad we did! Macie loved wearing her hat and boots. She was very excited once we told her what we were going to be doing.

Thanks Nonnie for letting us step on you to see over the fence with our smelly shoes.

Most people are very friendly and will let you pet their animals. We were able to pet a cow, sheep, pig, and horse.

Macie and Blake were looking at the turkey in the kid area. This area had baby chickens, ducks, pigs, and a few other animals. They loved when he would gobble at them.

Weston has outgrown his boots but luckily he had some overalls to go along with the days' event. Weston liked looking around and seeing everything.

I think the baby chick pecked Blake's finger.

The baby chicks were a hit. Macie was sticking her finger through the fence and one chick pecked her. She hopped up really fast and then tears rolled down her fast. I think it scared and shocked her that he got her finger.

We went to the petting zoo and got there just in time. We only had a wait a few minutes but after we finished the line was really long. Macie loved feeding the animals.

You would think these animals get full quickly because they are fed all day long, but I guess they don't seem to mind.

Blake and Josh were very brave and allowed the goat to eat out of their hands.

Once the food ran out, Macie and Blake both tried to give the animals the wood chips on the ground.

Before the pony ride Macie said, "I need to wear my hat." Then she said, "I will be very brave." We told her that last year she only rode the pony for a few seconds.

Blake seemed to like his pony ride.

When the pony started walking she told her daddy, "I'm a little scared." I was very proud of her.

Tractor ride

Nonnie looks like she is saying, "Get me off of this thing." The bear ride was Macie and Blake's first carnival ride. They loved it.

Pappy sporting the purple hat....not bad!

I know my dad really enjoyed the stock show and would have enjoyed looking at more of the animals. We ran out of time with all there was to see and with 3 little ones.

The dragon roll coaster was really loud so I was surprised that Macie and Blake wanted to ride it. Zack and Macie are on the second cart and Josh and Blake are behind them. Before it started, Josh was practicing with Blake on holding his hands up. I think they both liked it but they sort of looked scared.

This was Macie and Blake's last ride for the day! They were both sad to see it end. Thanks to Nonnie and Pappy for buying the tickets. They had a grand time and really enjoyed their first experience on "big kid rides." What a wonderful day! Won't next year be fun. When I tucked Macie in bed I asked her if she had a great day. Her response, "Sure I did."

My Sweet Kids

2012-01-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hanging out on my cow
Macie got both her pig and Weston's cow out. Then she decided to start jumping from a chair onto both of them so I had to get Weston out of the way.

Belle in the Winter
The other night Zack asked Macie to do something and she said, "I am not Macie. I am Belle." So then we referred to her as Belle. Macie loves to put on her play clothes or "costumes" as she calls them. Oh and this is random but the paper towel roll with ribbon hanging on the door is Macie's telescope. I tried throwing it away the other day, she found it in the trash, and Macie said, "Hey, what is this doing in here?" When I get rid of some of her treasure I have to make sure she isn't watching or I have to empty the trash because she always seems to want them back.

Macie decided to "pick up trash" with her mittens. She said that you "have to pick garbage up with gloves always." So for about 30 minutes she went around the house and picked up toys. Her bag was completely full. At bedtime, her daddy asked her where her toothbrush was. The trash bag was emptied onto her floor and the problem was solved.

I am not sure why this silly girl wanted her coat, hat, and mittens on without other clothing but she did. When it was time to put clothes on for preschool she wasn't too excited. However, her teacher let her keep her mittens, hat, and gloves on when she got to the class.

Cinderella

Looking for Prince Charming

Weston-5 months old

2012-01-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Weston is now 5 months old. I find that so hard to believe. I held a newborn at church on Sunday and all I could think is this was us only a few short months ago. Then as I was trying to take a few pictures of Weston I thought why haven't I been trying to get a cowboy shot each month. What was I thinking?! Weston is now eating cereal twice a day-breakfast and dinner. He seems to need his food to keep him satisfied. I remember trying cereal with Macie and it was more for the fun of it instead of a need for it. Weston is sleeping around 12 hours at night and takes 3 naps a day. He isn't a huge napper or they seem so difficult. He usually cries going down and sometimes wakes halfway through it. The crying is so hard on me! I don't like hearing it. I wish he would just cuddle and doze off in my arms but he doesn't seem to really cuddle unless it is night time. Or I wish he would just doze off peacefully. All the books say babies sometimes cry going to sleep and this is true but I just don't want it to be my baby. Weston likes sleeping on his belly. The other day I walked in his room and he had turned on his back and was grinning as big as he could. That is one thing this little guy does: GRINS! He smiles all the time. He seems to be very happy and usually is only crying when really tired or hungry. His sister, Macie, does a great job of making him laugh and playing with him. He watches all she does! We just love Weston! He is the perfect fit to our family! I look forward to all the new things he will learn as he continues to grow! I just wish time would go a little slower....

His laugh is just so sweet and never gets old. (His clothes are only half on because I was changing his diaper when we discover the sneeze sound makes him laugh.)

Macie's 3rd Birthday

2012-01-08T13:02:00.001-08:00

My precious daughter turned three on December 31st. REALLY? 3!!! Wow, what a wonderful blessing Macie has been in our lives! It's so hard to believe that at one point I was just imagining what it would be like to hold my daughter in my arms and love her completely. Sweet Macie has just been so much fun to play with, talk to, and watch grow. As I lay in bed the night before her birthday I replayed her birth in my mind and sometimes throughout her actual birthday I would tell her what we were doing with her at that moment. I think she liked it and I loved remembering!

Birthday donuts
We went with a tutu, tiara, wand theme. She loves to pretend she is a ballerina or princess. I was glad she was able to have some friends come to her party since it was New Year's Eve. Also I am glad Blake and Jacob didn't mind the girl theme.

I was trying to keep everything a secret from her until after nap; however, Macie just wasn't in to taking a nap on her birthday. Finally she came out of her room right when I was about finished. Her words, "It's so pretty!" She was beside herself with excitement (so was I)!

The Birthday Girl

Sometimes I wonder what her little mind is thinking! Sometimes I wonder if she knows just how much she is loved!

Some of my favorite things about Macie:

When you ask her how much we love her she answers, "Way way more than you will ever know."

When you say you are sad she will give you a hug.

If you get hurt, she will give you a kiss and say she is sorry.

She ask what we are "thinking about." It's always fun to ask her in return.

She still cuddles up with me and twirls my hair.

She is just as excited to get Weston up in the morning and sing to him.

She likes girly things but she also doesn't mind getting dirty even though this leads to several changes of clothes.

She has a great imagination.

I love the way she says Momma.

I love reading books with her and having her retell me the story.

I love when she ask me to sing her song.

I love when she comes up with the most random reasons to get out of bed at night. One response, "Because, Because, Because." Oh and she always puts on her slippers before coming out.

I love when she says, "It's a great day!"

Let's get this party started.

Macie, Blake, and Ellie played chase and "tiger" in the backyard while waiting for the other kids to arrive. Notice Macie is holding on tightly to her balloon that Nonnie brought her....this would later turn into a tragedy when she let it go.

The girls were decorating their crowns with hearts, stars, and jewels. I got Blake and Jacob boy stickers so like kings they could have a crown too. Again thanks to Blake and Jacob for being great sports...they are her two favorite people.

"The Nada"
Macie was very excited to hit the pinata once she saw that we had one!

Blake gave it a good hit.

Lots of candy for everyone!

"Happy Birthday to you"

Macie tends to blow out of her mouth funny. It is hard to explain but she has always done it. Anyway, it took her several attempts to get these candles blown out so her daddy had to help.

I thought it was very fun to see how excited all the kids were about cake! Macie took a bite and then was ready to open presents.

Macie's ballerina jewelry box was a hit amongst the girls.

I was very excited to give Macie this fluffy mirror that I made. I think she will have fun with it when she plays dress-up.

Two of Macie's biggest fans

It was a gorgeous day for the birthday so after everyone had left we went outside to enjoy the evening. We kept telling Macie to hang on tightly to her balloon and then suddenly she let go. She cried like there was no tomorrow! So her daddy took her to get another balloon when picking up some dinner. I think Macie already knows how to melt her daddy's heart and get what she wants.

Christmas Celebration

2012-01-03T12:56:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year! We started off the holiday with a trip to Tyler! We had a fantastic time. The kids were so excited to open their presents and they did it with ease this year. They totally got it! Weston slept through presents but I could tell he was very excited about all the fun gifts he received from everyone. Macie loved her dress-up clothes and finally managed to talk Finley into dressing up as well. She told him he was the prince and asked if he wanted to dance with her. It was super sweet. Macie and Finley had a great time outside throwing leaves with Grammy! The parents had an added bonus because Grammy and Papaw watched all the grand kids while we went to lunch before we headed home! It was so enjoyable. There was only one embarrassing moment during Christmas but we will keep that between the parties involved. We left Tyler Christmas Eve, unloaded the car, and hopped back in the car to go to the Christmas Eve service. Macie was very excited to be in "Grown Up" church. She kept repeating what the preacher would say like "Jesus." Then he said something along the lines that Jesus wasn't born in a nice, clean hospital room or inn but basically in a "stinky barn." Macie in her NOT quiet voice repeated him. Good thing we were at the back. We didn't make it through the whole service because Weston got fussy and Macie needed to go to the bathroom. After taking her to potty, she told me she wanted to go to her church. So we headed home to get Santa's cookies ready and the carrots ready for the reindeer! I put Macie to bed and read her the Christmas story. Then she prayed, "Thank you, God for Jesus and Santa." I told her she had to stay in bed or he wouldn't come. She managed to only get up once. TOO bad Mrs. Claus forgot batteries but luckily 7-Eleven was close by to help complete Santa's mission! I was thrilled for Christmas morning to come. I woke up at 6 and just knew Macie would be in our room any minute but that little one decided to sleep til almost 7! It was so fun watching Christmas through her eyes! We had a wonderful Christmas Day with just the 4 of us! Then our friends from down the street came over for dinner! We enjoyed that as well! Finally we finished our Christmas celebration off when my parents returned from Germany! I know they had a wonderful time spending Christmas with my brother and his family! We enjoyed our time when they got back. Josh made some delicious sausage balls which he wouldn't share his secret! Macie and Blake loved unwrapping presents. They helped one another and helped Weston with his! We enjoyed Mexican food for lunch! It was a beautiful day so it was nice to spend a little time outside! That night somehow Josh started telling stories from college that he shouldn't be telling. One story led to another! There was lots of laughter and also some denial! This is probably one of my most favorite Christmas times (it would have been perfect if my Bub and fam were here)! I loved loved loved our time with just the 4 of us and our time with our family! As we put the tree back in the attic, Macie kept asking if Christmas was over. We had to tell her it was but that it would be back next year!

