2007, Our Year in Review

Break out the noisemakers and the words to Auld Lang Syne, 2008 is almost here and '07 is gone! Do you believe it? I sure don't. As I've said many times, this whole year has just FLOWN by. Fellow parents tell me that it just gets faster and faster. Ayyy...

To recap 2007...its been pretty sweet. Well, at least the last half was! The first half I was CONSTANTLY sick in one form or another and Cary just went with it. LOL. Poor guy.
We had many exciting adventures...

*Ultrasounds! At 10 weeks pregnant, we heard Baby V's heartbeat. At week 20, we were supposed to find out who we had...McKinley decided otherwise and strategically placed his umbillical cord between his legs, forcing Mommy & Daddy-to-be to wait four more weeks. AGONY. Very soon though, we found out we were having our baby boy! Yay! Pictured is one of the AWESOME shots taken during our 4D sonogram. It really looks like McKinley too!

*Weekend getaways and good times! Living up the last few months as 'just the two of us', we headed off to many fun destinations; Edinburgh shopping trips, St. Louis Cardinals games, and many trips to Indy's HUGE BRU (Babies R Us) just to name a few. We had so much fun together, as always. And we had a total blast at this year's Queen's Ball. As

the pregnant one of the bunch, I was officially the D.D. (Designated Driver).

*Play Ball! Cary spent much of the spring coaching baseball again, though this time he only signed on as assistant because of the pregnancy. He had a lot of fun and did so well, as always. I hope he continues at this, he is an excellent role model to these young boys.

*School's out! Proudly, I finished up my core studies through Indiana Wesleyan. Now, if they would just get me through this last stupid class...ugh.

*Baby Preparations! Gosh, did we have fun putting McKinley's nursery together. I'm so proud of how it turned out, its the 'funnest' room in the house. LOL - How funny it must have been to see the two of us working around my belly to configure the furniture and get the stripes painted! Good times! Also along the 'prep' line, I had a few showers that were SO much fun!

In the end, we battled Gestational Diabetes, twice daily insulin shots and a constant array of illnesses (eye infections, upper respiratory infections, carpal tunnel, etc.) through the 9 month duration, but the result was FANTASTIC!

*Celebrate! Cary and I celebrated 8 great years together in February and 3 wonderful years of marriage in October.

*The arrival of a brand new title! Parents! What a year to become parents! McKinley arrived on FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH of July. Luckiest day of our lives! After too many hours or labor to mention, we ended up delivering via C-section at a very early 5:26 a.m. That's something worth waking up early for!

*Sharing Family Memories! Since then, everything has been captured on our blog. We've had a beautiful baptism, 1st Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus many more fun and random moments to be so thankful for.

Bottom line? This year, we have certainly been blessed. We all look forward to a great year and wish all of you the very same.

Happy New Year! See ya in '08!

Lynn, Cary & McKinley

Holiday Recap

Whew!

Time for a breather!

Over the last few days we have been so busy, it is nice to have a day to just chill. Cary and I have SO enjoyed watching our son on his first Christmas. We were able to do so many things and start some really wonderful traditions. We have many pictures and events to share.

Usual Midnight Mass go-ers, this year as first time parents we opted to head to the family liturgy in the early evening at Church in hopes to help make it a pleasant, yet still religious event. What a success! We had a great time watching all the young children of St. Benedict's act out the story of the Birth of Christ. As I watched Joseph (with Mary, of course), I couldn't help but hope there is a 'little' bit of Mommy in McKinley (I was very active in Children's Theatre and Drama camp-I know...shocking, huh?). Maybe someday he will take time out from his busy sports schedule to play a leading role in the church Christmas play! Hee hee hee. Just once?!

The church was beautiful and magical, as it always is, but even more so at Christmastime. My favorite part was walking into a darkened church only lit by candlelight. It was so beautiful. McKinley even seemed so taken by the excitement of the evening, he watched everything so intently and was truly an angel. Afterward, we went for some Mexican food and out for a few last minute things.

