May already and I'm barely used to writing 2011.

It's already May, and I'm barely used to writing 2011 on things. Just the other day I wrote 2010 on a check, and they returned it to me angrily like "Lady, get your stuff together already." I'm not sure why or how motherhood ends up making you lose serious track of time, but it does. Between working, McKinley, Church, and baking, I barely feel like I have time to sleep none the less master the date. :)

We've had a few busy months, but they aren't nearly what they used to be. If you followed our blog back in 2006 or 2007, you would remember that Jared and I did anlot of traveling. We enjoyed visiting friends and new places and just had fun through the summers away from home. Now it feels like we couldn't get away if we wanted to! We've gotten cheaper, finances are tighter, McKinleys schedule is necessary, and really who wants to be in the car for 10 hours at out age? It sounds funny when I say it to myself, but at the ripe old age of 25 it's just to hard to get out of the routine. I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who know what I mean.

Jared and I have just been working as usual, nothing to terribly exciting has been happening around our house. Jared is now teaching Sunday school to the 15 year olds at church, I'm in nursery, and this past weekend we ran the Indy Mini Marathon. McKinley is growing like a weed, literally, the kid is growing so fast. Just now I heard her say, "popo" from her crib which now means she is removing her diaper. Lucky me!

I wish I updated this more, but it has seemed to run second to my food blog where inshore my treats with the world... So if you ever start to miss me, just visit me over there and leave me a comment www.apronstringsandpearls.blogspot.com

Baking & Caking!

It's been a very long time since the last time I updated our blog.  It just feels like everything is happening at such a rapid rate that I don't have time to even think about blogging.  Wake up, work, play, make dinner, sleep, and do it all over again. 

Since last June, Jared has adjusted to his new job with Arby's and is loving working for them.  He's loving the company as a whole, and the people he is working with don't seem to bad either.  He's been with them now for the past 8 months, so that's a good sign!

I've been working from home, still doing the Real Estate thing, and loving every minute of it.  I've actually really enjoyed being home with McKinley lately.  She's learning SO much right now!  She knows so many animal sounds, and letters, and knows how to answer yes or no questions. She's becoming such a little girl!  (I love it and hate it all at the same time) I almost want her to stop growing, because I feel like there just isn't enough time to spend together. 

We took a trip to the Children's Museum yesterday, it was free for a few hours since it was Presidents Day, and I guess everyone else in the city thought that it would be a good idea to go there too.  I swear, it was so full there that when you moved around you had to make a beeping noise.  haha. I took McKinley, and we went alongside my sister Ashley and her daughter Ashlynn.  It was so much fun!

 McKinley loves hanging out with her cousin!

 I didn't see the word bubble on the wall, but what a funny caption for McKinley!

SO happy to be out and having fun with cousin!

I've been baking a lot lately too.  It's such a stress reliever for me, and I just love the fruits of those labors! :) 

I've been trying a few different things, along with my usual Cupcakes.  Some bread, desserts, etc, and it's been a lot of fun.  This week?  Bread, and Eclair Cupcakes! :)

 I'm still practicing!

 This was McKinley's Birthday Cake - Back in Sept.!

 My very first basketweave.  Easy peasy.

 Valentines Day Cupcakes!  French Vanilla cakes with Cream Cheese frosting!

 Black Forrest Cupcakes, sooooo good!

 Lobster Tails - not bad, but needs a little bit of tweaking.

 Choolate Raspberry Torte

Cannolli Cupcakes!  What's that you say? You've never had a cannolli cupcake?  Shame on you! They're dE-lish!

10 months, diapers, and a tooth left over.

It's been a month since I wrote last, and every time I get back to my computer it seems like a lot of new stuff has happened. As usual, we've been having a lot of fun around our house, and very little sleep. :)

McKinley is through her 10th month now, which is insane to me, and has mastered a few new skills. She has learned to take her diaper off on her own. It only took me three or four mornings of coming in to wet sheets that I realized we had to do something. Sooooo, we bought a potty. I've been given a lot of opinions about early potty training, most of which are negative, but to be honest she's doing really well. And I'm finding that the time we spend together while she's on the potty is special and I'm really starting to cherish it. Only a mother would say something like that. So far, she's understanding what the potty is for and has used it several times, and then loves to watch it flush. Hopefully we can get her all trained by the time she's 18 months or so and can only be using the pull ups at night. That's the goal.