Snack time for everyone!

Jillian is a great cousin! She carried Weston around and took care of him!

Macie is showing off her hat and checking out her ballet shoes!

My Boys

Grammy played the fun game of throwing leaves! Macie and Finley had a blast outside. Even though it was sort of chilly, they worked up a good sweat.

Santa Babies

(Weston 4 months, Kylan 1 yrs old)

It always just makes me smile when I see Jackson with his little cousins. He is so good with them!

Cinderella on her way to the ball.

Macie decorated her tree in her room with the living room tree decorations. I just laughed when I saw it and then had to take a picture. Macie has loved getting ready for Christmas.

Getting Ready for Santa and his reindeer

Macie wrote Santa a note right before bed. Then when I tucked her in, read books, and said prayers Macie thanked God for Jesus and Santa.

Good 'ol Santa had time to respond to Macie's note. He told them how impressed he was with how good she and Weston had been. I think Macie was honestly more excited about the note than the presents. She kept going over to the note and looking at it. It looks like Santa was hungry and so were his reindeer.

Stockings from Santa
Normally Macie wakes up arond 6:30 every morning; however, she decided to sleep in. We kept waiting and waiting for her to come in our room. When she finally came in she was so silly and excited.

Macie was really sweet. She was just as excited about seeing what Santa left all of us!

Thank you, Santa, for the train.

Santa brought Macie a really neat dollhouse. She was super excited and so was I! She has asked for one for a while and then she switched it to a Barbie dollhouse...guess she saw a commercial; however, that wasn't on her letter to Santa.

The Burleson Christmas! We had a wonderful time with the family and we look forward to next year's Christmas when the whole gang will be together! We are also so thankful that my parents were able to spend over a week with Sheldon and his family! What a wonderful Christmas they got to have with all their grandbabies! Next year we will have 7 little ones under one roof!

I texted Lyndsie about the pjs I bought the kids and she had already bought them for Blake. So the kids were looking super cute matching!

We were able to get a picture out of Macie and Blake because we told them they could open presents afterwards.

Weston loved Christmas!

MEAN FACES

Blake helped Macie open presents and he helped her! It was fun to watch.

Weston sporting his walker!

Macie and Blake were helping Weston get a diaper change. I had said that he needed a diaper change so Macie started taking the diaper off. She said, "I'm a good big sister!"

HAPPY!

Santa Stops By

2011-12-21T08:57:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Christmas with the McClung family on Sunday. The McClungs' have a tradition that the kids can sing, play the piano, or perform if they choose. I tried to encourage Macie to sing but after seeing her cousin, Jillian, play on the piano she was itching to play. So Macie gave a good bang and everyone clapped. Then the doorbell rang. WHAT A SURPRISE....Santa came all the way from the North Pole to drop off a few gifts! I was thinking Macie would have nothing to do with Santa since she wasn't interested in Santa at Wal-Mart or the one at her school. BUT she liked this Santa...probably because he had gifts. Weston's name was the first called. He was sleeping so Macie went and got his present. Her name was second. She was all smiles as she went up to get her present. We told her the only way she got the present is if she sat on his lap. After she opened her lip gloss and eye shadow kit, Macie said, "This is all I wanted for Christmas!" Needless to say, she loves it! Thanks SANTA! We will see you in a few days....

Macie loves her first Santa present.

I am going to have to teach her that "LESS IS MORE!"

First Taste of Cereal

2011-12-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

So I wasn't planning on starting cereal for another month but after two nights of Weston waking up, we decided we need to go ahead and fill his belly up. Macie wasn't big on it and made silly faces. when we gave it to her for the first time. Weston devoured (well, maybe now devoured) the cereal and probably would have gone back for seconds. After he finished eating his cereal, I said that I was sad that he was eating. Macie got up from the table, gave me a hug, and said, "Don't be sad!" We have reached another milestone. I guess it is time for me to get back to making baby food. I hope he loves his veggies like his sissy did and still does.

He wanted to hold the spoon.

Mmmm GOOD!

Macie's Christmas Program

2011-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Macie had her first Christmas program at school today! What fun! The Busy Bees sang three songs. I didn't get a good video of the third song but Macie took a bow after it. I was actually a little nervous because I wasn't sure Weston would cooperate but he dozed off right when she started singing so he missed the whole thing. Anyway, I sat a little further back just in case I needed to leave (however, there were a ton of other little ones, strollers, and carseats everywhere). I could tell Macie kept looking for me. I could read her mouth, "Where is my momma?" She did a good job singing as did the little child in the Santa hat in front of her. I showed Macie the video and asked who her friend was. She said Jaxon. Last night I was getting her clothes ready for today. She said, "I need to get my clothes ready for the program." She picked her pink tutu.

Decorating Christmas Cookies

2011-12-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

Sunday we made Christmas cookies to decorate! Good thing Daddy has more patiences that this Momma! I was having trouble getting the dough off the counter but he came to the rescue. Macie loved cutting out the shapes. We had to watch her closely...she kept trying to taste the dough. My parents came over for decorating and dinner. It was a lot of fun! They got to experience my tripod! I knew they would be thrilled.

This was the best tripod shot..too bad mine and my dad's eyes are closed.

Weston was licking his lips! I have a feeling he will be trying yummy snacks sooner than his sister did. Macie and Daddy are hard at work.

The finished product! Let's eat!

Lots Of Christmas Pictures

2011-12-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Playing with Blocks

2011-12-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

Weston got a kick out of his blocks! I laughed just playing with him! What a fun little baby!

Weston-4 Months Old

2011-12-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

Weston is growing like a week. He now weighs 14.9 lbs (55%) and is 26 inches (85%)! Dr. Hunt gave him a thumbs up on his growth and he is mastering all he should at his age! She said we could go ahead and start food when we are ready but I will probably hold off for another month or so unless he seems to need it. (OH and I apologize for the big gaps between pictures. I erase the extra space and then when I post the spaces are back. It keeps messing up and I have messed with it already too long)

Weston liked wiggling on the paper and making lots of noise.

Macie is such a good big sister. She is taking care of her brother! She also mentioned when we got to the doctor's office that is she was a good girl they would give her a sucker.

So after I snapped the shots from above, Macie asked to take pictures. The following pictures are hers. She took a good 40 pictures of us, each of the animals on the wall, the door, the cabinets, the floor, and YES she took several of Dr. Hunt. As Dr. Hunt was talking to me Macie said, "Say cheese," and snapped a picture. I told the doctor not to worry...I wouldn't post them anywhere. The entire time she was checking on Weston Macie was snapping pictures. I just laughed and I was impressed with some of pictures.

Maybe we have another photographer in the family. (Pic by Macie)

"Say Cheese!" Macie said a million times. Then she would say, "Aww this is cute."

SHOTS HURT (pic by Macie)

"I love you more than anything in the whole wide world!" I tell him daily! What a wonderful little joy we have with our little fella!

Today Macie woke up, cuddled with me and then said, "I have to go take my chain off." She ran in and pulled one of the links of the Christmas countdown chain. She then said, "It's getting closer."

Another sweet thing Macie did/said today while we were playing outside was she ran up to me said I love you and then gave me a hug and a kiss! What a way to melt my heart!!!!

Indoor Picnic/Tripod in Action

2011-12-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of the Christmas pictures taken so far. I will post more later. I have taken bunches. I just love this time of year! I love walking into the living room and see the tree and the mantle decorated for Christmas!

I am 4 months old and headed in for shots tomorrow. Oh no!!

Another tripod shot! Yes, I am crazy! Macie wanted to have a picnic but since it was too cold outside we had it in the kitchen! What fun! We did have a little thief that tried to eat my lunch(Sebastian) and only one drink was spilled! Weston just had to watch and drool. No food for him yet but I think he was eyeing the strawberries.

Macie and I took several silly shots and had fun posing! I just love that we actually have a sweet smile on this one!

Working on a Christmas craft!

Macie loves to paint. She ended up getting it all over. She told me, "I am so dirty. I need a bath."

LAUGHING

2011-11-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

For some reason I couldn't get this video to load with the other Thanksgiving videos! HOW SWEET Weston's laugh is....music to my ears! I thought Macie was being a little rough but Weston didn't seem to mind....

Thanksgiving with Family

2011-11-29T13:30:00.001-08:00

Weston Reid McClung--Almost 4 months old

My PARENTS: I am so thankful for them!

Tackle the pregnant lady!

Sitting in Pappy's chair waiting for him to sit on them!

Uncle Josh is good at making Macie and Blake laugh!

Blake and Mickey

For some reason Mickey and Minnie are very popular. Macie and Blake have a debate on who gets who....we usually have to put them up and then no one gets one! They love them!

HMM...what are they thinking?
NO SHOES, NO SOCKS...it's November!

