Greetings from Big Cedar Lodge!

Last week the fam hit Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgefield, Mo. OMG, it was incredible.

I didn't take many pictures - I often found myself leaving the camera in our suite, I just wasn't thinking...I was too busy enjoying myself in the gorgeous outdoors of Big Cedar. So, there's little to show of our gorgeous stay, but man was it amazing!

We were spoiled during our visit and no doubt McKinley fell head over heels for the 'Cookie Lady' who cheerfully brought all four of us a lovely package of freshly baked cookies each and every night. We begged her to come home with us, but alas she insisted on staying in Missouri. McKinley got so used to her visits, in fact that when there was ANY knock at the door he immediately started screaming, 'COOKIES!!!' He was only acting out what we were all feeling!
We spent a day doing some shopping, Cary and I had a nice outing checking out the Branson area, then later in the week we had a full-on date night complete with a trip to the Lodge's famous Buzzard Bar and some yummy fried green tomatoes and an Ozark Sunset (super-yummy signature drink). Big Cedar has it's own entertainer who frequents the bar several times a week, during our visit we whipped out the laptop to take advantage of the wi-fi and check out our email. Wrong move there...the singer immediately started cracking jokes about the Buzzard Bar becoming a 'latte bar'. All in good fun, we had a great night together!
Mom enjoyed spending a lot of quality time with McKinley and making us 'wokee' (coffee, as pronounced by McKinley) every morning. Our view was incredible, so each morning we headed out to the balcony with a bagel and wokee in hand to breathe in the fresh air. It was amazing.

While we were there we also visited The Landing, a gorgeous river walk with shops and restaurants, a fire and water show and loads of cool things to do. McKinley LOVED our up close view of the fire and water show from inside Catina Laredo, where we all enjoyed this amazing guacamole made tableside.

One night I made Italian for dinner, another night we grilled out - it was so relaxing and delish. The Truman House was another great find on the Big Cedar property. The quaint lake-side cafe had a great view and serious gourmet sandwiches. The pools were unreal with waterfalls connecting the pools, a great kiddie pool with spraying water (which we ALL took a nice dip in), and so many more activities it was crazy! We all had a lot of fun on our paddle boats...except that I was the lucky one who ended up with a broken seat. I was dangerously close to taking a dip in the lake with the newly stocked bass, practically laying down while hanging on for dear life to my mom and the boat. I had a great view of the sky though! McKinley happily rode on Cary's lap - they had their own paddle boat, a real work out for Cary. There are NO pictures of that excursion. Needless to say, had I whipped out my camera I would have no doubt ended up wet...along with my prized camera.

Speaking of pictures, this vacation there are few...I just kind of lost track of it and enjoyed myself, but I did get some great pictures of the awesome memories we made. We will never forget the great river paci adventure that sent one of McKinley's beloved paci's at least 1000 feet down the river. Our compassionate boy attempted to share his 'pass' with the ducks who were anxiously awaiting a treat at the riverside restaurant where we ate. As I gasped, Mom said, 'OH MY GOD', and Cary stood in shock McKinley began to realize just what his kind gesture meant. For the next 20 minutes nearly all we heard was, 'Uh oh...PASS! Where'd go? I foo it...GONE!' At one point, I looked up as Cary made a desperate Go-Go-Gadget Arm reach into the cold river for the paci...there were FLOCKS of people gawking at us from the restaurant windows. For a long time we all just stood there and laughed and laughed. It was SO DARNED FUNNY! The ducks followed us, swooshing the paci to and fro and we waited for it to travel to a nearby pier. I don't know why we wanted to get it so badly, it just became a game...could we get it? Dare we try? Well, finally the paci reached the pier. Cary and I were armed with a broom found close by and a lot of ambition. Cary lay down on the pier, reached in and scooped that paci right out of the water! We all cheered, 'YAY!' - McKinley was the loudest. This may well be one of those things were you have to be there to appreciate it, but it made for some great comic relief.

