Thursday, December 30, 2010

A little bit of Christmas...

We began the season of Christmas with Auntie Annie's Christmas party last week...
And before we knew it, Christmas Eve Day was here. Off to the Boston Pops!
Getting ready to go!!


Arriving early worked out well for us all...a little bit to eat and drink before the show started! And, of course, posing for pictures too!
Uncle Ryan, Auntie Ali and Luke!
Morgan and Auntie Ali pass the time with a little coloring
Well, at least Daddy was looking at the camera!!
Morgan LOVED the Pops!
Christmas morning was great. The girls were hilarious! We have more video than pictures though!!


And Christmas Day at Gamma and Papa's house. Maddie loves her new bathrobe and her megablocks.

which Morgan loves too! But no one loves anything more than Morgan LOVES Pirates of Penzance!!!

Oh, yeah! And did I mention there was a blizzard. Well I guess technically it couldn't be called a blizzard, but yeah - I'd say about 14" of snow in about 24 hours would just about do it!
A white Christmas AND a fabulous time with family! Happy and Healthy New Year to all!!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!!!

Santa was very good to everyone in the McLean household! He spoiled us rotten and the kids have been great opening up presents. Too bad Maddie didn't sleep in for us, but Morgan got up around 715, we started opening around 730 and were done by 830. We have pictures to come, but Kevin just got me this flip video, and I had so much fun with it this morning!!! Merry Christmas to all!!! Hugs and kisses!!!



Sunday, December 19, 2010

Taffy, The Elf on the Shelf

Morgan: "Mommy, I think Taffy is seeing how nice I am wrapping these presents, and he will go tell Santa!"

On another day...Morgan is singing Santa Claus is coming to Town!

She came over and whispered in my ear (with a giggle)... "Mom, I think Taffy is going to tell Santa that I was singing his song!"

LOVE this age!!!

BTW - Maddie calls "Taffy"... "Fatty!" Gotta love that too!!!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Christmas Caboose


St. Catherine's, Mommy's school, had their big fundraiser today - The Christmas Caboose. It's like the Polar Express, without the North Pole (though depending on the day - Morgan might tell you we were there!).

We boarded the train and were greeted with Christmas music, the Conductor and a train full of decorations...tinsel, sticky window decorations and things hanging from the ceiling - very festive! We found our seats, and prepared to go for a ride!!! Maddie didn't budge from my lap (which isn't so spacious these days!). Between the music, the conductor's microphone issues, and the noise, she stayed very close by. Morgan moved from sitting with Kevin and I (and Maddie) to sitting with Papa, and she must have been quite comfortable!! She LOVED looking out the window to see where we were going ("did we get to the ice?!" and tears at the end because she thought she missed the North Pole!). But we sang carols, listened to the Conductor read The Polar Express and had some hot chocolate and cookies. She even wrote a note to Santa on our ride, who collected the letter himself!! We even got a silver bell and a candy cane!! Morgan LOVED every minute and didn't even mind Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty who walked by to say hello!

It was quite an experience (a hot one...it was 54 degrees today and they had the heat on the train) and so happy we did it! Morgan had a fantastic time with Papa, Gamma and Auntie Annie who joined us for the trip, and probably will skip next year!!!


(Ignore my big round belly! All I need is the white beard, hair and eyebrows and I could have been Santa this year!!)




Sunday, December 5, 2010

December so far...

Well, I may not be Martha Stewart, but Morgan thought I did "an awesome job" with the frosting! And as you may be able to tell, she enjoyed it more than the Gingerbread House!


During happier days, Maddie snuggles with Daddy.


And she loves hats!

For Thanksgiving at school - this was Morgan's turkey feather.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Fever, Rashes, Oh my!

Yes, that would be Maddie! She's been sick since Sunday beginning with a fever of 103.5 and she's been home and miserable since. Monday was relatively okay with Mommy. She had the high fever, but was pretty happy and playing. Tuesday was an okay day with Daddy - no fever and relatively happy. We thought Wednesday she'd be back in school but woke up with a 102.5 fever and then proceeded to breakout in an enormous rash all over her body - with blisters! The nurse on the phone thought "chicken pox" but Gamma (who came to the rescue so we could go to work) knew better and diagnosed correctly with a hives blister rash. No matter what you call it, it's been miserable, as is Maddie. Fussy, temper tantrums and screaming one minute and completely happy and playing the next. Makes one mother go mad. The hardest part is trying to figure out what she wants and why she's having this huge fit. Reminds me how grateful I am for communication and the ability to talk!!! But, here's hoping she's on the mend...a little motrin an benadryl - perhaps she'll sleep LOTS today! :)

Morgan's been great through all of it - she's been flexible with her schedule and allowing Maddie to "rule the roost" for a few days. And she's been reading/memorizing "Scat, Cat" one of her I Can Read Books. She read the whole book to Gamma last night! It's so exciting to see and makes me so proud!!

So, I'll be home today - taking care of Maddie and perhaps (hopefully) doing a few things around the house!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

OH BOY!!!

Yes, I can say that now because it has been confirmed by my latest ultrasound...we are having a boy!!! We are very excited and surprised, and as Morgan has told me a dozen times, "I was right! You were wrong!"

And it made for a nice last Thanksgiving with just Kevin and the girls. We spent a quiet day at Gamma and Papa's, and they girls couldn't have been more well-behaved!!! Morgan was fantastic: playing games, coloring pictures, and even getting in a little Irish-Step Dancing. It was great to see the Bishop and Auntie Annie. Maddie said "Annie" for the first time and her Aunt couldn't have been more excited!!