LOVE

Mr. Weston hanging out with Nonnie and Pappy

Both Macie and Blake were "FAKE CRYING!" They needed attention!

Had to put this one on the blog...silly faces! Pappy and Blake look the same!

Here's half of the crew!

My sweet boy!

Pappy: THE NEW CHAIR

We did it! Here's the whole gang!
I finally figured out how to use the time and take several pictures at a time. WATCH OUT FAMILY, I will be wanting to do this LOTS MORE!

The Grandkids
These pictures aren't easy. Macie decided to throw a fit when we tried to take the muffin she got for herself away. We gave in so she would take pictures. Mr. Finley is being camera shy!

Weston isn't so impressed with all the pictures!

Sweet bunch of kids!

Macie and Finley are always interested in Gracie, the cat! They love looking under the bed with all Papaw's flashlights! Grammy is a big help in helping find Gracie!

Macie and Finley played for a good 30 minutes withe the stacking blocks1

TALL TOWER

Thanksgiving Videos

2011-11-29T10:37:00.000-08:00

Thankful

2011-11-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is upon us so I have thought a lot about all I am thankful for over the last couple of weeks. In all the hustle and bustle of this time of year, I think it is so important to reflect on our many blessings. A couple of weeks ago I had an ugly looking mole removed from the back of my leg by my ankle. The doctor wanted to make sure they got it all so I had some additional skin removed. When all of this came about I wasn't originally worried. Then when the doctor called back and said we had to get more skin taken off the "what ifs" set in. All I could think is my babies need me. I need them! As I lay in bed one night, I thought of the verse, In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. So I thanked God that I got the spot checked out and it is ok. Then I just thanked him for my health and I know there is no point in worrying because God is in control. If I worry I feel like I am not putting my complete trust in him. The "what ifs" have still crept back in as they did when I was getting the procedure done but I just prayed. Above all I am THANKFUL that I know and follow God/Jesus! My human mind can't fully comprehend how big, powerful and how magnificent HE is. Be Still and Know that I am God. Psalms 46:10 Isn't that enough to be thankful for?!

THANKSGIVINGS:

Zack: Love is an amazing thing. Zack and I have almost been married 7 years. I think about how our love has grown, become stronger, and changed (in a good way)! I depend so much on him and appreciate all he does for my kids and me. One of my biggest dreams has been to stay home with my kids. Zack has helped that dream come true and I probably don't thank him enough for it. He works so hard and I appreciate that we are his top priority. I am so thankful we are sharing our lives together.
Macie and Weston: LOVE IS AMAZING (a repeat) but this kind of love is like no other. I always tell my friends that are becoming moms for the first time that it can't be explained until you are a mom. Wow, I love Macie and Weston! Each day with them is a blessing. I love talking to Macie, playing with her, and sharing in her huge imagination. I honestly could talk for hours about all the sweet things I love and am thankful for about Macie! The one thing that came to mind about what she says often is "Mom, it's a great day!" I love her happy heart and excitement for life! My sweet baby boy has captured my heart as well! I love his sweet smile and the way his eyes just seem to shine when I talk to him. I am thankful for "the moments" and there are so many of them. I think of all the things we do together and I say "these are my moments. God gave me these moments with them."

Dad and Mom: I am a family person or I tend to think of myself that way! I am so so thankful for my parents. "You will understand when you are a parent" or "This is hurting me more than it is you (when spanking)" are the phrases I now understand. I am thankful that my parents raised us in the very best way they could. I am thankful they taught values and morals. My mom is my best friend and we talk on the phone daily. What fun we have together! My dad is my DAD...he has always put all of us first. I am thankful for their love and support. What I am most thankful for is their love for my kids. That is enough!

Last Thanksgiving: We have added two and have another on the way!

My BROTHERS: Sheldon and Josh make me smile. I am so proud to be called their sister. I have always admired them. I loved our childhood because we had a lot of fun playing COPS, jets, and sometimes a little dress up. I love that our kids are the same age and will grow up playing together like we did with our cousins. We are probably going to have some wild gatherings but oh what fun/memories! I am thankful that both of my brothers' wives. I am thankful for their friendships.

MY IN-LAWS: I am so thankful for Paul and Janet. Like my parents they have been married 30 plus years and that alone is a great example! I am thankful that we get to enjoy our time with them when we see them. I also love watching them being such a great Grammy and Papaw! Again I am thankful they love our kids! That means more than anything.

The Rest of the FAM: I am so thankful for Matt and Lori, Chris and Amy, and their kids! What fun we have already had together watching our kids play. I love that we have Jackson and Jillian to be such great examples to Macie, Weston, Finley and Kylan! And I LOVE that Macie and Finley have such a sweet bond even though they don't get to see each other enough. I am thankful for each time we get to spend together even though it is not as often as I would like! I married into a GREAT family!

The kids have grown and we have added two to the bunch!

Fun Weekend

2011-11-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

Daddy took Macie to the Great Wolf Lodge on Friday while I stayed home with Weston. I had been sick for a good week and it was nice to rest on Friday. BUT I wanted to be there so badly. Zack said they had a blast with Josh and Blake. Macie loved the slide and the wave pool! I am so glad Macie got to spend the day with her Daddy! Oh, when we told her she was going she ran and got her swimsuit. She pretty much talked nonstop until she left the house. She didn't know exactly where she was going but she was thrilled to swim. Zack did say that when they saw a wolf at the Great Wolf Lodge she informed him that it was only a decoration!
Friday night our friend, WeiWei, went into labor! So we were lucky to have Jacob cover over and stay! He and Macie had a fun time. They had a great time in the bath! Jacob is rarely away from his mom so he had a hard time falling asleep but we were just glad that he was comfortable with us. Jacob's brother, Colton, was born around 10 that night. We went and saw him yesterday. I couldn't believe how big Weston looked compared to him. When I held Colton, I just kept thinking that this was only Weston 3 months ago.

My happy baby stayed the night at Nonnie and Pappy's while we went to a party on Saturday night. I had major anxiety about leaving my kids....not because they were at my parents' because they have a wonderful time there. I just get a fear of the what ifs when driving at night. I know this is silly...PRAY is what I must do when I get all worked up! Anyway, Weston had a great time watching Macie and Blake play and he went to sleep perfectly!

Josh and Weston
Josh better start practicing holding babies again because his daughter will be here soon!

We were fixing to go see our friends, Kelley and Jonas. Jonas turned 30 so it was fun to celebrate! I found it very interesting that almost all of us at the party have one to two kids and I noticed most of us started getting the tired look a little earlier than we would have before kids!!

GREAT WOLF LODGE

Nonnie Making Weston laugh!

This is one happy boy! Macie was a little bit more serious but Weston will laugh when you tickle him. It is just precious!

Macie and Blake Getting Married!

First of November

2011-11-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

We lit a fire to take the chill of the house! Macie loved it.
13 weeks

Weston is just growing so fast. He has recently dropped his 9:30 feeding which is just crazy to me because time flies! He now goes to bed for the night around 7:30 and wakes up around 7:30! Sleeping must run in both Macie and Weston's genes because he is sleeping like Macie did when she was a baby! Weston hasn't rolled over yet. We keep working on that tummy time but it usually leads to major spit up.

I know that I sure have loved my time with Macie and Weston. I still haven't gone back to the gym yet and now that he is old enough I can. With sickness, feedings, and all I am going to have to see how I can manage it eventually! It often seems easier to just stay at the house instead of getting out to run errands or go to the gym. Luckily it has cooled off and I have been able to run on the treadmill in the garage.

Macie's hair is either in pigtails or in her face. We are trying to grow her bangs out which is a long process. I like to keep her bangs out of her face; however, she is pulling and tugging on her rubber bands constantly. Maybe I should just trim them and keep bangs for now....what to do...

Here's my happy little fella!

This little brother loves his Macie. When she talks to him or is playing beside him he just watches her and smiles!

Sebastian and Weston get along just fine. We have to watch Sebastian like crazy because he tries to lick Weston just like he did Macie. Weston smiles now when Sebastian gets close to him.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day and evening for Trick-or-Treating! The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful time. Halloween afternoon Macie and I made a spider and played outside. As we were playing I told her that we would trick-or-treat as soon as it got dark. She said, "I am just going to sit out here and wait." We started the night off with all the neighborhood kids but they were a little too fast for Macie to keep up with. It worked out because once we got to the street one over from ours we were amazed at the amount of children trick-or-treating! Macie hit up about two or three streets of houses. She was very good at saying, "Trick-or-Treat." She also kept saying that she had to watch out for ghost. Who knows why she said it. Zack and I kept reminding her that ghost were just pretend. It was so much fun to see all the different costumes. I also liked seeing all the people out in their driveways passing out candy. Several people were having cook-outs and just hanging out together and what a perfect night for it! After about an hour, Macie sat down in someone's driveway and decided she needed to eat some candy that she had worked so hard to get. Then she said, "I'm tired of walking." So I picked her up and carried her home. As soon as we were home her words were, "I want to go trick-or-treating." We unloaded her candy and inspected it. I was pretty impressed with all her candy. Bedtime was a little rough because she didn't want to take her dress off. We got it off finally with the promise that she could put it on first thing in the morning (which she did put on as soon as we got back from Target and then it was a battle getting it off for naptime! She danced around and wanted me to help Weston dance with her.) Macie loves dressing up in her princess dress. Oh and when I first gave it to her she put it on and twirled around for a long time and smiled at herself in the mirror...ALL GIRL!!!

Focused on gluing!
Macie and I worked on a spooky spider after nap time! We were trying to get in all our Halloween crafts. I love that Macie and I are able to do things like this together! It is fun for me to watch her having fun doing these little things. Macie is also preparing for Halloween night festivities with curlers in her hair.

