Okay, so I am so stinkin' tired of packing. I am beginning to think that preparing for a vacation is way to much work. Why can't I just have someone come in and get everything I need all ready? Seriously, I have done laundry ALL DAY, packed, packed, cleaned up the house (cuz who wants to come home to a dirty house? Not me!) did the dishes, kept the kids fed, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blad! So, needless to say I now need a vacation for getting ready for a vacation!
And yes, I am struggling with not having my little Griffin man here with me today. Mike drove him up north to stay with his Aunt Engor and Uncle Bob and all the cousins...Izeck, Hanna, Kalli, and Macie while we are gone....tears! I seriously am struggling and was holding back tears when Mike drove away with him this afternoon. I have never been away from him for more than an hour or two. How does a mother cope with this kind of seperation?
Mike warned me I better "pull myself together" because I am not allowed to be a nervous, over anxious, paranoid, etc.... mother while we are vacationing! See ya all when we get back! Thanks Engor for keeping my little Griffin man, give him lots of loves and kisses for me!
JuSt SoMe RanDoM CuTe PicTuRes!
I have some cute pictures that I wanted to share, so this is just a random slideshow! Enjoy!
PLeAsE TeLL Me ThIs IsN't A SiGn!
First a MASSIVE black eye ...... and now THIS? Please tell me this isn't the start of something new! Or does it just get worse from here on out?
Did I mention that I really struggle with this stage of life? Why can't their BIG teeth grow in when the BIG teeth will match the rest of their body?
Wednesday evening Cooper comes home from playing at his friends house. He starts telling me that while he was jumping on the trampoline he fell and hit his mouth on the metal bar and that two of his teeth feel loose. Immediately I open his mouth and start inspecting his teeth and sure enough they are a little loose. I then lift his upper lip to find a nice bruise that is black and blue! My first thought....."Is this going to damage his permanent teeth?" I drag Cooper into to show Mike the damage, he makes a "ewww that's gotta hurt" face and we decide we should call the pediatric dentist!
I took Cooper to the dentist today and he felt strongly about pulling out his two front teeth! Cooper was terrified when he heard the words "pull em' out!" I gently, yet firmly told him he was to be brave, no crying, and just think of what the Tooth Fairy was going to leave him tonight! So, with no tears and complete bravery here is the outcome of my little man with no front teeth, all thanks to a stinkin' trampoline! I wonder how much the Tooth Fairy will be leaving him? Ummmm....what is the going rate for Tooth Fairies anyway?
Did I mention that I really struggle with this stage of life? Why can't their BIG teeth grow in when the BIG teeth will match the rest of their body?ThE GoOd ExAmPLe
My little Charlee has been a HUGE example to me. I have to share this with everyone because she has truly helped me to stop with my excuses! Now, this is going to be kind of long but you will want to read this. The reason for it being so long???....I have to give you the details and set up the story, for without all the details it would not be a story about Charlee!
Grandma and Grandpa gave Charlee two beautiful dresses for Christmas. Along with these two adorable dresses are matching shoes (two pairs, one for each dress) and a little black purse. Charlee was so excited to have two new dresses that she could barely wait for Sunday to come so she could wear one of them. Sunday finally arrived and through a series of excuses we were not going to be able to make it to church. About 30 minutes before church, Charlee asked if she could get dressed. I told her yes, not thinking much about it. Out she comes in her NEW dress, NEW shoes, and NEW purse. I smiled and said "Oh honey, not your church clothes, we aren't going to church today .... Griffin is sick.....excuse, excuse, excuse!" Right then and there, my little girl broke down in tears and sobbed "But, I want to go to church Mom, Heavenly Father wants me to go." Okay, so my little four year old was telling me what I needed to hear. I smiled and said "Okay, lets get ready!" I took Charlee to church and had probably the best Sunday School lesson in a really long time.
The next Sunday comes and Griffin is really sick. He is throwing up and not doing well at all. So this time, we didn't even attempt to make excuses. Mike got him and the kids ready and they went to church. Charlee wore her other NEW dress and NEW shoes! I stayed home with Griffin, and all was well in the McRae house.
So, now the next Sunday has rolled around. I was asked to sub in primary and I was so excited. I had my lesson all ready to go and couldn't wait to be there. Well, somehow I managed to catch a nasty virus and was really sick. There was no way I could go to primary and risk getting those cute little kids sick. Mike had worked graveyards that night and was exhausted. I called the primary president apologizing for my illness and had to excuse myself from church. Charlee comes waltzing in asking if it is time to get ready for church. I sadly explained to her that I could not go and I didn't want them going either.....the last thing I need is for Charlee throwing up on some poor little Sunbeam! The kids hadn't shown signs of being sick, but mine came on with little warning. She was SO SAD!! The only way I could save the day was to tell her that we were going to have our own PRIMARY at home! My little church goin', primary lovin' Charlee is in heaven!