I cannot say enough about our stay at Big Cedar Lodge. We had a wonderful time - despite the sad news of my Aunt's passing and being unable to be by my family's side. Cary and I are already planning a return trip and can't wait to see and do even more on the gorgeous Big Cedar grounds. It truly was a wonderful family vacation!
Lynn

Finding my Mommy Voice

It's official.
Today I found my Mommy Voice.
I finally know how I will react when someone purposely seeks out to intentionally hurt my son.
I remained fairly controlled, but bubbling inside of me was every single four-letter word that has ever existed and they were BURNING my lungs, just itching to come out. Had those words not been directed at a 4 year old in the middle of a busy playground perhaps my story today would be different. Alas, I was the censored version of my Mommy-self toward the boy who shoved McKinley down the metal steps and toward his grandparents.

The story goes like this:
We were minding our own business, having a wonderful playdate with Kylie and Lincoln and Kelly and her son, Aiden. We had just told Kylie and Lincoln goodbye and were thinking of heading home ourselves when McKinley climbed onto the playground equipment to go down the big slide.
Out of no where appears this random 4 year old (approx.) who proceeded to RUN up to McKinley and shove him down. FOR NO REASON AT ALL. McKinley was okay, jolted slightly, but no problems. I walked up to the boy and calmly told him that shoving someone for no reason was not acceptable behavior and that if could not play nice he need not play around my son. The grandfather, who was watching from the ground took him away as I told him what his grandson had just done. Kelly complimented me on how I handled that, which made me feel good about my choice to correct this kid.
Just a minute later the boy came our way again - seeking out McKinley like prey, and I'm not exaggerating. I was standing beside McKinley, the boy looked me square in the eye and I gave him a firm look but he didn't budge. The grandfather walked back over and said, 'Please get over here, they do not want to play with you.' I realize that this man meant well, but perhaps a better choice of words were in order because within another few minutes we had a repeat performance.
I was walking behind McKinley who was again climbing up the stairs to go down another slide, when I saw it unfold before my eyes. I could not get there in time, but my voice reached that little brat faster and firmer than he expected. I shouted, 'HEY! NO!' in a very loud but low tone, signaling that I meant business. I couldn't stop him, he got right in McKinley's face, puffed up like an adult male mid-fight, pulled his arms back and shoved McKinley, propelling him down three metal steps and causing him to land on his head.
Here's where I found my voice.
I was so firm and loud that everyone on the playground at that moment stopped dead in their tracks. No one moved. No one made a sound. My voice echoed over the entire area as I scooped up my crying son. I shouted at that freaking brat and his grandfather - who proceeded to whip out his own four letter word in frustration while calling for his wife, I instructed them to get off the playground because this kid couldn't play well with others, and what the heck was wrong with him???? The grandmother came over cooing, asking what had happened, wanting to paw all over McKinley. I jerked her away from us and informed her that her grandson had shoved my son down not once, but twice and was stalking him like prey. I looked them all in the eyes and said, 'Obviously there is something wrong with this child and he needs help for physical aggression'. I don't even care if my words were hurtful, I was shaking, McKinley was screaming in pain and I'd had enough of this playground bully. When they had the audacity to bring the kid over to show him what he had done to McKinley (which did no good, whatsoever), the grandmother said, 'Now, look what you have done to this BABY! You did that!' I interjected and told the kid that he had been very mean and that his behavior was unacceptable and he was very wrong in what he did. I shouted over and over to them to 'get that kid out my face and get him some help, in the form of therapy'. The grandmother said they were leaving and I said, 'Well, I should hope so!' They both apologized all over themselves and the grandfather assured me he would take care of the situation. You could tell it was a learned behavior, not good at such a young age. And I'm sure the behavior was not from the grandparents, who truly seemed caring and kind...I can only imagine this child's situation to be seeking out another child, half his age and size to hurt...intentionally.
Looking back, I know we have been bullied twice during visits to the Children's Museum, and I've been pretty passive. There was certainly no physical harm like in the case today. I was almost mad at myself then for letting things go so easily but tried to chalk it up to showing my son that people are not always nice and bad things do happen and show him to stand up for himself in a reasonable manner. Today, I'm much happier with my reaction. I know I put the fear of God in that kid when I screamed at him and caught him red handed doing a very bad thing. I did what was best and stood up for my son. I'm proud.
Thank GOD McKinley is okay. I've spoken to our pediatrician and know what to look for in case of a concussion, but so far so good. The outcome could have been so much worse because McKinley took a very big, very hard fall - and was shoved, to boot.