Showing off her spider

It's almost time!

Macie's first house to trick-or-treat at was one of our new neighbors! We are excited because she is also expecting a baby this spring. We will have lots babies on the block once our other neighbor, WeiWei, has Colton in a few weeks. One thing I love about our street we live on is there are lots of kids and everyone is outside playing all the time. We are all out once or twice a week together which is just something that a lot of people miss out on because they don't know their neighbors.

Puppy for Sale!

NO WAY! Just kidding! He is mine! Weston was dressed for bed and sporting his puppy swaddle blanket that he got from his Aunt Lyndsie and Uncle Josh when he was born.

Neighborhood girls!

Here's a picture of most of the neighborhood kids from our street and the street behind us. I should point out that the girls are in sweet princess type dresses and the boys are all scary and in black!

Trick or Treat!

Macie has the hang of trick-or-treating!

Even with Daddy beside her, Macie took a long time to get the nerve to get candy from the scary witch. We kept reminding Macie that all of the people were in costume and that the Halloween decorations were just decorations!

It's tough trick-or-treating. This puppy is worn out.

Macie's friend stopped by for a little more candy.

Macie and Daddy checking out the stash of candy. Macie's bag was weighing her down as we went from house to house so we had to empty it into the stroller basket. Daddy let her have one piece of candy before bed. As she was eating it she said, "Princesses like chocolate."

Trunk or Treat

2011-11-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Macie ate breakfast to the light of her Jack-o-Lantern! She liked it! She was up bright and early (5:45) ready for this big day! Her hair was rolled...the price you pay when you are dressing up as a princess. She actually sat still and didn't take a single roller out that morning because she was so excited!

Macie is dressed and ready to go to preschool.

Here is one of many "SCARY" and "SPOOKY" pictures I took of Macie. After each picture she would look at herself and laugh.

Waiting on Sister's Trunk or Treat

Macie's class
I was waiting outside Macie's room to go with her to Trunk or Treat. When she saw me she was so excited! It may my heart smile!

There were about 8 cars decorated for the kids to stop by and get candy.

"The Busy Bess"-Macie's class and two teachers.

I would say jumping in the bounce house was Macie's favorite thing to do. She jumped the entire time while some of her classmates got tired of it and sat on the grass to watch. Oops...Macie is showing a little too much skin!

Carving a Pumpkin with Daddy

2011-10-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Macie and Daddy carved a pumpkin together. I heard them in the kitchen talking and discovered that they took Macie's painted pumpkin from school and got to work on the jack-o-lantern Macie said his mouth was scary. This morning during breakfast I left the lights off and she ate to the glow of her jack-o-lantern.

Daddy told Macie he was getting the "guts outs." I am not to sure I like those words but oh well.

Daddy doing the work! Macie supervising!
The Finished Jack-O-Lantern

Macie and Daddy went into the dark garage to see the Jack-O-Lantern all lit up. Macie obviously was impressed!

Hotdog Mummies

I made the mistake of saying the mummy got hurt and Macie wasn't too impressed on eating him at first since he was hurt.

Halloween with Blake

2011-10-30T12:42:00.001-07:00

Macie and Blake spent Saturday together for a little Halloween celebration. They aren't getting to trick-or-treat together this year since Halloween falls on a Monday night. That's ok though because they are started off on the right foot with the candy the received this week at the Candler Gardens in Weatherford. We took them Saturday morning to a beautiful garden where several high school students were dressed up and handing out candy. I honestly think Macie and Blake like running around, feeding the fish, seeing the water falls, and crossing the bridges better than the candy. They had a blast and the weather was beautiful! OH and the one thing that made me sad was that everytime Macie would see a little girl dressed up as some type of princess she would say that she wanted a costume. Her cheerleading outfit wasn't a costume to her. So when we got home she said, "I am ready for my costume now." I pulled out on of her dress-up dresses that she was going to get for her birthday. She was on cloud nine with her tiarra, dress, and wand. She kept smiling at herself in the mirror...those pictures will come later after we trick-or-treat because she is going to wear it for that.

Jack-o-Lantern flashlights!

"TRICK-or-TREAT"

COWBOY FOOTBALL PLAYER and his CHEERLEADER

Posing by a pond...Blake remember not to get too close this time as he reminded us that he fell in the last time he and Macie were together feeding the fish.

"SPOOKY!"
Macie has run around all week jumping out and saying, "BOO!" or "Spooky!"

Macie and Blake did a great job playing the games. They got candy and prizes everytime! Why toss the rings when you can walk right up and put them on?!

Macie wasn't big on the cotton candy for some reason!

We have our candy. Let's go home!

Grammy and Papaw Came for a Visit

2011-10-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Macie and Weston were glad to see Grammy and Papaw this past week. Papaw hadn't seen Weston since he was about 5 weeks old. Weston has grown so much since then. I can't believe he is 12 weeks old today. Anyway, I just love this picture...we got a smile out of Weston and Macie isn't doing her silly face smile that she has recently gotten very good at!
Macie sat with Papaw for just a minute before she headed out the door for preschool. I am so glad she is going to her little preschool. We passed it the other day driving and Macie said, "There's the Met. I go preschool there."

Here's my sweet boy! Poor little Weston has caught Macie's cold from last week and now is coughing himself. I hope he has a speedy recovery. There is nothing fun about having sick children.

"My Pooping PJ's"

So these are some super cute pajamas that Weston's Aunt Amy brought him. However, everytime he has had them on he has a BLOWOUT! So I guess that is good to know for future use if he has trouble in that area...I will just put these jammies on and the problem will be solved.

Lots of Pictures

2011-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Macie loves tiaras, wands, tutus, shoes, and any kind of dress-up item!
Blake

Macie and Blake were redecorating Nonnie's pumpkins!

More redecorating! They couldn't resist.

Love this picture of Blake!

Nonnie had pumpkin cookies for Macie and Blake to decorate!

Obviously the pumpkin cookies tasted pretty good.

Macie picked out her shoes for school. I let her wear them even though they were too small.

Looks good in red!

I bought this little pajama set before Weston was born! I think he looks so cute.

Macie just loves her little brother. She is always kissing on him and helping him "BOUNCE" a little too much in the bouncy seat.

I could just eat him up.

Macie going to her new preschool at the Met which she calls the "Mit." Macie repeats it over and over trying to make it sound right. She is sporting a band-aid. I wonder if this will be the new trend. I am so glad she is at this new preschool. I think it is just what she needs. She has enjoyed going so far and I have enjoyed seeing her crafts she makes. I also loved picking her up the other day and hearing her teachers say that she is such a sweet little girl.

"Being by you is what I really like!"

Tyler Weekend

2011-10-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time visiting Grammy's house two weekend ago. Papaw was in Cuba so we were sad to miss him but glad that all the cousins could finally get together. Jackson and Jillian finally got to meet Weston. I am so thankful Macie and Weston have great cousins to look up to. One thing I know is packing is a lot of work: How many diapers? Do I have enough changes of clothing for the blowouts? What if it is cool? Did I bring my make-up? We got there and had more than enough and I did bring my make-up even though I thought I forgot it.

Jillian is a pro at helping take care of these little cousins!

Finley and Macie love playing together

At the Rose Garden....good thing neither of them fell in even tough I thought it was a possibility.

Kylan and Jackson

Jackson just has a special quality that all the little cousins just love. They are drawn to him!

Dallas Arboretum

2011-10-17T10:06:00.001-07:00

We went to the Dallas Arboretum about two weeks ago. What a wonderful time! We got there around 10 that morning which was perfect. The weather was nice and it wasn't too crowded. I was very excited for Macie to see the pumpkins and this year there was a Cinderalla theme. Not to my surprise, Macie absolutely loved the princess carriage. She would get in it with joy on her face, have to hop down to let other girls have turns, and would get in line to do it again. I just loved it! Weston was a champ. He had a bottle and then let me get a few pictures. We had a picnic lunch and got ready to head out which was a good thing because by noon it was packed with tons of kids and it had warmed up. It seemed some kids came on field trips. I love the arboretum. I love all the pumpkins and the flowers. It is such a beautiful place. I already look forward to our return next year.

9 Weeks Old

At the entrance of the arboretum is a grassy patch with pumpkins. I am not sure we were supposed to be on the grass but I couldn't resist since Weston didn't like the hard ground where the pumpkin patch was. By this point he had fallen asleep. It was perfect. People would comment on our sweet little Weston sleeping.

Macie and Daddy

Not to comfy but it looks like we got a smile out of Weston.

Where did the squirrels go?

One of my favorites....

Macie loves Cinderella and princess stuff.

2 Month Check-Up

2011-10-11T10:37:00.001-07:00

Today we had Weston's 2 month check-up with Dr. Hunt! He did a great job! Weston weighed 12.3 lbs (63 %) and is 23 3/4 inches long(76%). He is doing perfectly. Dr. Hunt was very happy to know that he has been sleeping through the night. Weston eats around 9:30 and sleeps until 5. When I get him at 5 to eat he doesn't really eat though and dozes back off after about 10 minutes. I need to just see if a pacifier will hold him over. He is pretty consistent on waking around this time. We did have one morning that he slept until 7. I am sure before long that will be his new wake time. I look forward to that. It is hard to believe we are at the 2 month mark. What joy Weston has brought to my life. I love when he smiles and "talks" in the morning. He is a very easy baby like his Big Sis was.

9 Weeks Old

I finally put Weston in his bed in his room last night to sleep! He has been sleeping in the guest room right by our room. He is getting a little too big for his bassinet that Aunt Lyndsie let us borrow. Plus, he needs to get used to being in his bed in his room. I tried not to think that he was that far away! He did great and I did too!

Macie liked sitting on the table with Weston. She kept pretending like she was checking his heart.