A few hours later, I pulled out my Family Home Evening book. I gathered up the family and we had our own primary lesson on GraTiTudE!!!! We sang songs, had a prayer, it was our own little primary right in our home. While we were talking about gratitude, I kept thinking about how grateful I was to have such a sweet little girl who loves Heavenly Father and Jesus. She loves to hear the stories in the scriptures and sing about the gospel. How lucky am I to have such a special daughter who is reminding me to stay close to the Lord?
Now comes the really cute part! Nope, I am not done with the story yet! A few hours later, Charlee comes into the living room with her scriptures and her hands full of paper. We asked her what she was doing and to please not make another mess. Now I have to quote the next little bit.....
Charlee "Mom, can you get everyone in here? We are going to have primary."
Mom "But Charlee, we all ready had primary earlier. Remember?"
Charlee "I know Mom, but now I am going to do primary."
Mom "Okay!"
I gathered up the family....again for another primary lesson....Charlee style! She had found my drawer full of primary stuff, pulled out pictures, papers, and what not and taught us about several different things. We got to sing and pray some more! It was absolutely adorable! Here is my four year old teaching me!
Later that night Charlee and I had another conversation that went something like this!
Charlee "Mom, can we have primary again tomorrow?"
Mom "Sure honey!"
Charlee "Who do you think should teach us tomorrow?"
Mom "I am not sure, who do you think should teach the lesson?"
Charlee "I think I should cuz I do a really good job, huh?" (Imagine all the Charlee attitude in that comment - cuz it was ALL there!)
Mom " Yeah, I think you should do the lesson. You did a great job!"
Charlee "Yeah, I did a good job. Okay, I will do the lesson tomorrow!"
Through all of this Charlee helped me to see what I am lacking. I need to work harder in teaching the gospel more in our home. I need to be more diligent in going to church and look forward to it. The gospel is such a blessing in my life and I have been taking it for granted. I now see that I can't do that anymore, I have three little kids that watch everything I do, I need to be their example. Not the other way around! So, my little Charlee Boo, thank you for the HUGE lesson you taught me the last few weeks! I LOVE YOU!
Grandma and Grandpa gave Charlee two beautiful dresses for Christmas. Along with these two adorable dresses are matching shoes (two pairs, one for each dress) and a little black purse. Charlee was so excited to have two new dresses that she could barely wait for Sunday to come so she could wear one of them. Sunday finally arrived and through a series of excuses we were not going to be able to make it to church. About 30 minutes before church, Charlee asked if she could get dressed. I told her yes, not thinking much about it. Out she comes in her NEW dress, NEW shoes, and NEW purse. I smiled and said "Oh honey, not your church clothes, we aren't going to church today .... Griffin is sick.....excuse, excuse, excuse!" Right then and there, my little girl broke down in tears and sobbed "But, I want to go to church Mom, Heavenly Father wants me to go." Okay, so my little four year old was telling me what I needed to hear. I smiled and said "Okay, lets get ready!" I took Charlee to church and had probably the best Sunday School lesson in a really long time.
The next Sunday comes and Griffin is really sick. He is throwing up and not doing well at all. So this time, we didn't even attempt to make excuses. Mike got him and the kids ready and they went to church. Charlee wore her other NEW dress and NEW shoes! I stayed home with Griffin, and all was well in the McRae house.
So, now the next Sunday has rolled around. I was asked to sub in primary and I was so excited. I had my lesson all ready to go and couldn't wait to be there. Well, somehow I managed to catch a nasty virus and was really sick. There was no way I could go to primary and risk getting those cute little kids sick. Mike had worked graveyards that night and was exhausted. I called the primary president apologizing for my illness and had to excuse myself from church. Charlee comes waltzing in asking if it is time to get ready for church. I sadly explained to her that I could not go and I didn't want them going either.....the last thing I need is for Charlee throwing up on some poor little Sunbeam! The kids hadn't shown signs of being sick, but mine came on with little warning. She was SO SAD!! The only way I could save the day was to tell her that we were going to have our own PRIMARY at home! My little church goin', primary lovin' Charlee is in heaven!
A few hours later, I pulled out my Family Home Evening book. I gathered up the family and we had our own primary lesson on GraTiTudE!!!! We sang songs, had a prayer, it was our own little primary right in our home. While we were talking about gratitude, I kept thinking about how grateful I was to have such a sweet little girl who loves Heavenly Father and Jesus. She loves to hear the stories in the scriptures and sing about the gospel. How lucky am I to have such a special daughter who is reminding me to stay close to the Lord?
Now comes the really cute part! Nope, I am not done with the story yet! A few hours later, Charlee comes into the living room with her scriptures and her hands full of paper. We asked her what she was doing and to please not make another mess. Now I have to quote the next little bit.....