Though our playdate ended on a bad note, we had such a great time. McKinley really loves being around Lincoln and Aiden and I'm sure that this incident will not deter him from hitting the park again next week!

Yay for my Mommy Voice.
Lynn

Aunt Judy 1950-2009

Sadly, last Wednesday, April 29th my Aunt Judy lost her long battle with cancer. It happened so much sooner than any of us expected or anticipated - especially since just a few weeks ago her doctors estimated it would be around 3 months. We were so sad to receive a call Monday evening from Uncle Dave, who was reporting that things had taken a turn for the worse and Aunt Judy would only be with us for a few more days. We were all so shocked and so upset that we were on vacation in Missouri and not close by. I hated being away from two of the most caring people I know as they struggled with a hard goodbye. There was nothing we could do.

Uncle Dave called around 6:30 am on Wednesday to share with us that Aunt Judy had passed in the early morning hours. We are so heartbroken by this loss. Aunt Judy's visitation was Sunday and what an evening it was. I expected a lot of people, but I think the proper term would be 'gobs'. Literally, GOBS of people showed up to pay their respects to my aunt and uncle. Doctors and nurses who have cared for Aunt Judy for nearly 5 years came, distant relatives, people who became friends with my aunt and uncle during treatments, a very dear friend of MINE, and so many other people that it literally meant standing-room-only to offer condolences to Uncle Dave and his family. Not to even mention the HUGE line that stretched through the entire funeral home and out the door with waits of an hour and a half and more for the entire 4 hour showing that went even passed that. I walked in and just started crying at the sheer sight of so many people there to honor my kind and loving aunt. I think it says a lot of her character to have touched so many lives in just 59 years.
The funeral was tough...none are easy, huh? Mom read a beautiful poem that has meant a lot to her through many losses, and no doubt resonated with everyone there today. Cary was given the honor of serving as a pall bearer and I am tearfully proud of how well he represented my side of the family. Aunt Judy loved Cary very much, their light-hearted personalities compliment each other. He made her laugh a lot.
Today I am so very sad for myself, for my Uncle Dave - who has lost the soul mate he has known since her birth, their children and grandchildren, my mother, my son (who loved to kiss Aunt Judy) and my husband - among so many others. Today I am beginning to be comforted in knowing that my aunt's long and tiresome battle is over and she may be at peace with our Lord and will no longer suffer in pain. Today I am comforted by my family's ability to come together again in loss. It did our hearts a lot of good to see McKinley meet many of his relatives from my side for the first time. He's fond of the word 'uncle' - having recently mastered saying Uncle Mike (for my brother-in-law), now he's happily added Uncle Dave and Uncle Tim to his repertoire...as well as Aunt Mary! Now, Aunt Judy would have loved that. She was always so positive about family.
It is a sad time, but what a beautiful way to honor my aunt's life with celebration.
Lynn

Antics

These days McKinley has quite the personality. He is funny in so many ways one minute, while the next he is mid-tantrum laying ON THE FLOOR of any given store, park or hallway. I always SWORE I wouldn't let my kid lay on the floor like that...over the last 21 months I have learned NEVER say NEVER. I would MUCH rather have him QUIETLY laying on the floor in a tantrum as opposed to wildly flailing arms, screaming at the top of his lungs resulting in dirty looks and menacing stares from holier-than-thou-non-parents. Yes, I said that...I used to be one of them. Again...NEVER say NEVER.