Weston fell asleep waiting for the doctor. Little did he know that he was about to cry in pain. Good thing the pain is short and he won't remember it. So as he is getting his shots Macie is telling me to count to three and to find her. She was hiding underneath the bench. AND I thought it was really going to bother her that Weston would be crying during his shots. As we drove to the appointment, I kept telling her over and over that he was getting shots to stay healthy but his screaming didn't interrupt her hide and seek game.

Treats to keep her quiet for a few minutes. There is only so much you can do as you wait to see the doctor and then wait again for the nurse to come in with the shots.

The Musician

2011-10-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went over to Brandon and Amanda's new house (Zack's cousin)! We had such a good time. They have a daughter, Addison, who is about 10 days older than Weston. It was a little late so the 2nd cousins didn't really get to play. They just slept. Macie enjoyed playing with some of Addison's dolls and then she discovered the piano. Her daddy tried to teach her Mary Had a Little Lamb. I wonder if someday Macie will be interested in playing the piano. I played for a couple of years when I was in elementary school. I sure wish I would have stuck with it! What a wonderful talent!

Fall

2011-09-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

It is officially fall! Fall is my mother's favorite time of year and it is quickly becoming mine! I love that it is cooling down and I love seeing all the pumpkins! Another plus to this time of year is hearing the band practice at the near by high school. It makes me think back to being in high school, cheerleading, and Friday night football in Friona! What wonderful memories!

Weston is 7 weeks old and beginning to smile more and more! I am finally catching his first smiles on camera! Wow, what a precious little baby boy I have! He is still eating great and sleeping great! His head control is getting stronger but he isn't a fan of tummy time. He usually ends up with spit up all over and who likes that. He just makes me smile!

We went to Wal-Mart yesterday to get groceries and I couldn't resist the pumpkins. I decided our craft for the day would be to decorate pumpkins. Macie picked hers out and I tried to get a little bit small pumpkin for Weston. I was afraid the pile of them would tumble down on us because Macie kept going for the ones that were buried below others.

Getting Ready to Decorate!
I told Macie she could sit on the table by Weston. She questioned me twice because she knows that she isn't supposed to do that. In fact, she told her Nonnie the other day that her daddy got in trouble for sitting on the coffee table.

Hard at Work...so I shouldn't have used washable markers but they are the best thing when I know that markers will wind up on Macie's hands. Just look below....

So I left for about 3 minutes to put Weston down for a nap. He couldn't take anymore of the excitement of decorating. I knew I shouldn't leave her unsupervised...but hey, what is a few minutes? When I walked in this is what I saw. So I grabbed the camera!

Black lips! Black Teeth!

CRAFT TIME IS OVER!

AGAIN THIS IS WHY I USE WASHABLE MARKERS! Luckily, the marker washed right off her skin, teeth, and clothes!

Another Update

2011-09-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday we finally made it to church and then we had lunch at a restaurant that we really like. Before we walked in Macie spotted the fountain. I told her we could look at it afterwards and take a picture by it. Lunch wasn't very successful with her and she almost fell off the potty because she was leaning over...so that led to tears. As we walked out her words were, "I'm all better," because she spotted the fountain. Her hair is wild and crazy as it often is because she takes her ponytail holders out when she is sucking her thumb. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY...I am hoping that thumb sucking will stop soon and then maybe her hair will stay fixed too! BUT HERE WE ARE A FAMILY of FOUR! I love it!

We went to our friends' house the other night. They have two girls so that means TONS of dress up clothes. Every time I saw Macie she was in a different dress. She loved playing over there. She told me yesterday that she needed a "tiara!" She is loving to dress up now! I love that she loves it!

Ready for church

Showing off Fuzzy, the caterpillar. I let him come in the house a while to cool off. However, Fuzzy is no longer with us. I guess he didn't get the right kind of food and he also got flooded by the rain the other night.

Fuzzy is in there somewhere with all his food that Macie got him. When we went outside this morning, Macie asked where Fuzzy was. Before I replied (I was trying to decide whether to say he ran away or died) she said he was in Heaven and that we needed to look for another caterpillar. THAT was easy. I guess her daddy told her he didn't survive!

Big Yawn! Being a baby is tough sometimes!

Sweet Dreams

2011-09-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is watch my children sleep. Macie and Weston look so peaceful and perfect as most little ones probably do when they sleep. The last feeding of the day at around 9:30 has become one of my favorites of the day. Throughout the day, I am playing, reading books, watching Mickey, or sitting with Macie as I feed Weston so we are all three getting to spend time together. However, at night I usually pump and then give Weston a bottle as Zack and I watch TV in bed and talk. It just seems so cozy and it is our special time with our son...just devoted completely to him. As he lay there sleeping and eating, he just looks so perfect! Zack and I talk about how sweet and handsome Weston looks. I just love it! I burp him, cuddle/snuggle, and whisper that I love him! Then it is off to dreamland until about 3:30 when he wakes again. As I peek in on Macie sleeping or watch Weston sleeping, I just thank God that he has given me my sweet children, I pray for them, and I pray that I am a good Mommy. It is such an important job and I am so glad I get to do it!

I was getting his blanket ready to swaddle him and he drifted off before I had it ready! THEN I CAUGHT A SMILE!!! Loved it!

6 weeks old

Macie is taking a nap with three of her babies. I got Macie's baby clothes out to give to Lyndsie for her sweet daughter that will be arriving in February. I saved a few things for Macie to dress her dolls up with and now she thinks her babies are brand new because of the new clothes. When giving her clothes to Lyndsie I was super excited because it will be fun to see someone else wear the sweet outfits but I also had a hard time parting with them because I just think back to me dressing my sweet baby girl in them and LOVING it! Let's face it, I still love dressing Macie...girl clothes are so fun! Anyway, each morning when Macie wakes up, we cuddle and talk. I ask her if she had sweet dreams and what she dreamed about. Her response is always the same, "Spring." (I don't know where her response comes from other than a book we have read about a rabbit going through the seasons and then dreaming of spring.) Oh she makes me smile!

Caterpillar

2011-09-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

This morning while I was feeding Weston Macie opened the back door for Kirby to go potty. Macie said, "Mom, I touched it." I immediately thought back to when she picked up the snake in the front yard so I asked what she touched. Luckily, it was a Caterpillar. Then I took a look at it and thought it just looked too big to touch so I told her she needed to wait until Daddy got home to touch it again. We scooped it up in a bowl and she has checked on it the entire day. She put soil in the bowl from her garden and then watered it with the hose...hopefully she didn't drown it. Macie wanted to take it in the house. I told her caterpillars don't go in the house. She then said that it could take a bath and she would "wash it with her Dora soap." I grabbed the camera and tried to get her to tell us again but she didn't. I have no idea why she would want to touch this creature or any insect or bug...I try not to act like I don't like bugs and all God's creature and must be doing a good job because she still wants to poke at and touch creatures when she sees them.

5 Weeks

2011-09-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

My Little Cowboy
Weston is five weeks old. What a great little baby boy we have! Today he slept until 7:15 which was fun. He is waking up about once a night around 2 to 2:30. I have been getting him up when he starts waking up around 6:30 because his nose always sounds so stopped up and I can't stand it. However, today I let him wake up completely on his own. I sure do wish though that this stuffy nose would go away. I called the nurse because he has had it since he was two weeks and she said it is to be expected since babies don't have nose hairs. Weston has grown a ton. He is out of his newborn clothes and diapers. It looks like he has a double chin now too.

Dressing Up and Sporting a Band-Aid

Macie has wanted a band-aid on her knee for a while now even though she isn't hurt. She says that she is but there is nothing there. Do we have a drama queen?

We got Macie's Minnie costume out the other day because she was playing dress-up. It is a little small but she loved wearing it. I had to pretend like I was Mickey. When we called Daddy on the phone she asked him if he wanted to be Elmo when he got home from work.

She is wearing her Minnie again today! Thank goodness it washes...I wasn't so sure that it would since it said to spot clean.

Macie Minnie and Minnie Mouse Napping

My Two Little Monkeys

Bath Time for Weston

BATH TIME FOR MACIE????

Yes, after I took Weston out of the bath she took her clothes off and climbed in! Zack and I kept telling her she was too big but then we just need to pick our battles and she was so happy!

As I watch Weston grow and looking at this picture, I remember Macie being tiny enough to fit in the tub and it only seems like yesterday! When we had Macie we were learning so much and having to figure out all there is to know about babies. With Weston I have found that some things are a lot easier. I am really trying to enjoy all the "precious moments" with my sweet baby boy and his big sis.

Miss Macie moved a box of diapers in front of Weston's bed and climbed in. She is fake sleeping. I have to keep reminding her that she is not supposed to go in his room when he is sleeping or get in his bed without permission. If Macie barely hears him cry, she yells, "He's awake!" Then she is off to take care of him.

Tummy Time with Macie's animals.

"Get your hands up!"

So I dozed off one morning for only a few minutes while feeding Weston and when I woke up I realized Macie had entertained herself by putting stickers all over her, the coffee table, and the chair. (And NO she is naked...she has her panties on.)

Sip and See

2011-09-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my sweet friends (Kelley and Jamie) and sweet sis-in-laws (Lyndsie and Amy) hosted a Sip and See for friends and family to come meet Weston! It was such a wonderful time. It was so fun to have friends and family all here spending time with my family! I enjoyed every single minute of it. The food was great too and the decorations were cute! (I am sad though because I didn't get a cute pic of all the fun treats and western decor)! Weston was welcomed and spoiled with lots of fun gifts! So I want to give a big thanks to all who visited and to my hostesses! You made my day!

Brother-in-Laws...did they plan on dressing alike?
Right before everyone arrived, Macie had to GO and I mean GO!!! I peeked in on her because the door was shut since she "NEEDS her PRIVACY." She had her legs propped up on her stool. I don't mind as long as business is taken care of!