Charlee "Mom, can you get everyone in here? We are going to have primary."
Mom "But Charlee, we all ready had primary earlier. Remember?"
Charlee "I know Mom, but now I am going to do primary."
Mom "Okay!"
I gathered up the family....again for another primary lesson....Charlee style! She had found my drawer full of primary stuff, pulled out pictures, papers, and what not and taught us about several different things. We got to sing and pray some more! It was absolutely adorable! Here is my four year old teaching me!
Later that night Charlee and I had another conversation that went something like this!
Charlee "Mom, can we have primary again tomorrow?"
Mom "Sure honey!"
Charlee "Who do you think should teach us tomorrow?"
Mom "I am not sure, who do you think should teach the lesson?"
Charlee "I think I should cuz I do a really good job, huh?" (Imagine all the Charlee attitude in that comment - cuz it was ALL there!)
Mom " Yeah, I think you should do the lesson. You did a great job!"
Charlee "Yeah, I did a good job. Okay, I will do the lesson tomorrow!"
Through all of this Charlee helped me to see what I am lacking. I need to work harder in teaching the gospel more in our home. I need to be more diligent in going to church and look forward to it. The gospel is such a blessing in my life and I have been taking it for granted. I now see that I can't do that anymore, I have three little kids that watch everything I do, I need to be their example. Not the other way around! So, my little Charlee Boo, thank you for the HUGE lesson you taught me the last few weeks! I LOVE YOU!
Too Stinkin' Cute!
Last week I got to watch Jackson for the day instead of my little Scoti. I thought to myself in the morning, "This is going to be a hard day!" Actually, it was a great day! These two adorable little boys played together, giggled together, and smiled pretty much all day long. As soon as one woke up from a nap, the other one fell asleep. Life can't get much better than that! They were both in such happy moods, I couldn't resist taking pictures of their precious little smiles!
Jackson 5 months old!
These little boys are going to be such great little buddies! I am so happy that Griffin has TWO boy cousins (Brody & Jackson) just weeks apart in age. They are going to get to start preschool together, kindergarten together, create mass choas together......It is going to be so much fun!
Griffin 4 months old!
Jackson 5 months old!
These little boys are going to be such great little buddies! I am so happy that Griffin has TWO boy cousins (Brody & Jackson) just weeks apart in age. They are going to get to start preschool together, kindergarten together, create mass choas together......It is going to be so much fun!Goodbye 2008 - Hello 2009
Wow, this year has been a complete whirlwind! We did however go out with a bang! Charlee had the flu on New Year's Eve and this is how we spent ringing in the New Year......
Watching movies on my bed. Pretty exciting huh? You can tell that Charlee doesn't feel good at all. She was a rock star and stayed up until midnight, throwing up and all!
I am happy and sad to see this year go, we have had so much happen in 2008, hopefully we can sit back and take a deep breath in 2009. As I look back over the year we had several great things happen and of course, a few trials along the way. The experience that impacted my life the most this year was the birth of Griffin. Having children is a great and wonderful experience, but Griffin, he was different. Through his birth I learned to put all my trust in the Lord, faith is a must have, and the priesthood is a wonderful blessing. I am so blessed to be here today!
I have to mention some of the "THINGS" that happened this year.
JANUARY - Mike found his niche in law enforcement. He loves his job, that makes for a happy home!
FEBRUARY - We bought our first home.
MARCH - Cooper and I had the worst case of FLU ever. We moved into the new house!
APRIL - I endured passing kidney stones while pregnant! Mike turned 31. Yeah, he is getting old! Mike graduated from the police academy and received the Academic Achievement Award.
MAY - Cooper finished Kindergarten. I quit work to stay home with the kids!
JUNE - I turned 30. Man, I am getting old! We put in the front yard....Mike worked so hard!
JULY - Brody was born! Jackson was born! We went to Lagoon, it was SOOO HOT!
AUGUST - Griffin was born! Charlee turned 4. Our water main had a leak under the driveway, we had to break it up and fix it! The driveway is still in pieces - on our list of things to do! Mikes parents left on their mission to Australia!
SEPTEMBER - We went to the cabin with Scott & Shaunna - the kids had a blast!
OCTOBER- Cooper turned 7. Halloween was fun. Cooper brought strep throat home to us all!
NOVEMBER - Thanksgiving....a time to be grateful. Mike received a letter from the Army deploying him to Iraq in February.
DECEMBER - Christmas! Spending time with our families.
I know this next year is going to be a hard one because Mike will be gone. But, if I have learned anything in 2008 it is that I can make it...if I put my trust in the Lord. I will look back on this year and smile, it was a good year! I hope that 2009 will bring us many blessings! Goodbye 2008!!!