When we got home, we all got ready for bed, comfy in our jammies and started the new 'old tradition' of reading 'The Night Before Christmas' to McKinley. Happily, the cats joined in on the sleep-inducing storytime. McKinley was fast asleep soon after and Mommy and Daddy set to work getting everything ready for Santa. We made cookies, finished wrapping some of our own presents and waited for the big man to bring McKinley's goodies around.

In the morning, we exchanged our gifts and then invited Mom over for coffee, cinnamon rolls and more gift-giving! I think Mom really enjoyed watching McKinley 'open' his gifts. I also think she was as eager to rip them open as we were! And can I just say how THRILLED I am with my new Rachael Ray stove-top griddle/grill and my Paula Deen Cookware?!?! Just to name a few... LOVE IT!

We had a great morning together, it was SO NICE!

The Vernon's got packed up and headed south-ish, to Btown where McKinley met most of his cousins, Great Aunts and Great Uncles for the very first time. He was such a good sport! He let the entire family pass him around, interacting with each of them. While Grandma V opened all her gifts, McKinley sat in the middle of the circle with Grandpa, intently watching everyone. Next year I kinda doubt he'll be so quiet!!!!!

Grandma V's lasagna was SO awesome, as always. Never did I know that anything other than turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and noodles were served as Christmas dinner...until I joined a true Italian family! I will always love my mashed potatoes and noodles, but man, that lasagna is out of this world. My mouth is watering...seriously.

When the evening was over, we headed back to Cary's parent's house to spend the night. Santa is just so used to hitting their house for Logan and Mason, so he went ahead and dropped off a few things for McKinley while he was there. McKinley has been a VERY GOOD BOY! Santa treated him well by making trips to Nonna's, Grandma & Grandpa's and our house too!

Today we got to visit Cary's Mamaw while in Btown. We all enjoyed spending some holiday time together and McKinley especially enjoyed 'talking' to her. He seemed so captivated just watching and listening to his Great-Grandmother.

We certainly had a very successful trip!

When we got home and settled in, it was time for McKinley's first try at prunes! YUMMY! He mmm, mmmm, mmmmmm-ed the whole time. Afterward, we were all anxious to break out some of his new toys, so the three of us got on the floor and played together. McKinley rolled from back to tummy for us right there!!! He's done this before with help, and he rolled from belly to back at 8 days old, but this was the very first time he actually rolled from back to belly ALL BY HIMSELF!

I cried.

Daddy cheered.

McKinley got very excited.

Valentine (our white cat) was even in the room to witness the whole thing.

It was a moment!

Also new in McKinleyLand...for a little while now he has been sitting up by himself in the bathtub. Well, he's honed his skill because now he will sit ANYWHERE by himself, and very straight too! We are so proud!

And GUESS WHAT ELSE????

He's giggling now! I mean REAL LIVE GIGGLING. Its the most infectious and beautiful sound EVER (I'm sure every mother has said that). It is this precious, little throaty laugh that seems to be uncontrollable and just bubbles up from inside. Ohhhhh, that makes me cry too. LOL.

Between the emotion of all the new things McKinley is doing and the holiday itself, its a wonder I'm able to hold it together at all. Ha!

We have really had a wonderful holiday and are very thankful for being able to spend such quality time with some of the people we love. We hope that everyone had as great a holiday as we did!

And many more to come!

Happy New Year is right around the corner!!!!!

Lynn

Christmas Eve!

Wow, its really here. Unreal how quickly time has gone by. It seems like the last time I checked the calendar it was JULY!

As promised, these are the full shots of the photos we took for Christmas. These are just a FEW of the 40 or so shots we actually have. He just kept taking such cute pics that we couldn't stop! We use my Dad's AWESOME camera for all the pictures we take now. I think he would be pretty proud of how we've used his favorite toy!