We had a house full of friends and cousins! Macie is surrounded by boys! The best thing about all the little ones is they played great. I don't think a single little one cried or got upset during the two hour come and go party. This is only a small few of the kids that stopped by!

The Griggs' and the McClungs'
(Blakely was with her grandmother)

Jonas and Kelley are some of our dearest friends even though we don't see them as much as we would like to since we don't live as close as we used to.

Macie and Blake rolling in the grass. Macie may have lots of boy cousins but I am sure thankful she has such a special bond with Blake.

Nana with her great-grandchild.

The kids were so anxious to open all the presents. Hopefully I wrote the correct thank you cards to the gift gives. Tissue paper was a flyin'!

I like this picture. It makes me happy thinking that they are smiling at Weston.

GIFTS!!!!

Lots of fun boy things...which is a good thing because our house has been filled with PINK.

Addison and Weston were born only about a week a part. I think these second cousins will have fun getting to know each other. I am glad Brandon, Amanda, and Addison just moved this way.
Weston and Kylan

Here are two boys that could cause some serious mischief someday.

WE sure did love having Finley and Kylan spend the night. Macie and Finley played for hours and hours. They enjoyed their time together and I love knowing that they love each other too. Macie is always asking to go to Austin to see Finley. I wish we could see them more often because Macie and Finley sure do enjoy it. It is great having cousins so close in age. THAT IS KYLAN under that duck hat and FINLEY is being the photographer. That $3 camera has been a hit with Macie and all her friends.

Grammy with four of her six grandchildren.

LOVE IT!

A Couple of First

2011-08-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sweet Little Feet

I didn't even ask Macie to hold Weston's hand. I love that she kisses Weston and ask to hold him everyday!

Weston is now almost 4 weeks old and trying to stay caught up on the blog and chores is harder than I thought it would be but then those things aren't as important as spending time with Macie and Weston. I am trying to let go of some of my obsessive habits because the sweet newborn stage will pass way too fast.

FIRST BATH

Macie preparing Weston's first bath in his tub! Macie is always so enthusiastic about helping.

Weston loved his first bath. He didn't cry at all!

We put Weston in this towel because it was Macie's. I was thinking we could have similar pictures in our bathroom. Macie always goes to this picture in her bathroom and shows us that she was a tiny baby.

Warm and Cozy

These two pictures were out of order but I am leaving it...just wanted to get the blog updated.

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

Macie started preschool last week. She will be going two days a week. I know she will love the interaction with other children her age. I am very impressed with her teacher. She seems very organized and she just has that "teacher look" which usually means she is great at what she does.

Zack stayed home with us last Tuesday so he could help with taking Macie to preschool and Weston to the doctor. I think he was secretly afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle dropping Macie off...all the emotion. He had some anxiety about taking Macie which made me feel better. Anyway, we took her to her school and she put her backpack up. She immediately started playing. I couldn't tell her good-bye though because the tears started flowing and probably didn't stop for a good five minutes. The day flew by because we had to take Weston in for his two week check-up which went great...gained all his weight back and then some. Zack and I had lunch and then it was time to go back and get Macie. She looked exhausted but had a great time. She will have to get used to her new schedule. Her teacher said she didn't cry like some of the other children and that she was very busy looking around at everything in the room.

Momma and Macie before I cried like a baby.

Thank Goodness for Daddy! He was such a big help!

I couldn't get Macie to put on her backpack or carry her lunch box but by the second day she was ready to take her things herself.

I am trying to get all his little newborn outfits on him before he outgrows them. The only problem is Weston sweats a lot so he is often in onesies!

LOVE

Becoming a big sister has made Macie grow up and now preschool has made her grow up even more. She has said some cute things lately..."Kirby is cranky." "My starfish is huge." She said "Weston Reid" and "Little Fella."

My Family! Wow, I am blessed!

Macie and Weston hanging out...I am so glad Macie was in the picture taking mood! I had so much fun taking them. Weston doesn't even know what is in store yet with his crazy picture taking momma!

Weston-A Few Days Old

2011-08-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Weston after we got home from the hospital. He was 4 days old! We sure do love him. Mom and I did a little photo shoot. I took a million pictures. So many are similar but since I love him so much I LOVE every picture. Zack thinks I need to control myself when it comes to buying pictures. I buy them ALL!!! I did the same thing with Macie's pictures when she was born....well, every time I buy pictures I go just a little overboard! I just know that when Macie and Weston get older they will love looking at their memories. I know that I love going through old photo albums! WHAT FUN!

Hopefully I will have a few more updates in a couple of days....time flies throughout the day! My goal was to at least get a few pictures up today. I sure do love my two sweet little ones! I love being home with them! I love being a MOM!! I am blessed!

Weston Reid McClung---August 7, 2011

2011-08-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Weston Reid McClung was born on August 7, 2011 weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. It all started Sunday morning when I thought my water may have started to break but I kept waiting to see if it would happen again so that led to a totally different labor than I had with Macie. Once it happened, we call both sets of grandparents to be on alert, cleaned house, ate lunch at Chipotle, and headed to Target so I could use my good diaper coupons. While all this was going on I had minor cramps but didn't think they hurt or were long enough to be major contractions. However, I had a big one in Target and realized this was definitely "IT!" I called both sets of grandparents and said to come our way and then called Zack because he was in the toy section with Macie. He was in more of a panic than I was. I kept telling him we had plenty of time...I even went back to get the correct type of diapers because I had gotten the wrong ones. On the way home, I called the nurse and started watching the clock. I told the nurse that my water had started to leak around 9:30 a.m. and she said, "Take a shower if you need to and we normally have you come in when contractions are 5 minutes a part but since your water has broken we need to check to see if you are in labor. "Well, my contractions were at 4 minutes but still not lasting longer than 30 seconds. I was a little nervous but still thought we had plenty of time. Good thing I didn't take a shower. Zack had the car running as my parents got there. My dad stayed with Macie while waiting for Josh, Lyndsie, and Blake to arrive (thanks to them for taking care of Macie). Mom went with us and was helping time contractions. Zack said it was the longest 20 minutes to get to the hospital. We arrived and when I got there I was 5cm dilated and my water broke completely. This was at about 2:30 in the afternoon. Boy was I in labor now! The contractions were super strong and getting closer together. The nurse said she would order the epidural and I made the remark as we heard someone screaming down the hallway, "That is why you get an epidural." Anyway, they were doing all the admissions work and the contractions got stronger and stronger. I sat on the edge of the bed working through them and answering questions (I ended up not finishing the admissions questions until after Weston was born). My doctor came in and said I was still a 5 and that she would be back. In the meantime, my dad got there and luckily Janet got there just in time. I kept wanting the air turned down so Zack would turn it down even though I seemed to be freezing everyone out. Zack was very nervous patting my leg repeatedly. Mom was trying to help by telling me to focus. I was just trying to breath, focus, and not cry. 16 minutes after Dr. Flowers came in I said, "I need to push!" Dr. Flowers was back within minutes and said it was time to have this baby. I wanted my hair pulled back and Dr. Flowers did that which surprised me. I don't know what Zack and Mom were doing. I was confused as to why Dr. Flowers was in the room because on Baby Story and with Macie the nurses are with you until the very end. Well, little did I realize I was to the end. MY WORDS, "This isn't how it is supposed to be. I wanted an epidural!" Too late for that...I had 3 sets of contractions and Weston arrived! THANK GOODNESS it took only 10 minutes is all I can say!!! Weston was laying there on me and how sweet he was. I was feeling a little tired and felt like my eyes wouldn't stay open. Weston was crying really hard and all I could think was "they say no baby is the same and Zack is going to have to take 2 weeks off if he cries this much." However, the nurse assured us that since he had a "traumatic birth" (because it was so fast) that he was ok and that is also why his face was bruised. The nurses and the doctor were saying they were glad he wasn't born in Target and I told them I had great coupons to use..Mom said they probably thought I was crazy. While all this was going on Dr. Flowers made the comment that I deserved a big present for this. My sweet husband pulled out of his pocket a diamond band to go with my wedding ring. Dr. Flowers said she had never seen that in all her 10 years. ALL PAIN was forgotten when I held Weston in my arms again! God blessed us with this precious baby boy!!! The grandparents passed Weston around and then they sweetest thing happened. My Macie walked in and said, "Where's my baby brother?" She was thrilled. She climbed up in the bed with us and began to sing to him without us asking. She kissed him and loved him immediately! This is what I had been praying for...Macie to know she is totally loved by us, she wasn't being replaced, and for her to love her brother completely without jealousy issues. Wow, what a great moment! We had all our family surrounding us and I couldn't have felt more loved, more blessed, and more excited to have Weston in my arms. We prayed for him before we were pregnant and throughout the pregnancy . Here he was in my arms, a perfect gift from God! Every time we have a friend get pregnant I usually say this kind of love for a child is unimaginable until you experience it. It's so true and now I have two precious children who make my heart so full of love and joy! I am so happy I get to share their lives with Zack. I love our family! I already love the moments we will share each day as Weston and Macie continue to grow!

So if I have another baby....I will get to the hospital a little quicker. We all kept saying once he decided to come he would come fast which he did. Will I have an epidural...I would say most definitely but I now know I can have one without. (Oh, the nurse said, "Why did you wait so long to come in? Were you trying to go all natural? My response, "Oh no! I wanted the epidural.) I may try not to have a summer baby...wow, what a difference it has been. I didn't think I was that hot or that my belly was that big but after Weston arrived I realized how heavy he was in my belly and the crazy thing is I freeze at night now and wrap up in the blankets were I was just sleeping with a sheet.