My baby has also finally got her first tooth. It was about time! It was funny because last weekend we were at my nieces 1 year Birthday and she had some cousins from her dads side over to celebrate, one of which was 2 weeks younger than Kinley. His mom, Amy, asked If she had any teeth yet and I told her not yet. She said, "oh, and I thought (her son) was a late bloomer." talk about making me self conscious! haha. Goodness knows that I hadn't even felt her gums in weeks, so when I checked later that day, sure enough there was a tooth budging through. Thankfully it was only two or three days before it was all the way through and the crying was over. Ashlynn's birthday was a lot of fun, and I made a few friends (including Amy and her son) and hope to see them again soon.

Jared has started EMT school since I last posted too. Between work and school we haven't seen him a lot lately, but it's worth it. He's liking school which is good, and were hoping he can get in to apply to the fire department this fall and get going with that. He'll get his state certification on Sept 11th so it isn't too long of a class at all, thankfully.

Our business is going well, we've been doing a lot of business with people we love. It's great to have clients that we love.

I need to get going, this is just one of the many things I need to do while the girl is asleep. Pictures are coming this afternoon!

Mobile Blogging from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

It's June again...

So here I am again, sitting at the computer rushing to get a post up while McKinley is sleeping.  So much has happened at our house since the last time I posted (WAY to long ago!). Just when I get determined to post again, major things happen and I don't do it. 

Our most major change this past month... Jared quit his job at Donatos.  We had finally had enough, and he had been given a great opportunity with Arby's so we took it.  It has been a difficult but good change for us.  After 12 years with Donatos (and never working anywhere else) it was difficult for Jared to quit, but he seems to be happy with his decision now.  He gave a week notice, had one week off, and is now on his second week of training with Arby's.  His goal at this point is to get all of his certification and training done
to become a firefighter by the fall, and hopefully get on with the Fishers Fire Department.  That's  the goal!  For now, make sure you support Arby's  by eating there for Jared!

I just posted a collage of the girls that I took of them late last week.  The weather was nice, just super hot, so we were only outside for a few minutes. Hopefully I can get some of them in the puddle this week.  I'll make sure to get them up if I do.  McKinley is now a crawling maniac, and very close to walking.  She can pull herself up and stand alone for very brief seconds.  We're so excited, and are loving every second of her. She's discovering so many new things, it's so much fun for us to watch!

For now, I'll leave you with a few others.  :) Have a great week!

Ms. McKinley Addison!  (9 months)

Ashlynn Taylor (11 months!)

McKinley & Her Cousin

I decided to take a few quick photos of McKinley and her cousin Ashlynn this week. I'm happy with how they turned out! The girls are getting so big, I don't want to forget to document it.

It's time to get creative!

I've taken the last few days off of work (because I've worked twice as much as normal these past two weeks and I'm burnt out), and I've really been in the mood to do something creative. I used to think that I had all sorts of fun things just laying around my house that I could use to paint, sew, etc. Apparently, I've used all of those resources because I've got nothing to do!

In search of a few good ideas, I turned to my fellow bloggers, and I found some really creative ideas and a lot of great new friends! (Not to mention even more reading material!)

It all started when I landed upon Little Birdie Secrets.  Isn't it cute??  There, I learned how to make French Dress Party Garland (Thank you!) which I'm dying to use.  I'm thinking I can do it for the next bridal shower I throw, I think I will make them adorable white dresses! And than you Ashley from Cute As A Fox for getting me a pattern! (We're getting to you next Ashley!

From Little Birdie Secrets, I was led to Cute As A Fox, by Ashley (which is another FANTASTIC and crafty blog - I added the webpage as an icon on my iphone if that tells you anything). 

There I learned how to make these amazing ribbon rosette headbands which I love, love, love! I mean seriously, who wouldn't love them?  I can't wait to make a bunch for McKinley!  I'm thinking that since McKinley still has a pretty tiny head and wont keep a headband on, I'm going to make some of the rosettes in smaller form and put them on the soft baby headbands.  I'm thinking it should still work.  (Esp. since I learned from my friend Kristin how to make the baby headbands out of tights!)