Also, here's a message from the little man himself! I just know he's personally wishing each and every one of you a very happy holiday. McKinley really loves the keyboard, so I thought I'd see what he would do. He really likes the big space bar and the letter V...that's a good thing! Hahahaha.

Hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

r ff dfd ,kj bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb sa gcccccccccv v vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv ccgbv b bbbbb b

bbbbv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv h, ubu n ,hhh6jff6f nk bvbvv vv

Love,

Lynn, Cary & McKinley too!!!!! (He helped!)

McKinley meets SANTA!!!

Tonight was the big night...the one Cary and I have talked about for years. Tonight was THE night we took our son to meet the wonderful man who brings presents 'round to all the children of the world!

We were so excited, though for McKinley it was pretty uneventful. Just your typical evening of sitting on the lap of a red-velvet-suited-man-in-a-funny-hat-and-big-black-boots kind of night. Until, that is, he discovered Santa's real-live beard. I felt so sorry for the jolly old elf as our son tugged away at his face. I would very much like to share that when I apologized to Santa for the beard-tugging, he promptly told me that it was just fine, that he was used to it and that he was just glad it wasn't his chest hair, "particularly those ones up by the neck, they tend to hurt". That is a direct quote. OKAY THEN! Didn't need to know that Santa has chest hair, but whatever!
Mommy really struggled to keep a straight face for that one...

McKinley was a huge hit with our Santa and his 'elves', who no longer dress the part, by the way. What happened there? Did I miss the part where the elves get to wear jeans and a t-shirt? Must be contractual, like they're on strike along with the writers in Hollywood or something???? Poor Santa, sweltering in that HOT suit, while his elves snap away kiddy-pics in comfortable clothing.

I can't believe Christmas is really here! I keep saying how quickly it has 'snuck' up on us, well...its true! But we are SO looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family and sharing in this special time with them. Cary and I have a few gifts to finish, but we feel pretty ready under the circumstances. McKinley has some fun stuff coming his way! I can't wait to see how he rips into the paper! It will no doubt be the highlight to his day.

This Monday, we hosted the annual sorority Christmas party in our home. It was nice to relax with my sisters, I had a great time and hope that they did too. I made mulled wine and Godiva Truffletinis, which I thought were fabulous...don't think they were as big a hit to everyone else though. Oh well! I love to be their hostess whenever I can. I'd post pictures, but we didn't take any! Oops.

I thought I would post some pictures of McKinley's Christmas tree and his other decorations in the nursery. There are some special stories of the things we've placed in his room. First, the tree: on it hangs a very special ornament, one we had made just for him. It is an imprint of his hand, across the top it says "McKinley's First Christmas" along with the date of his birth. We had it made by Hadley Pottery and it turned out beautifully. Also hanging on his tree are some fun little baby things like pacifiers, diaper pins, and some other brand new baby essentials that we will be donating to charity after the holiday with diapers, a few outfits and some other goodies. This is something we would like to try and do every year, hang items pertaining to McKinley's age on his tree and donate them along with a package for a child of his age who is in need. We feel it is important for him to learn early to give to others, it is so rewarding.

On his changing table and shelves sit a few special pieces from my childhood. Anyone remember Rodney the Reindeer from Hallmark? A long time ago, my parents got me a Rodney...I LOVED him. I still have him. Somewhere along the line, Rodney took a sabatical, but HE'S BACK! (check out http://www.rodneyreindeer.com/ too fun!!!) So, McKinley had to have his very own Rodney, who is new and improved-he's so soft and fluffy now!

Also on the shelves are a collection of Santa music boxes. These were gifts from Diane & Brent, my Godparents. When I was younger they always gave me a sweet collectible, I am so thankful to have these pieces to share with our son! Its so nice to have something like that to pass along to him. There is also a train on the large shelf above the changing table. This train was a gift from my Mom a few years ago. She got it as a small momento to remind me of my Grandpa, who was a long-time employee of the railroads here in T.H. Little did we know that one day it would grace McKinley's room, who is named after my Grandpa, Clarence McKinley Crecelius.