Maddie was a bit fussy for a while after waking up from her nap, but that's nothing unusual. She's also working on getting in her last 4 teeth which is keeping her up at night a bit. She can look at my belly and say "baby" but boy will she be in for a HUGE awakening when he actually arrives!

Overall, it's been a whirlwind of a ride (hence the fewer posts), but it's been really fun, at least when I'm not so exhausted and I can appreciate it!! These days at home have been so great, I'm not sure I'm ready to get back into the swing of things next week, but I know that everyone will continue to keep me on my toes!!!


Sunday, November 14, 2010

Dinner for 2

So this happened early in the week - before all the misery and fussiness began. Without question, every time Morgan gets up from her seat, Maddie is there to keep it warm and to see what it was that Morgan was up to. This night, Morgan had just finished dinner and before she had a chance to clear her place to take her plate over to the sink, Maddie was up in her spot. There are 2 plates there because the green was Maddie's and the other was Morgan's. So, for a few minutes, Maddie sat there, eating the rest of both their leftovers, enjoying every bite!!!


Small victories


Daddy was away for a few days this weekend and Gamma and Papa came to the rescue on Friday night. They took us out to dinner and stayed until the girls were in bed. Unfortunately that was the only picture I had from the night. Papa was helping Morgan with her math workbook!
Saturday was mostly just survival mode. Maddie's teething began Friday night and continued the rest of the weekend. Saturday we realized soccer was over, so we went to the play space for about 2 hours for the kids to blow off steam and get some energy out. They had a clown there that did face-painting. Morgan was petrified of the clown at first. She was hiding behind me when the (girl) clown came over and asked if Morgan wanted to get her face painted. Morgan said, "No thank you." And the clown asked if she wanted to get a tatoo on her arm or leg instead. So, Morgan got very excited about that and got Thomas the Train (randomly!!) painted on her arm.

She enjoyed it so much that before we left, she went back for more...and painted her face...so she was BatGirl!


It was a huge success and as soon as we came home, Maddie just about dropped into her crib. Her nap was less than usual and she was super fussy the rest of the day. After naps, Gamma stopped by to witness the fussiness from herself and see if she could even make a difference, but that didn't work either. We went outside to play and that was entertaining enough, but all Maddie wanted to do was run in the street...and with a pregnant Mommy running after her, that was only going to last so long!!


Thankfully Daddy came home that night. I took the girls to Friendly's for dinner. You know Maddie's in misery when she won't even eat ice cream or anything really for dinner. We came home to Daddy who helped get the girls ready for bed.

Sunday (today) was the worst of it. After a family run to the grocery store, we came home and Maddie actually fell asleep on my shoulders while we were sitting on the couch. It probably took less than 3 minutes for it to happen. I'm guessing due to the pain, she doesn't nap for long and woke up too early which is why she needed another nap this afternoon. She napped for another hour and is now running around with Morgan like a crazy person!

I am about 95% sure that it is the remainder 4 teeth that is causing such pain and discomfort. I have never seen a toddler/baby have such a difficult time with teeth. But, she had a second nap today for about an hour, ate a real meal for the first time this weekend and is now apparently a new person. So, hooray for small victories!! :)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!!

Thank you to ALL our service men and women who keep us safe!! And thank you to all their families - mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, sons, and daughters...we are so very grateful for your sacrifices!!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Two Peas in a Pod

Yes, that would be Morgan and Maddie (and not twins!!)!! They are playing together so well and are absolutely hilarious...lots of laughs, giggles, and "oops!"

Today they spent quite a bit of time in the "kitchen."


They were serving Kevin some "dinner," checking out each other's ears and loving the pretending to fall down with lots of giggles. It's great to see them in action, though I must say I still feel 'on guard' most of the time.

This week has been crazy. Actually, most weeks since I started back at work have been, but the past 2 at school have been really interesting! We've had head lice, conjunctivitis, and a stomach bug pass through my classroom. My aide just retired after 16 years, but thankfully I have a new one on Monday! Plus, Maddie has a rash all over her body which the doctor has diagnosed pretty easily by saying, "oh, it's (whatever the name is)....see it looks like a Christmas tree on her back! So, just a viral rash that apparently could last up to 12 weeks. Add Irish Step dancing, a broken down car, a over-tired dinner with Papa, a sore back (already!), and Kevin's first week as Assistant Dean of Students at school....yup...crazy is one word!!!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Trick or Treat!

The scarecrow made an appearance!!!
We had 3 pumpkins this year...this is the last one standing, and not by much. As Maddie and I were walking home from trick-or-treating, we saw a possum enjoying it! Little rascal!
Our flying pumpkins...the only safe ones from the animals! :)

As far as Halloweens go, this was a great one. We began with a parade and party at Morgan's teacher, Mrs. McEwen's house. Morgan had an absolute ball (as did we)! She got some candy they were throwing at the parade, PLUS a goody-bag from Mrs. McEwen!! She'll be talking about that all week!!!

We came home, rested up, had dinner and headed out for our own 20 minute trick-or-treat run! I tell you, that's the way to do it (if you have to at all!)! It was quick and easy and both girls are so exhausted from the day, they were toast by 7pm!!
Eating dinner before we left...
Officer Morgan
Maddie the Lion
At the neighbors house with Daddy

Maddie and Daddy enjoying the cold! :) Brrrrr!