To be honest, I'm not sure how I found my next one.  I'm pretty sure they were all linked together some how, in one really awesome creative universe, but regardless it's Today's Creative Blog. I just LOVED how many wonderful things there were to chose from.  She had what seems like everything you could ever need, right on her blog!  I'm pretty sure she has anything you can imagine.  Anyhow, she hooked me up with my next creative blog...

Okay, so this blog was a lot of fun.  It's called That's My Story & I'm Sticking To It. She has some fantastic scrapbooking ideas, and she seems to be an extrememly creative person.  The one thing that I really enjoyed from her blog were these great little cupcake stands (you can make them in virtually any color) they're great for spring!  

Well, I'm hoping that none of these blogs mind that I'm giving them some props today.  I really just wanted to share them with you, because they all really inspired me to go out and be creative.  I'm not sure what I'll be creating today, but as soon as I have something up, I'll be sure to let you know! I can't wait!  Thank you so much to all of you creative people out there who can help inspire those of us with a little less creativity.  :) 

Freshness Update!

I was really starting to feel like the blog needed a "Boost" if you know what I mean. It was really starting to bother me that I hadn't changed anything in so long. Everyone seems to be revamping their blogs with the warming of temperatures so I figured it was a good time for me to do it as well. I decided to go with a super summer feel! Well, I have to get going for now... FHE tonight... we'll talk again soon! Leave me a comment on how you're vamping up your blog too! :)

Kitchen Adventures!

So, those of you who know me well know that I don't cook.  I might occasionally "warm something up", or put premade cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, but when it comes to actually cooking a meal - it's far and few between. I've been noticing lately that my very-well-fed-baby has been eyeing my eating habits.  If I'm holding a Coke, she purses her lips and reaches for it as if to say, "Share, Mommy!" It's enough to make me want to eat healthier. Since I've been thinking a lot more about eating healthier I figured I had better start cooking more at home. (Ughhhhhhh!!!!!)

McKinley has the freshest of the fresh when she eats, so I figured I should use that as a good opportunity to eat the freshest foods that I can as well.  Since I'm in the produce section, I'll buy fresh green beans instead of making the trip to the canned food section. (They cost almost the exact same amount!) So here, on the blog of many blogs, I will document my experiences in cooking. I'm sure that along the way there will be many laughs, and many, many tears... and probably a few dinners that end up in the trash while we order chinese.  But for now, my hopes are high and I will try my best. I'll be sure to post recipes along the way for those of you who may want to try them too!

For our first night (last night) of real dinners at home, I made Chicken Piccata with a side of Green Beans.  Along with many other things I've been blessed with (including humility!) I was blessed with the same talent as my father - I don't measure things, I just eyeball measurements.  It can be bad for some people, but it is usually spot on for me.  So anyhow, I'll post recipes here, but they may not be the exact same as mine. 

Chicken Piccata is one of the worlds easiest dinners.  ANYONE can do it.  It is soooooo good too! 

First you start by washing and trimming the chicken.  I like to butterfly my chicken so that it's significantly thinner and cooks faster. Then you coat it in flour, salt, sugar (and I like to add garlic powder).  Brown in a pan on Medium high heat.

(My stove looks like it never gets used!)

Perfect browing is easy... make sure the pan is already hot when you put the chicken in.  Heat the pan with some olive oil and butter. 

Take the chicken out of the pan and put on a plate with a paper towel (drains grease).  Put olive oil, mushrooms, dry white wine, and lemon juice in pan and let simmer.  When the sauce is thick, put the chicken back in the pan and let simmer for 5-10 more minute. 

The finished product it yummy!!!

Some steamed green beans, and we're ready to go! 

YUMMMMM!!!! It turned out so good!!!!

Continuation from earlier...

Ahhh, and back to the drawing board.  She just went down for another nap (that's unusual at our house) so I have a few more minutes to finish up blogging.  Lately she has had a mind of her own and has taken four or five fifteen minute naps every day.  She usually only takes one nap for about an hour and a half mid-morning so this is not a good schedule for me.  I find myself driving around for no reason because she fell asleep in the car and I don't want to wake her by getting her out. haha.

