cell phone picture purge

Honestly (and sadly) I do not remember the last time I actually used my real camera. I should be ashamed, but the reality is I have three very busy children and if I am going to capture any pictures they will be captured by my phone. So I am owning that with this blog. Not to mention, I should be thankful that such technology exists because otherwise my third baby really may not have any pictures of herself!! This is becoming a monthly thing...

Keagan has recently become obsessed with writing notes. He loves to write notes to his teachers, his friends, and then I found this sweet note in my lunchbag the other day. I saved it, but had to take a picture too...  Nothing sweeter. 

A picture just because I love this sweet outfit. So simple and easy! Oh, and the baby in the outfit is adorable.

Uncle Wesley sent Maclyn a pink Swarovski crystal bracelet for Christmas...so we had to get pictures of her wearing it the first time. And then pictures to show how she waves and cracks herself up!  

While I was making babyfood for Mac, I glanced up and realized all 4 of my favorite people were in one frame. So I snapped a picture.  I love our real life!

Baby sister LOVES to bounce!

 

Josh had to work the night of my actual birthday, so the kids and I celebrated with the cookie cake he bought me! It was YUMMY! We also had a dance party in the kitchen with the newest member of our family: Alexa. (i.e. the personal assistant/speaker/music box/shopping list maker...from Amazon)

The weekend after my birthday Josh planned a little dinner in Paducah. We met several of our closest friends for dinner at one of our favorite eat places after a fun afternoon of shopping and wine tasting without kiddos! Before going to supper, we met Stacey and Jarrett at a distillery/bar in downtown Paducah...we were the only ones there and there was an open mic calling Stacey's name so I got a personal Happy Birthday song!

The next morning at church was our annual Soup or Chili Bowl for the Super Bowl, and it is a fundraiser for the youth. Our Sunday School class takes this competition very seriously and we were the reigning champs for several years in a row. Our class jokes (all in good fun) with the other classes that we have our own trophy and awards corner. So we were super serious that we had to hold our title. Unfortunately this was the year that people brought their A-game, so we didn't win Best Theme or Most Money Raised, but we did have Most Original soup. Because it was the Chinese New Year we went with a Won Ton soup and a Chinese New Year theme! Of course, Stacey and I took the theme to the next level (we love a good costume day!)....

 

This next picture is hilarious. At first glance it looks like we are both holding sweet sleeping babies. I am...Stacey is not. Stacey is holding one of Annie's (creepy) baby dolls, and it has on a Chewbacca mask from one of the Star Wars theme tables. People seriously thought it was a real baby and it was freaking people out! So funny! In fact, someone didn't see me holding Maclyn and actually thought the baby Stacey was holding was Mac!

 

Getting some sweet after-church snuggles with my baby girl...

Oh this. I have debated on sharing this...but it is really too funny not to. And I don't ever want to forget this. I also want proof that this happened so when my boys are bigger I can show them...  Josh and I heard giggling one day and they were taking pictures with their preschool camera. I didn't think a whole lot about it, but then I went scrolling thru the pictures and came upon this picture. Um. Yeah. We punished the boys for this while stifling big laughter. And we still laugh about it. We actually took the camera away for a while! And we did end up deleting the picture, but not before snapping a picture of what they took a picture of...  Oh, boys.

Maclyn and her Mickey Mouse cup. So sweet...but she makes a HUGE mess...

Playing Speak Out with some friends on a Friday night gamenight! Funny game, but my lips were super sore for days after! And we were all drooling on ourselves all night!!

Finley is OBSESSED with shaving with his daddy. In fact, he probably asks weekly (used to be every day)...apparently he also felt the need to shave his chest on this day. Trust me, he didn't learn this from his Daddy!

Cool Baby!

LOVE LOVE LOVE her rolls!!!

I got this picture of Keagan and Nick from their kindergarten teacher after the Valentine's Party. These boys are big buddies!!

Sweet baby Maclyn absolutely adores her big brothers...and just lights up when they get down on her level!

Grandma sends the kids care packages quite often and these two boys absolutely LOVE seeing their names on the boxes. I use these boxes to my advantage ("if you are good" or "if you pick up" or "if you eat your supper" ..."then you can open your box") because the boys know there is always fun stuff in them and they cannot wait to tear into them! They really speak to the boys' Love Languages, especially Finley as he is a "gifts" kinda dude.

Dairy Queen had "Free Cone Day" on the first day of Spring and so my friend Maegan and I took the kids after school...and it was Maclyn's first time trying chocolate ice cream. She loved it! And got really vocal when I took it away to get a bite myself!

2017 Upward Basketball

The boys just wrapped up their 2017 Upward Basketball season...and whew! it was a doozy.  It was a long season (almost 2 and a half months, games every Saturday) and it became frustrating at times due to inconsistent referee "rules." I know this is just part of sports, but as parents it was tough to sit on our hands and tame our mouths while other kids ran all over our boys and the refs/other coaches did nothing about it. But, on the flip side, I did watch my boys get a little handsy themselves...which is equally frustrating. Overall, it was a good season but I will not lie that I am glad that it is over! (Of course, soccer starts tomorrow...we don't get a free weekend!)