We had so much fun decorating McKinley's room and love how it all turned out...I think the snowflakes are McKinley's favorite though, he just gazes at them and talks to them. It is very sweet to watch.

He has made many changes again this week. Our little man is now constantly reaching out for us, and for anything he can grab for that matter. He is also further exploring his vocal tones and pitches and has some new noises that are so nice! Yesterday he even sang for me while jumping in his jumperoo. It was the most beautiful little sound.

As for food, I'm happy to report that the bananas are a total hit! We have found that when he really likes a food he does this funny little coo that is seriously starting to sound like, "Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmm." And he is certainly enjoying having rice cereal in the mornings and a '1st food' in the evening. I think it has changed his timing too, he wants to go to bed a little earlier and has lengthened his naps as well. All in all, he is a very happy baby. We are so thankful for that.

This time I will close with our Christmas Card (courtesy of secretstorksurprise.com). Cary and I had a blast taking these pictures with McKinley, who was such a good sport! I'll post full views of these pictures on Christmas Eve, for the full effect.

Have a wonderful Holiday Weekend!

Lynn

McKinley's 5 month b-day

Today McKinley is 5 months old!

I cannot believe our little boy is growing so quickly. It is beautiful to see all the changes he has made, we look forward to the many to come. We just can't believe how far this little boy has come from the tiny little thing he was to this growing 5 month old. If he doesn't stop getting taller we will be looking up to him sooner than expected! Hee hee hee.

Here, a picture of what we wake up to every morning, but this morning was special and he knew it! He is so excited to be a big 5 month old boy!

Lynn

So many events, so little time!

We certainly have had an eventful month thus far. And many more exciting holiday celebrations to come!

On Sunday, December 2nd, Cary and I went with my sorority chapter to serve dinner to the homeless at the Lighthouse Mission. I have done this many times from a very early age and through high school with the Interact organization. Now, our sorority has made a commitment to serve food there once a month. I'm pretty proud of my sisters considering there are only FIVE of us who are active. I hope to continue sharing this rewarding and humbling service with my husband, my mother and anyone else who would care to join us.

Also this month, I have been lucky enough to have been taught further about the Jewish religion and Chanukah. Sarah, from our sorority chapter was kind enough to show us some insight into this beautiful celebration of her religion. She even gave us a dreidle. I think we were all able to learn so much that evening.

This past Sunday, Karen and Marianne hosted their annual cookie exchange. Everyone made 4 dozen cookies to trade and yummy they were! I made pecan clusters, hidden mint cookies (thank you to Miss Paula Deen for those DELISH recipes) and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. As is normal for me, I had such a hard time deciding what recipes to use! This is an event that my Mom and I really enjoy participating in during the holiday season. We always have so much fun together.

This evening was the annual Beta Sigma Phi City Council Christmas Party. We had a lovely evening at the newly opened Sycamore Farm B&B event barn, despite being in an area that is not yet heated. Our toes got frosty, but it was a beautiful location.

The Vernon's have been hard at work Christmas shopping for our precious boy. He will have some really fun things to 'open' on Christmas day. He has already received his very first Christmas present! Our 'July Mommy' online group did an outfit exchange. I am so proud of all of us because we are spread out across the country and we pulled this off! My Secret July Mommy Santa lives in St. Paul, Mn! She and her son, Sebastian picked out an adorable red velour sleeper with the cutest hat for McKinley. I'll post pics of that as soon as I can. Its too cute of an outfit not to show off!