Thanks to my friend Heather who posted on my last post regarding church.  Those are all great ideas!  Unfortunately, she's still at the stage where she doesn't really understand that she needs to be quiet.  We try and show her, so hopefully she will get it soon.  I'll just keep praying and working on it.  :)

I think I figured out the video thing... after a quick google. Blogger really has simplified things since the last time I updated - and to be honest it's a very welcome change!!! I'm not liking having to upload my videos to YouTube.com though, and I'm wondering if I can hide them everywhere else except my blog?  If you have any suggestions, they're more than welcome!



This is the video of McKinley saying Dada, which is kind of cute.



This is the one where she is trying to crawl.  You'll have to forgive me, I took it on my phone and I filmed it upside down so that's how you have to view it.  My bad. 

Everything else is going well around here.  Our business has picked up, which has been nice.  It's mostly because of the home buyer tax credit that's about to expire.  (A special thank you to the federal housing administration for the shrinking home loans - I'm looking forward to that.) 

Jared's work is well, work.  They are closing his store, and opening a new one in Noblesville where he was promised the GM position.  Unfortunately, they just came to him and said they were opening the position up to the rest of the district and that he was welcome to apply.  Anyhow, 5 other people applied too, and they will be having the interviews soon.  It's safe to say Jared is looking for a new job.  We'll see how his search goes.  It's sad since he's been with the same company for almost 13 years.  I guess change can be good though. 

Welp, the sun is shining and I want to get out in it, so I have to run.  I hope it won't be as long before the next time we meet!

Spring Showers!

This morning I decided to spend some time catching up on a few friends blogs.  I took nearly 2 hours (time that I should have used for work) and read and read.  Thank you all for letting us see into your lives.  It can be so much fun reading what others have to say, and yet, I very rarely update our blog.  So here I am, 9:28 am, and am finally sitting down to update.  Go figure, I turn the computer on - log into my blog - and then the kid wakes up.  What are the odds?  : ) 

We've been having so much fun lately.  McKinley is really starting to have her own little personality, and attitude.  She has certainly figured out how to work everyone that's for sure.  The biggest culprits?  Her dad and her grandpa.  They are putty in her hands.  She's saying dada now, which melts our hearts, and is in the beginning stages of crawling.  We had her 6 month check-up earlier this week, and she's gorwing well! She's a little short for her age at 23 inches long, but her weight is right on at 18lbs.  It's funny, I could have swore she was almost 25lbs... haha, maybe I should start working out.

My newest struggle is church. I love it once I'm there (it's always hard to get up and go) but then McKinley is in the stage of wanting to talk and scream.  I don't want to be disruptive, so I'm finding myself standing in the hall a lot.  Someone tell me that it gets easier, please!  Jared and I share her equally for Sacrament, and then alternate each week on who gets her in sunday school and third hour.  This way we each get at least an hour of peace and focus.  But still, I can't wait for the days when she is just quiet and sits nicely.  Does that ever happen?

My last post was about how she is liking being in the kitchen with grandpa.  I had a few people mention that the picture didn't load, so I'll repost it.  She loves her apron, it's her favorite piece of clothing since it means she gets to cook. 

Oh wow, I'm loving the new blogger software.  It's so much easier to add photo's now!

If we aren't friends on Facebook, add me as a friend.  I'm ALWAYS uploading pictures and videos there.

This is my first time uploading a video to the blog, but we'll see how it goes...

 Did it work????

It worked, but it's still not right... let me try another one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Z1SZH12Y8

Hmmm.....

It's harder than I expected... unless there is a trick somewhere that shows you how to do it. I'll google later and find out. 

Anyhow, I'll update later when the girl isn't trying to eat the cord.  :) 

McKinley's 1st Hobby

When McKinley was an infant, we quickly learned that some of the rooms in our house would calm her down when she would cry. At home, when she would cry uncontrollably, we would take her into a dark bathroom and turn on the blow dryer. For some reason that worked to help her calm down. At my parents house there are certain rooms too. The kitchen. Random, but that's her favorite room at their house. Lately, she's been spending quite a bit of time with Grandpa in the kitchen. Not because she has been crying, just because she loves to watch him cook & bake, and is happy to sit and watch. Last week Grandpa made double chocolate chip cookies and McKinley was his Sous Chef.  

I even made her an apron with her name on it, and a big cupcake. Okay, I bought the apron, and embellished it. But hey, I would have made it if I had to! :) I love you JoAnn Fabrics! 

I'll have to update morepictures later today from the computer, but at least you get a taste! :) 

March? Already? No way.