Family of 3...about to leave for the hospital....anxious to make us a family of 4.

Last Belly Picture....at this point my contractions are about every 4 minutes but I still feel great.

Daddy checking to see 10 fingers, 10 toes, and that Weston is healthy.

Daddy and Son

Pappy, Nonnie, Weston and me right after the delivery. (I am looking a little tired!) With Macie I put on make-up right before so I would look ok when pictures were taken and this time I didn't have time to think about how I looked!

Macie was so sweet to her new brother. She was also excited about the balloon she carried and the blue gum cigar in her hand.
Macie meets baby Weston and loves him immediately.

We talked about him since I found out I was expecting, read her Big Sister books, and she would always say she wanted to hold him, give him a pacifier, change his diapers, and etc. It seems she knows her role as the BIG SISTER!

Papaw and Grammy with Weston.

Lyndise showing off her little baby bump. We have a similar picture right after Macie was born when Lyndsie showed off her baby bump of Blake.

Macie helping push me down the hallway. As soon as the nurse brought the wheelchair in, Macie kept asking to push me. The nurse was very sweet and patient while Macie helped.

"What's baby brother doing?" Macie and Blake are getting a peek at Weston.

Monday morning...Macie's famous words, "What's he thinking?"

Weston Reid McClung

Lyndsie and Blake came for a visit. Aunt Lyndsie was prepared with lunch and a Mickey movie for Macie and Blake. We let Weston get in the middle for just a minute. We were so glad they came back to visit us again at the hospital.

Big Yawn

Getting Ready to Go Home

Daddy and Weston showing off the picture Macie, Blake, and Aunt Lyndsie made for Weston.

My Sweet Son

The heat was overwhelming as we left the hospital after being in my freezing cold room. The nurse came in once and asked if I wanted her to turn it up. No way!

Welcome Home, Weston !

Macie immediately shared her babies with Weston and then ended up covering him with her pink blanket. What a good big sis!

One of our first family photos

(Macie is clearly saying, "Cheese!"

Grammy and Weston

Papaw was holding Weston before they headed back to Tyler. We were so glad they were able to stay at the house and take care of Macie while we were at the hospital.

Ballerina/Princess

2011-08-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Macie likes to pretend she is a ballerina or a princess. She switches back and forth. Anyway, she loves to dance with her tutu and heels! Her best dance move is her leg in the air. She has been doing it for a while. I don't know where she learned it. I need to come up with some more moves for her to try but I don't have many dancing skills. I sure do love my sweet little girl. We have had such an enjoyable 2 1/2 years with her. This love is so big, bigger than I could have ever imagined and to know it just grows so much more with another little one coming. I am BLESSED!

Enjoying the Summer

2011-08-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

We have had a very enjoyable summer and have tried to do things to stay cool and keep us busy as we wait on Baby Weston to arrive. Around mid July, we stayed with my parents while Zack was out of town. We had fun having a girls days, relaxing, and letting Macie and Blake play together. When Zack got home, he and I took Macie to her first movie, Winnie the Pooh! It was a little over an hour but she really liked it. At one point, one of Pooh's friends was walking in the forest and she said, "It's scary." She would also clap throughout the movie. Just yesterday she was telling her Nonnie that she saw her first movie, "Pooh." As another week passed I went to the doctor and found that Weston still isn't quite ready to come. After my appointment, I was a little down. I like being pregnant, like the belly, and the fun of feeling Weston move. BUT I also feel pretty big and I am even more ready to meet him and have all his family/friends meet him too! Just yesterday a lady said, "Honey, you look like you are going to tip over." No one has said that to me before. Anyway after last Friday's appointment, Nonnie, Pappy, and I took Macie to the Aquarium in Grapevine. Macie had more patience than us as we waited in line. Macie loved it once we went in. I loved watching her too. She put her hands over her mouth with excitement. The cutest thing she said was, "This is way cool." Mom and I just looked at her and laughed. Where has she heard that? I think she enjoyed all the sea creatures. The only part she wasn't sure of was when she would walk on the glass where she could see the sharks, fish, and other sea creatures below her. She was a little scared. I thought it was pretty amazing!

Hopefully, the next time I update the blog I will be showing off our newest arrival. My mom keeps telling me to look at it as, "10 more days." And she reminds me he will come....God's timing. But as we wait we will stay indoors and out of the 108 degree temperatures. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Girls' Day
Buying Movie Tickets

It isn't the best picture and I was disappointed that they didn't have a life-size Pooh cut-out or picture like some of the other movies.

It is just starting!

The Aquarium

Macie loved touching the starfish. She wasn't afraid at all.

Macie wasn't so sure about getting inside the tanks and having them surround you. It just wasn't her thing.

36 WEEKS

2011-07-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

We got some things out of the attic today so I could get them washed and ready for Weston's arrival. Macie took full advantage of playing with her babies in the boppies and gym. She wanted burp cloths, blankets, and bath towels. She is going to be such a great big sister. It was a lot of fun watching her take care of her babies. Once I get all the little things washed and a few more bottles sterilized, I think I will be ready. I think I have thought of everything we need to be ready. Now we just need WESTON!

36 Weeks

I went to the doctor last week at 35 weeks and when she checked me I hadn't progressed. Dr. Flowers didn't expect me to but it gave me that nervous feeling in my stomach. She did say that she thinks he is going to be a good size baby boy. My response."How big?" Pretty much on a daily basis someone ask me if I am due tomorrow. I go back to the doctor at 37 weeks which is Friday. I am hoping we have progress by then but not before then because Zack is going to be out of town for work. I am really excited to meet Weston and a little nervous about how going into labor and all that will play out. I am also looking forward to no more heartburn, leg cramps, or feeling like my skin is just pulling (my belly seems so much heavier than I remember with Macie)! Most of all I am excited to meet this little baby boy who has been wiggling around for so long and I am ready to see his sister hold him, love him, and be a BIG SIS.

So here is Wesston at 36 weeks and Macie at 36 weeks. They look pretty close in size which I find interesting...no more complaining then because my belly doesn't seem that much bigger.

A Few Different Pictures

2011-07-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

I had to show off the cutest lamp I found. It matches perfectly in her room! I love it!
We went to a fun park the other day. It has a great sandbox that is shaded, lots of swings, and a huge play area. This was Macie's first time on the tire swing. She watched some girls on it and as soon as they got off she was ready to get on. At first she didn't like me swinging her too high but then she got the hang of it. We got to the park really early so that we wouldn't melt in the sun....maybe so I wouldn't melt. I can't handle the heat!

My sweet little girl and my 35 week belly!

We are so ready to meet Macie's baby brother!

Macie has been helping with walking the dogs. The other day she put both dog leashes on her scooter handles and made them walk beside her. I was afraid it would end in disaster because the leashes would get twisted but it was a successful few minutes of all three of them together.

Relaxing...walking the dogs is hard work! (Plus, I just love this cute little dress!)

MOO! MOO!

So Chick-Fil-A had the free meal on Friday if you dressed like a cow. Mom was coming over so I wanted to see if she was up for it. At first she wasn't so sure but it ended up being a lot of fun. We taped our "cow" papers on and Macie wasn't impressed. Hers were all off by the time we reached the entrance. They were nice and still gave her a free meal. We were definitely under dressed...people go all out and get very creative. We will have to improve on our costumes next year!

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Austin for the first part of our 4th of July weekend. Macie, Finley, and Kylan had a great time playing together. Macie was very sweet to Kylan. She wanted him to have his blanket but didn't quite understand that it is too hot for one right now. She and Finley played great together! We were glad to see Grammy and Papaw and Chris and Amy!

One of my favorite pictures! I took a million and finally got one where they were both looking at me and smiling. Finley and Macie would count to three and then fall into the water. Kids are such fun entertainment. I loved watching them play!

As long as Macie was in control of the water, she liked it. She didn't enjoy Finley pouring water on her face when it was his turn to hold the hose.

Thirsty

We only did a few sparklers because of the firework ban. I didn't get very man good pictures with the fireworks.

I was trying to have her pose in her red, white and blue. "Happy Birthday, America!" Macie would say.

On Monday we went over to Blake's house to play with his new water toy! What a fun water slide! We also enjoyed 4th of July food!

At the Pond and Playing Dress Up

2011-07-07T08:32:00.001-07:00

Macie is showing lots of interest in playing dress-up now. I find her in her heels all the time pushing her baby in the stroller or shopping cart. I love that she likes bracelets, necklaces, shoes, and her tutu. I haven't gotten her dress-up clothes but know when she does get them that she will love them (that may have to be a Christmas present).
VERY STYLISH!

I can't remember if I put any of these pictures on the blog and am too lazy to go back and look. We got my veil out to send to my cousin who is going to be married in a few weeks. Macie and her Daddy got married and she twirled around in the veil. It did make me tear up thinking about the fact that someday her daddy will walk her down the aisle and give her to one lucky gentlemen.

Macie and Blake went to the park the other day to play and feed the ducks. We had a little excitement right at the end of the bread throwing.....

This is right before Blake fell into the pond. What a scare it was for all of us! As you can see it was kind of a steep embankment. In a split second he was under the water but his mom jumped right in to save him. As Nonnie was walking off with Blake he said, "THOSE MEAN DUCKS!" I worked on getting Lyndise out of the water. Her feet were stuck in the mud and with Blake saying those mean ducks I had a hard time pulling her out because we were laughing. Then we went quickly back to Lyndsie's house to get both of them cleaned up completely! We will remember this always and one day have to tell Blake all about it.

Bounce House

2011-07-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to a birthday party for Jacob, who is one of our new neighbors. He just turned two! He and Macie have become good friends and enjoy playing together. He calls her "FeFe." I guess that is how you would spell it. When Zack and I say it she says, "No, that's not my name. Jacob calls me that." The birthday party was a lot of fun! We are excited that his family moved in a few houses down. His mom, Wei Wei and I have become good friends and she is also pregnant with her second baby so we do a lot of baby talking!

