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!

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!!!

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!

Coops Black Eye!

Last weekend we headed up North for the annual McRae Family Christmas Party. We had a great time spending time with family. It was nice to see everyone and share in the spirit of the holidays! Cooper and Charlee love to spend time with their cousins. They get to play, rough house, wrestle, run around like maniacs and overall have fun! Well, it is all fun and games.....until someone gets hurt! This time it was Cooper! Cooper was wrestling with his cousin Jake when Cooper managed to hit his face into a wooden rocking chair! You can only imagine the HUGE goose egg that immediately developed . However, Cooper was a trooper and toughed it out, he only cried for a minute.


These pictures were taken the morning after the kiss with the rocking chair!

Three days later and much explaining to several people, Coopers eye is turning from black and blue to a nice shade of yellow and green!

p.s. Jake was totally playing with Cooper and this was a complete accident! We love Jake and appreciate that he takes the time to wrestle and play with Cooper, because Cooper looks forward to hanging out with his cousin Jake!

Numa, Numa - Charlee Style

Charlee's favorite song to sing is Numa Numa! Here is a short HYSTERICAL clip of Charlee singing in the car at the top of her lungs. It is so funny because she is totally off key and so loud! I love that she has no inhibitions and can always be herself! If you have never heard this song, it is in Romanian and if you want to hear the whole thing, go to youtube!

Bye, Bye Bathroom!!

For those of you lucky enough to use our bathroom, consider yourself privileged! Because as of today, it has been demolished and thrown out in the backyard in bits and pieces! So, say your farewell, shed your tears and just wait until you see what is in store. This old ugly bathroom is getting a desperately needed makeover!

Not very many people are cool enough to have a toilet on their back patio. It's kind of the new thing now. You should try it out - works great for the kids and stuff! (Sense the sarcasm?)

Here is Mike hard at work laying tile! Now, I love this travertine tile. I think it is beautiful and well, it just fits our family's personality. Mike likes it too, once it is all finished. He doesn't think it is so beautiful while he is cutting, laying, grouting - ya know all that stuff that goes with those pretty new floors!

Mike is such a hard worker! Isn't he so good to me? I think I will keep him around for a little bit longer!

Once the makeover is done, I will show you the finished product!