When did March get here and where the heck did January and February go? I think 2010 is going to go too quickly. Maybe that's a good thing, but I'm not certain of that just yet.

I guess now would be a good time to tell you about all of the new things in our lives. I'm almost exactly six months into motherhood which has been absolutely amazing. I'm not too see where the last six months have gone either. In the mornings when I go into McKinley's room to get her, I expect to see this tiny 7lb something baby in her crib and yet that is NOT what I find. She's gigantic. Almost 20lbs already, and I'm not adjusting well. I really need to start working out because my arms are not strong enough for this child.

Speaking of her weight, we just bought her a new carseat. No more for the infant carrier that I loved so much. I hated that carrier, I thought it was such a pain and that I would enjoy the new carseat more. Boy was I wrong! Getting her in and out of the big girl seat while she is asleep is no fun. Or trying to adjust her while she's in the car, yuck. And did I mention that I have to carry her now? Were getting really proficient at getting the stroller out... EVERY TIME we get out of the car. It's a great carseat though, Evenflo 3-1 which means we hopefully won't have to buy another one EVER. Those seats aren't cheap! Poor Jared had to put up with me buying a seat and then returning it because, "it just doesn't feel safe enough for our baby." it's true I returned one after an hour of installation just to but a new one at a totally different store. And I made him go on a Sunday to but it, nonetheless, because she was going to be safe on the car dang it!

Aside from our carseat debachle, she's been doing a lot of fun things of her own. She's rolling over now, and has been for awhile now. She zerbers and gives raspberrys now which are so funny as long as there isn't food in her mouth. (I'm not a fan of crusted baby food on my clothes.) Her hair is getting longer, and she's getting bigger but that's about it. Oh, and she is smiling a lot now and is very tempramental but that's typical for a Vivona-Peyton.

I've been feeding her baby food of course, but because I am who I am, I felt the need to make her baby food. It was a MUST that she eat homemade and organic baby food. It was a huge deal for me. Jared and I went on a date to the whole foods market and bought $70 or fruits and veggies, and then came home and puree'd it all up. And then... I canned it. Word to the wise, it's not meant to be canned. We are finishing it off, and then we'll begin freezing. I'm not sure why, but the can don't stay sealed very well, and apparently it's the acid in the fruits and veggies. Who would have known? We've thrown out half of them, and have about 15 left. There were like 50 of them to begin with. Anyhow, if anyone has any ice cube trays that they would like to donate to the cause, just let me know.

On to work... Work has been great. We've been really busy which is nice. Were on track to double our numbers this year! It's great, but we would still like to do even more so were always looking for great referrals. It's a great business to do with a baby too, she is a great people meet-er and I can do a lot with her. And when I need to meet clients Ashley watches her for menso it's great.

Jared is doing good too. He's still doing his thing at the Noblesville store, and that's pretty much that. We've been watching a friends dog for the past 6 weeks and he's had his hands fun with her.

I think that's pretty much it. I'll email some photos to he blog in a few, I can't upload them into my blog from my phone.

Have a fantastic rest of the week!!!!!

2009 Year in Review!

This past year has been crazy, emotional, busy, and stressful. However, it's been one of the best years we've ever had. He never said it would be easy, just worth it. And it really has been worth it. Let's kick this year in review off right with a strong January! (Ever wonder what a years worth of Facebook status updates look like? Me too, apparently I could only go back to Sept. 24!)

January

Jared and I found out that we were pregnant. It was a little surprising (since my sister had just announced that she too was pregnant), but happy! I was freaked out at first, but by the end of the month, it was okay. It was a great way to kick off the year, but stressful too.

February

Matt turned 19 & I turned 23 (AH!!!!) This month Matt also got his Mission call to Czech Prague! We were so excited. He only had a few months to prepare, but he was so excited and we were too!

March

March was a crazy busy month. I left the real estate team that I was working with and joined forces with my mom to create The Vivona-Peyton Team. It was stressful getting everything organized, but was WAY worth it. This pretty much took up our entire month, with getting signs ordered, websites set up, business cards together, combining databases, and lead generating.