McKinley has been a busy boy with his latest growth spurt. His hair is getting longer and slightly thicker too! And don't even get me started on how active he is becoming. He has learned how to crawl, military style and can't wait to get somewhere! I am amazed at his agility. He loves to climb 'up' his Mommy and Daddy's chests and snort and bury his head in our necks. I swear, it is the funniest thing! I am happy to report that this child absolutely loves his jumperoo! A jumperoo is the updated, less 'hazardous' version of a johnny-jump-up type thing with a million bells and whistles. McKinley's even has a toucan and gecko hanging from the rainforest trees! Its hilarious! So far, he really loves all of his toys and activity equipment. I don't think there is anything we've run across yet that he doesn't completely enjoy, we are so pleased.

On to food! McKinley turns FIVE MONTHS OLD this Thursday (which totally blows my mind), this means he will be going to TWO 'meals' a day, as advised by our pedi. We are going to serve cereal in the mornings, which he loves and food in the evenings, even better! He has tried peas, carrots, sweet potatoes and now pears. He loved everything but the pears. Now we are going to try squash, green beans and bananas, yum! It is so much fun to see his reactions to these new foods and textures. His facial expressions are priceless.

Speaking of McKinley's facial expressions...I am proud to announce that our son has made his debut in print! On Sunday, December 2nd, McKinley appeared in our Valley Viewer as one of the featured babies from our photographer. We were so excited to show him off. I looked on the trib website, but had no luck finding a link to post on here of McKinley's pic. So instead, I've put the full-color pic on here, which is better than the newsprint!

Something else really wonderful happened for McKinley since my last post. He has had his very first snow! Yay! A beautiful snow it was too. We took pictures very, very quickly outside with him last Friday. We also put his foot in the snow. There is a reason, so nobody freak out! Um, I don't really know why, but there is an old wives tale that says something about putting baby's foot in his/her first snow???? If you know anything about this, please post a comment! I'd love to know WHY we did this exactly... hahaha.

Our family is still going forward with the 'green' thing. I have been contacting companies that we receive mailings from (that we did not sign up for, I might add), asking them to please remove us from their lists. Its a small thing, again, but every little bit adds up.

We will have much more to post for the remainder of the month. Monday, Cary and I will be hosting our annual Sorority Christmas party in our home. I look forward to this every year, especially because I serve the Oliver Mulled Wine that my Dad introduced us to. Oh, it is so good and warm!

Finally, unfortunately it seems Ladybug is not the only beloved pet to make her journey to pet heaven as of late. Special thoughts of sympathy go out from our family to the families of Lady (Vanessa's family dog), Lucy (Jodi's hamster), and Ralph (Chrissy's chinchilla). I'm sure they're all sniffing one another in the traditional greeting! May they rest in peace!

Hope you are all having a blessed holiday and a wonderful week!

Lynn

Two years......

Today marks the two year anniversary of my Dad's death. I can't believe it has been so long. In so many ways it seems like yesterday, and in so many ways it seems like ages since I last saw him.

It is so hard to believe all the changes that have happened in our lives since that day! We have our precious McKinley here with us now, he has made me understand and appreciate the meaning of family in a deeper way than I ever knew would be possible. I thank God for that!

Today I am going to talk to my son about his Grandpa. I know he won't know what the heck I am saying right now, but if I do this often he will know his Grandpa Z (as I'm SURE my Dad would have wanted to be called!) and that is very important to us.

I miss my Dad so much and wish so badly and so selfishly that he were still here with us today. I have accepted that he is in a better place than you or me, but it doesn't make me miss him less!

I realized that with all the pictures we have included on this blog, there isn't one of my Dad! Well, I'm putting one in here! This picture was taken at Bonefish Grill on our last Father's Day. We drove to Plainfield in Dad's convertible (which I just donated to charity) with the top down the whole way! We had such a good time and the food was delish. This was the very last picture I have of Dad, so I treasure it.

Today we will put up our Christmas decorations, this is something I would like to make an annual thing. It sounds like a nice way to honor the day, reflect on our past but look forward to the future of many, many exciting Christmases with McKinley.

Have a great weekend.

Lynn