Daddy and Macie spent lots of time on the slide.

WOOHOO! That was fun!

Zack started getting crazy...doing tricks. Macie would then copy him.

The Birthday Boy, Jacob and Macie

Macie's Room

2011-07-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

Macie's room is decorated and finished. We need to find some curtains though because it is so bright when she is trying to go to bed at night. We normally have a big, ugly blanket covering the window which has helped....but I think it is tacky! She likes her big girl bed and playing in her room. We have had our challenges with her staying in bed once she gets in it. She gets up at least once after being put down for the night. She usually has an excuse but we haven had to get on to her. If she ask to go the the bathroom, we let her go. Last night she did this and she gave her usual sweet talk. "I love you, Mom! (kiss) I love my daddy, too! (another kiss) But I love you, Mom!"(more kisses) I always reply I love you too but it is time to go to bed. I think she has learned how to do a little charming when she KNOWS she should be in bed!
Macie loves looking at pictures of her cousins and friends.

One of my favorite things to do is what her play kitchen or to play it with her. The other day I said I was hungry and needed to fix lunch. She said, "I fix lunch. I have food." So we ate in her room first. Also if you ask her where her kitchen came from she still says Santa Claus so I am pretty impressed that she remembers.

Summer Fun

2011-06-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

For some reason this little girl likes to run around FREE! After Macie's bath the other night, she immediately started playing. I just had to laugh. She is making sure that she and her baby don't get wet.
Story Hour
Macie has been going to story hour at the library each week on Wednesday. She really enjoys the books that the librarian reads, the songs they sing, and the crafts they do! The other day she woke up and was looking at several of Mom's books that are just words and hundreds of pages. She kept saying she was having story hour and that each book was her favorite.

Nonnie had a box of puppets that are pretty easy to make. When Macie saw that Nonnie had crafts she said, "Nonnie, I love you!" Macie loves doing crafts (or should I say "craps" since that is still how Macie says crafts) and we try to do something each day like coloring or making something. She also likes to play with play doh and that is another one of her crafts.

Firefighter

Macie got out the firefighter dress-up clothes. I wish I could have had a video. She was running around saying that there was a fire. We were putting each fire out. Then I would have to save her from the fire. I was her "hero." As we were playing I taught her "Stop, Drop, and Roll." She had a little trouble deciding which way to roll when we practiced but it sure was cute to watch. YES, again she is only in her panties. She had gotten wet outside and like any other time she takes advantage of not putting her clothes back on.

Happy Birthday, Nonnie!

Macie and I made cupcakes for Nonnie's birthday. This is the one that Macie decorated all by herself. She couldn't wait to test out her cupcakes.

Blake came over and went swimming. There seems to be a lot more snack time than swimming this day! Blake was very sweet to share with Macie. She sure loves her "Blakey" as she calls him.

Another Snack

I am excited to see how much Macie has improved since last summer when playing in the water. She is not as scared as she used to be. I plan on putting her in swimming lessons next summer which will hopefully help her as well. She does blow bubbles, put her face in the water, "swim on her belly," and kick when we help her swim.

Too much sugar is maybe the reason Macie was running around acting so silly but I loved it! She made up a song about a prince/princess.

32 Weeks

2011-06-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

I am actually now 33 weeks but am just now getting my 32 week picture up. Last week I went to get a cavity filled and the shot the doctor put in ended up causing some swelling and bruising. I thought I would take another picture once it went away but here I am a week later and my right cheek still has a pretty good size bruise. I think the dentist must have put the shot in incorrectly. It taught me a lesson....BRUSH BETTER! Unfortunately I have to have a cavity filled on the other side of my mouth and I hope that this one goes a little bit better! It is a little uncomfortable when I feel like people are staring at a bruised up pregnant lady! So if my right cheek looks a little funny that is why! The good news is I am getting closer and closer to meeting my sweet little boy! I can't wait! My appointment went great and now I go every two weeks! I am anxious, excited and nervous about all that is to come! I really do like being pregnant but I feel like it is getting a little tougher to get out of bed which seems to be several times a night. I am still enjoying exercising but have slowed down a lot in the last few weeks. I am mainly just walking and doing light weights. I am hoping the exercising will help Weston come a little faster. We will see!

Cousins Come to Town

2011-06-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, she is only in her panties because she was wiped out from being at the swimming pool and didn't want clothes on so I didn't force it. When I walked in to put something in her room I just smiled when I saw her baby covered up in the dump truck. I love her imagination. How it is coming to life! It is so fun to watch her play or listen to her play with her toys.

Jackson and Jillian came for the weekend. Jackson had a swim meet in Southlake on Saturday. We loved watching him swim. Since his first meet that we saw he has improved 100%, swims so fast, and is like a fish in the water! It is really fun and impressive to watch. We are excited to see him do something he enjoys and is great at doing! Macie would holler for Jackson while he raced..."Go Jackson!" She also hollered it to the car as we left the meet.

Water toys are such great entertainment.

Jackson and Jillian are lots of fun to be around. They are great kids and are such good examples for Macie.

Jackson was very sweet and let Macie play video games with him. She kept saying that Jackson was doing "awesome." After he left she kept calling him on her kitchen phone and talking about him swimming.

Weston's Room

2011-06-13T13:16:00.001-07:00

Weston's Room is complete! I finished up today by covering the lamp shade. Now all we need is our little boy to come home and see his room in 8 or less weeks! I can't wait! I am super excited about Weston's room and how it turned out! It was a lot of fun working on his rope name even though it took Zack, my mom, and me a couple of hours to get it nailed up on the wall! Janet, Zack's Mom, made the table cloth and I made the lamp shade. I appreciate all the help! YES, I did try to get Zack to sell his horns and cow hide rug in a garage sale and he wouldn't let me. I am glad he talked me out of it.

It's hard to see in the picture but this lamp's base is a saddle. I know I shouldn't but I am super excited about this buy because Mom found it at a neighbor's garage sale for $5! That's a bargain!

Thanks to Barbara for the cute picture frame!

Macie has already enjoyed riding the stick horses around the house. By the way, the light switches are horse shoes.

Cool Whip

2011-06-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

Macie had fun playing in cool whip again! Of course, she ate her fair share of cool whip because after an hour of playing it had really thinned out. I took several videos because it was so fun listening to her talk and use her imagination. I am only putting one video on so I don't look like that "crazy mom."

3rd Trimester

2011-05-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

I am 28 weeks pregnant and now in the 3rd and final trimester. I just can't believe it. Sometimes I feel like time is going by slowly and then other times I think I have so many little things to do before Weston arrives. I went in today for a sonogram and glucose screening. The sonogram revealed that little Weston is 3.1 oz, healthy, and active. The placenta has now moved almost completely out of the way which is why I had the sonogram in the first place. I loved watching Weston move and seeing his little parts for the 3rd time to again CONFIRM we are having a boy! I feel great and love watching my belly grow. Weston is nothing like Macie already. She rarely moved or seemed active and I describe him as a pinball machine. I feel like I am getting poked all over the place. It is so fun watching my belly move. I thought it was funny that the other day Zack and I were discussing how different he already is and how active he is and Zack said, "He will have to be swaddled." Before Macie arrived, he wouldn't have even know or thought about swaddling a baby or why we do it.

How much bigger will it get?

28 weeks above, 24 weeks below

Just thought I would show the change in a month's time since it is the same shirt.

Just a Few Pictures

2011-05-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

One piece of hail that left a divot in the ground. Wow, that was some storm the other night. Macie and I hung out in the bathroom while Zack watched to see if there would be a tornado. After it was all clear, we went out and were amazed at the huge variety of shapes and sizes of hail. I couldn't believe how it sounded as it hit our roof. After coming back in the house after the storm was over and visiting with neighbors, Macie went back to the bathroom "for safety." She said, "Let's hang out," since I told her that is what we were going to do until Daddy told us it was safe. She thought it was a treat to have her flashlight, books, pillows, and blankets in the bathroom.
This is before we took cover. Sebastian is terrified of thunder, rain, and in any loud noise. Macie was holding him. She kept saying, "You hear that" when it would thunder and as the hail pounded the roof. She wasn't scared at all unlike Zack and I who were nervous and worried about her protection.

Showing off her dress

We asked her to kiss my belly but usually she will kiss my belly, cover it with one of Weston's blankets or bring a toy for Weston. The other day as she sat on my lap she said he was kicking her.

We had to run to the mall the other day so Macie went and got her shoes. She said she needed her high heels. I let her wear them for a little while before having her change into real shoes. Oh, how I loved these very shoes when I was a little girl. Every time my grandmother took me to the store to pick out a present I chose shoes just like these.

Lake Trip

2011-05-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our Friends' Boat!

We were thrilled that our friends, Todd, Andrea, and Easton invited us to the lake for a weekend. I was excited to see how Macie would like riding on a boat, fishing, and seeing the huge about of water all around her. The weekend was nice but it was cooler than I hoped for. We were very comfy in their 2 bedroom boat...well, more like a yacht. Macie loved spending time with Easton and we enjoyed relaxing with friends. I did feel like I was swaying the entire day when we got home. That isn't the best feeling in the world especially when being pregnant.

Macie wasn't afraid to touch the fish but after touching it once she didn't want to touch it again.

Daddy was teaching Macie to fish. She wasn't a really good listener. She insisted, "I do it."

Macie is cheering Easton on while he catches fish.

This is on the upper deck above the living space. Macie wasn't so sure about it at first but she warmed up to it. However, she did slip on one of the seats which led to a flat screen tv being broken. UGGG...I don't think she has that much money in her piggy bank.