April

Both of our doggies graduated from doggy training! We have certificates to prove it!! That was a big feat for us, they needed the training really badly. It was one of the best Christmas presents we've ever received! We were also blessed to see McKinley via ultrasound this month. She looked like a baby! Her fingers were so cute and long - we should have known then. It was such a neat blessing, and very exciting. IT'S A GIRL! I went to a fun 80's party at my friend Amy's house which was a blast too (I have pictures of my leggings!) where we hung out in a cemetery! (Creepy!)

May

The beginning of May, we dog sat Jared's boss' dog Aggie. She is an English Bulldog who stole our hearts. It was a lot of fun to have her at our house and was hard to send her home. My grandma and aunt came to visit this month for Ashley's baby shower. It was a lot of fun to have them here! My grandma was obsessed with seeing the "Amish country" that she had read about, so we took the VERY long drive up to Shipshewana. Thankfully, it's over and we got it out of the way so we wont ever have to go back - It was so boring! AND -the quilts were "Made in China"! Lame!

A highlight this month was taking Matt to the temple for the first time. Mom, Dad, Jared & I, and Matt all made the drive up to Chicago to visit the Chicago temple. He was so excited, and we were excited to go with him. It was such a fun opportunity.

June

I was growing more and more uncomfortable as I grew larger, but we were still able to do a few fun things. We joined our friends Amy & Derek for a fun "Puppy Picnic!" downtown, which was a lot of fun. It's always great to get together with them, especially since we can bring the doggies. We also had a couple baby showers which were a lot of fun - especially the one that my two girl friends threw for me. It was a lot of fun, and everyone decorated baby onsies for baby McKinley!

July

July was a great month! My niece Ashlynn was born on the 23! It was such as special blessing! We were also having our new floors installed, which was FANTASTIC! New carpet throughout the upstairs, and laminates downstairs. We finally had floors, and it is great! We also celebrated the fourth of July with our good friends Matt & Amanda on the rooftop of a parking garage in downtown Indianapolis. It was a blast.

August

Our last month of freedom... Matt left for the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on August 12th. It was sad and was hard to let him go, but exciting all the while. After Matt left, everyone sort of just laid low for awhile and enjoyed playing with Ashlynn. I made my very first batch of maple syrup which was SO good! I didn't know that I could MAKE syrup until I was desperate!

September

September was a GREAT month! We welcomed McKinley into the world on the 10th, and have been enjoying life ever since! This pretty much consumed our month, but was such a wonderful blessing!!!

October

This month we celebrated Mom's Birthday - she was 25 (again!). It was the girls very first holiday, Halloween! They won the "cutest costume" contest at the ward party, which was a blast. Ashlynn was a penguin, and McKinley was a mouse (perfect since her auntie calls her "mouse"). The girls were SO cute. Ashley and I took the girls to the Children's Museum and went through the happy haunted house which was a lot of fun, and the same day we went to the Halloween Festival on the east side. It was FREEZING, but we all bundled up really good and had a lot of fun. Ashlynn was blessed this month, and that was really special too, even Chris's family attended.

November

My grandparents and Aunt and Uncle all came to visit over Thanksgiving. While they were here, we (everyone except Jared) drove up to Chicago for a Friday and Saturday. Saturday was the festival of Lights parade on the magnificent mile, and it was a lot of fun. It was nice to take the girls somewhere new too. When we got back to town, my aunt and uncle went home and my grandparents stayed for Thanksgiving. I gave McKinley her first solid food (Vanilla Wafer) and she LOVED it. She screamed at me when I took it away. McKinley's baby blessing was the 22nd, which was really special! Everyone that we loved was there including Jared's childhood best friend Spencer, and his mission buddy Justin. It was so special, and so sweet!

December

So far December has been great. Jared and I, and Ashley and Chris, took the girls downtown on the 5th to the circle of lights. It was fun and we got some cue pictures. Ash even taught me how to wear my baby carrier, haha. We've had a pretty calm month so far, which has been nice. Christmas is just around the corner and then the new year - it seems like this year has just gone so quickly. McKinley now weighs 14 pounds, and is 25 inches long... Jared and I are not quite so lucky. :) P90X will be ringing in the new year with us.

This year in review didn't even highlight all of the many wonderful clients that we've helped. It's been such a special year, and so many of you have made it bright!

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year! We love you all!!!

Megan

Life's a mess, a wonderful mess!