I have to brag on Finley, a bit, as he just isn't my sporty dude. He loved basketball (despite asking in the middle of each-and-every game, when it was going to be over)...he did much better than I ever dreamed he would. He tried, for the most part. During this season Finn learned to shoot a basketball correctly, learned to dribble AND run (though he did dribble with two hands at times), showed more aggressiveness that we ever dreamed he would, and learned to skip. This last skill was practiced more than I desired during games, up and down the court. The best part was he played every game, didn't run crying to me, and was the most joyful little kid on the court when he actually made a basket. It actually would bring tears to my eyes when he made a basket because I could just see him beaming and I knew his day was made!

I don't want to sound like I am putting one kid up on a pedestal over the others, but the truth is Keagan is my little athlete. He truly is good and he enjoys playing. He just gets the game, and he is a little baller. He cracks us up because every time he made a basket his walk had extra swagger. He needs good coaching to refine his skills to be a good offensive/defensive player, but the skills are truly there. We don't know where this came from because he certainly didn't get it from his momma or daddy! Not only was he fun to watch from the technical perspective, his sportsmanship and character really came through this season. There were many times I had to turn my head to keep from crying because this boy was such a good friend (or brother) throughout all the games. He would set up plays to help Finley get the ball and help clear space so he would get a chance to shoot. If kids on the other team got knocked down, he would help them up. He was aggressive but I could tell he knew when to back off. It really is nice to see that your kid is doing something right without being told to do it.

I didn't get many pictures of the boys in play because it is incredibly difficult to deal with a baby, yell at (to?) the boys, and keep ahold of my phone. So I took some, but not a lot. I lifted several from Stacey's Facebook page (thanks for picking up my slack, friend!). And there are some videos...not sure how good they are either, but if you want to see the boys in action (and/or hear me yell) then be sure to check them out. Keagan is #12 and Finley is #4, and luckily this year they were able to be on the same team!

Finley and Annie were paired up to guard each other during a few of our games.

Keagan and is best buddy Nick!

The boys were happy to see their buddy Hudson at the games, too!

 These last few pictures were taken after the Upward awards night on Monday

The boys loved their coaches!

 

Our babies are growing up!! These three...they are so funny together!

And now the multiple videos, for your viewing (and listening??) pleasure!

8 month old Happy Baby!

Oh ohhhh Happy Girl! (Channel Martina McBride's song here...) The sweetest thing that you'll ever see in the whole wide world is a Happy Girl!!

Maclyn is just that: a HAPPY GIRL! She is so pleasant...and I cannot imagine our lives without her. She loves big and with her whole body, giggling and hugging and moving her arms and legs all at once. It is hard to believe that she is 8 (+) months old already...as I am fairly certain she was just born the other day. The "difficult" newborn days are long gone and but a memory already. And while we have had some recent bumps in the road (a long-holding cold and the early teething stages), this sweet baby is making life super easy on everyone!

Maclyn still doesn't roll over consistently (or ever, really) but she loves to sit and play. She reaches for toys and can sit unsupported pretty well. She continues to refuse bearing weight on her legs, but I am quite certain she is just my stubborn child. Pleasant, but stubborn. And, Hello!, she is the third baby...she doesn't have to do anything. If her socks are off, she loves to eat her toes. She will tolerate tummy time and even scoots on her belly to get to a particular toy if no one brings it to her when she grunts or whines. We have been doing some "physical therapy" and practicing weight bearing on all-fours...I can't say she loves it. Haha! But, lucky her, she has a mommy who is a physical therapist. 

Maclyn HATES green beans. I mean, gags and carries on, and even throws up her stomach contents. She will eat just about everything else I give her, but she will not eat green beans. As Finley states, No Way-No How.  I guess she got it from her Momma....(I don't love them either)

Maclyn sleeps through the night...oh Praise the Lord! She goes to bed between 7/730 and sleeps until 630/7. She was waking up and we would go in and put a pacifier in her mouth...and I felt like we were creating a monster. But then she started putting her own paci in her mouth! I have watched her on the baby monitor and it is hilarious. She is also starting to be a fantastic napper! Mac generally takes 3 naps a day, with the mid-day nap being the longest. She puts herself to sleep after a small amount of "play" in the crib, and she loves to have her Green Baby laying right on top of her tummy. It is pretty sweet.

My sweet baby girl is getting chunky...and now that warmer weather is starting to come around we are getting to see bare legs (hers...not mine) and I have thoroughly enjoyed eating her legs! Does that sound weird? Maybe...but they are just so sweet!! At her last doctor appointment, Mac weighed 19# 1 ounce..I think this was just before she turned 8 months.

One of Maclyn's new favorite things to do is dance. She gets going to music, bouncing and swaying, and throwing her arms up and down! (Even more so since this video was made) What you will also hear is my fantastic singing voice, then me laughing at myself for singing mindlessly and realizing I was videoing.


Then I found this video...it is almost a month old...but this video is pretty much how this baby is all the time. I love her pure joy, and the pure joy she brings this family! Such a fun and funny little girl!