Watching movies on my bed. Pretty exciting huh? You can tell that Charlee doesn't feel good at all. She was a rock star and stayed up until midnight, throwing up and all!I am happy and sad to see this year go, we have had so much happen in 2008, hopefully we can sit back and take a deep breath in 2009. As I look back over the year we had several great things happen and of course, a few trials along the way. The experience that impacted my life the most this year was the birth of Griffin. Having children is a great and wonderful experience, but Griffin, he was different. Through his birth I learned to put all my trust in the Lord, faith is a must have, and the priesthood is a wonderful blessing. I am so blessed to be here today!
I have to mention some of the "THINGS" that happened this year.
JANUARY - Mike found his niche in law enforcement. He loves his job, that makes for a happy home!
FEBRUARY - We bought our first home.
MARCH - Cooper and I had the worst case of FLU ever. We moved into the new house!
APRIL - I endured passing kidney stones while pregnant! Mike turned 31. Yeah, he is getting old! Mike graduated from the police academy and received the Academic Achievement Award.
MAY - Cooper finished Kindergarten. I quit work to stay home with the kids!
JUNE - I turned 30. Man, I am getting old! We put in the front yard....Mike worked so hard!
JULY - Brody was born! Jackson was born! We went to Lagoon, it was SOOO HOT!
AUGUST - Griffin was born! Charlee turned 4. Our water main had a leak under the driveway, we had to break it up and fix it! The driveway is still in pieces - on our list of things to do! Mikes parents left on their mission to Australia!
SEPTEMBER - We went to the cabin with Scott & Shaunna - the kids had a blast!
OCTOBER- Cooper turned 7. Halloween was fun. Cooper brought strep throat home to us all!
NOVEMBER - Thanksgiving....a time to be grateful. Mike received a letter from the Army deploying him to Iraq in February.
DECEMBER - Christmas! Spending time with our families.
I know this next year is going to be a hard one because Mike will be gone. But, if I have learned anything in 2008 it is that I can make it...if I put my trust in the Lord. I will look back on this year and smile, it was a good year! I hope that 2009 will bring us many blessings! Goodbye 2008!!!
It's Been 10 Years!
Happy Anniversary! I can't believe Mike and I have been married for 10 years! So much has happened in such a short amount of time, it is hard to believe it was that long ago we became an eternal family! I am so lucky to have a husband who works hard to take care of me and my children. I love him very much, and I know he loves me. We have been through some wonderful times, difficult times, exciting times and some plain old boring times. It has all been worth it. I am looking forward to what the next ten years will bring! I love you babe!
These are the beautiful flowers that he gave me!
ChRisTmAs 2008!
Christmas came and went too quickly this year. I am always so excited for the Christmas season to arrive, decorate the house, shop for gifts, bake, spend time with family, all the great stuff. This year though the time passed so quickly I felt like it wasn't even Christmas at all. We did have a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Santa came to the McRae house even though Charlee was on the naughty list! She lucked out this year! He even left the kids a special note in the tree they found while opening their presents. The note told Cooper and Charlee that since they have been such great helpers with their new little brother Griffin, he left them an extra special gift hidden in the closet. It was so funny and so cute watching the kids run from room to room checking all the closets. They finally checked the hall closet (where Mike keeps all of his uniforms and police stuff - the closet they can't get into) and found two LARGE presents. One was wrapped in blue wrapping paper, the other in pink wrapping paper. They immediately knew which one belonged to who and could hardly contain themselves! Santa sent Charlee all the Disney Princess dolls! He left Cooper an Air Soft Pistol and Rifle! Santa delivered several new little toys, sleepers and clothes for Griffin - he didn't get to excited about much!
I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I am grateful for this time of year because I am reminded of my Savior and His birth. I am able to teach my children that even though Santa is fun, he is not the reason we have this special day. I love the Lord, we are so blessed to know the truth and have the gospel in our lives!
Santa came to the McRae house even though Charlee was on the naughty list! She lucked out this year! He even left the kids a special note in the tree they found while opening their presents. The note told Cooper and Charlee that since they have been such great helpers with their new little brother Griffin, he left them an extra special gift hidden in the closet. It was so funny and so cute watching the kids run from room to room checking all the closets. They finally checked the hall closet (where Mike keeps all of his uniforms and police stuff - the closet they can't get into) and found two LARGE presents. One was wrapped in blue wrapping paper, the other in pink wrapping paper. They immediately knew which one belonged to who and could hardly contain themselves! Santa sent Charlee all the Disney Princess dolls! He left Cooper an Air Soft Pistol and Rifle! Santa delivered several new little toys, sleepers and clothes for Griffin - he didn't get to excited about much!
I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I am grateful for this time of year because I am reminded of my Savior and His birth. I am able to teach my children that even though Santa is fun, he is not the reason we have this special day. I love the Lord, we are so blessed to know the truth and have the gospel in our lives!
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