A LOT has happened since the last time I updated the blog. I wish I had time to update every week, we're just learning how to manage our time efficiently. I have a lot of pictures to update you with, so here we go...

First, we had Halloween - We took a few trips to the Children's Museum for the haunted house, and then there was Halloween night.

McKinley and I on Halloween night, we bundled all up and sat on the porch to hand out candy. She is our little mouse, so her costume was fitting. :)

Cousin Ashlynn & McKinley in their Halloween costumes! Ashlynn is a penguin, and McKinley was a mouse. They were so cute together! They won a costume contest at the church Halloween party for the cutest costumes!

So tired!

Ashley and I took the girls to the Halloween festival on the east side of Indy. We had a lot of fun, and the girls enjoyed it too. It was really cold that day, but the strollers made it easy, and we had one heck of a time getting them into the trunk of my Honda Civic!

One day we took the girls to the Children's Museum for the haunted house, and while we were there we rode the merry go round. The guys tagged along too, hence the picture... :)

Ashley and I decided what we would be for Halloween!!! Haha!

Jared and I finally got McKinley one of those Bumbo seats to sit in. She was starting to get a flat spot on the back of her head (Apparently I hold her too much). But she is getting really good neck strength, and is sitting up really well on her own.

She constantly plays with her tongue. "Mom, look!"

Those blue eyes make me so happy.

Okay, so I have gotten a lot of flack for this but it's okay. We gave McKinley a vanilla wafer and she loved it. She liked it so much that when I took it away (because it was all soggy!) she screamed at me.

Vanilla Wafer all over that sweet little face.

These girls are best friends forever! It's so wonderful how close in age they are.

Okay, my cousin Jenny made these adorable headbands, and sent them with my Aunt & Uncle when they came to visit to test them out on the girls. They had a few flaws (the Flowers were too big) but they were still so cute I had to get a few pictures to send back with them. My Aunt, Uncle, & grandparents came out on the 18th and it has been a blast. My aunt and uncle left on the 24th, and my grandparents just headed home today.

Let me know which one is your favorite - I'm thinking about doing one of those Anne Geddes photo shoots. :)

I think McKinley liked the yellow one the best.

Here she is again, enjoying the yellow.

Oh, and did I mention she made a hat one too?? Very funny, but extremely cute.

While our family was in town, we all went up to Chicago and spent a couple of days playing. We went up and down the magnificent mile and saw all of the Christmas lights. We were there when they had their parade and lit all of the shop windows. Unfortunately, it was jam packed and we couldn't watch from the street. Thankfully our room was on the mile so we could look out the window and see the end of the parade and fireworks.

The girls all bundled up as we walk up and down the strip.

All of the girls went bra shopping while we were there (everyone but Jared came to Chicago) and the boys got tired of waiting with the babies.

The girls and I after walking ALL the way back to our room during the parade. I was SO tired!!!!

Once we got back to Indy, we had McKinley's baby blessing. These were all of the friends and family that were there to support us! From Left to right, My mom, my grandma, my grandpa, My uncle, Me, my Aunt, Jared, Ashley, Chris, Jared's friends Justin & Spencer, and my dad.

Our little family! (Time to start P90X!) We waited until Nov. to 23 to do McKinley's baby blessing so that our family could be here for it. It was so beautiful! (I made her dress, and it was so dang cute & the perfect size!!)

Last but not least, this past Friday Ashley, the boys, & I took the girls downtown for the Christmas tree lighting.

We had a lot of fun, and so did the babies. They were snug and warm against their mommy's so they slept most of the time.

Our little family at the lighting!

Ashley, Chris, & Ashlynn at the Christmas tree!

We've had a lot of fun these past three months. So much has happened and life feels like it's just flying. Jared is now working at the store in Noblesville so our lives have gotten much easier. He only has a short drive to work and home so we're getting to see him more often. My business has been going well too. We're working off of referrals now, so things are going smoothly.

Matt's mission in Czech has kept us on our toes. We don't hear from him nearly as often as we would like, so every time we get a letter it's such a relief. We found out today that he only gets his mail every 9 weeks, so it makes sense now why we wasn't answering our questions. :) We miss him terribly, and can't wait for him to meet his new niece, but we're glad he's serving the Lord.

Well, Jared is calling me for dinner so I had better go. Hopefully this is enough to keep you entertained for a few more days. We hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!!! Love you all!