Then our sweet, precious boy comes back to us with a wonderfully random knee hug, or a gentle face-grabbing kiss, or his sweet way of sharing by ramming his tiny spoon down our throats offering a taste of his food - and don't even think about saying no because our boy will NOT take no for an answer. He has been known to shove a bunny cracker through tightly pursed lips and clenched teeth. Sharing is very important to him!

Lately McKinley loves telling people 'bye' and 'see you in a bit'. This cracks Cary and I up every time. He happily swings doors open with a gleeful, high-pitched, 'Hiiiiiii!' And leaves with a wave and a cheery, 'Bye, lub ewe, bye - see you in a bit!'. It's pretty funny. Our Easter present this year was the addition of McKinley's full sentences. The evening of Easter he informed us that he was, 'Done wit meeeelk'...translation: Done with my milk. He's added many more sentences lately, with 'Close he doe', meaning I'm going to close the door. Of course, I love, "All done eatin''...eatin, not as in eatin', but think eat-tin.

Today his funny little antics lead to an impromptu haircut - originally scheduled solely for yours truly. My butt got booted out of the chair as my son quickly won the hearts of every stylist in Amy's salon when he came in, saw Amy, removed his hat and went right over to her chair. You could hear hearts melt...Amy scooped him up and begged me to let her give him another cut. I didn't mind a bit - he needed it, but felt so bad about messing up her already very packed schedule. She told me she didn't care one bit and that he was too darned cute to turn down, and that if McKinley would simply stop being so cute it would not be an issue. Hahaha!
He came out looking like a rock star - he loves looking in the mirror at himself and the finish product (which is made even more rock-star-like with the addition of some wax and a faux-hawk). I just hope every hair cut is this easy with him...at least until he turns 12 and wants his own style, huh? I'm proud to report we both went home with new do's, there was plenty of time left for my own cut.

McKinley is around the corner from 22 months and ever-changing by the minute. I love that he is so opportunistic and unpredictable - even if it completely wears us out - it is so much fun!

Lynn

Celebrating Earth Day

Today was the perfect day to celebrate Earth Day (which is actually Wednesday) by planting some seeds for our new 'pot garden'. McKinley and I headed out to the patio where we donned our gardening gear and planted basil, cilantro, lettuce and chives seeds in little egg crate-like starters. The starters are super-cool because you can plant them right back into the ground without disturbing the root system and because they are made of biodegradable materials and peat. We should see the seedlings pop their little heads out by late next week.

McKinley had so much fun placing dirt in each little 'cup', then he helped me put the little tiny seeds into each plot of dirt. We covered and watered them and took the starters inside to label and keep an eye on. I wondered if it was a little early to do this, but I was proven very wrong! He was SO into everything, I thought he would be over it by the time he got the starters filled with dirt, but he kept on truckin' to the very end! I can hardly wait to see what he thinks when he sees the end result. My, wouldn't my Grandparents be so proud?!

I loved spending that time with McKinley today - it was very special. And I love the fact that we are continuing with our move toward organics. I haven't posted much about it for fear of overkill, but now is the right time for sure! We have made a lot of changes through the house in the last year, in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. We use reusable bags for everything (except when we occasionally run low on bags for cat litter), almost every light bulb in the house is compact fluorescent (which I'm proud to say that even our first two bulbs from 2001 are STILL going strong!). We've even gone so far as to make our reno as eco-friendly as possible with the addition of new lamps made for energy efficient bulbs, using a BPA free shower curtain liners (which aren't stinky like their non-eco-friendly brothers!) and new carpeting made from recycled plastic bottles. The carpet is so cool - you cannot tell it's made from old plastic!

The best part of our footprint-reducing efforts to me is that I know my family is getting much less of the harmful hormones and preservatives put into many foods. If we can buy it organically, we do. I feel good about what we are doing and Cary and I continue to educate ourselves on easy ways to make this happen.

Something else has made an impact on our lives too - recycling. Full. On. Recycling. We have always recycled aluminum because it was easy - even when I was a kid, this is what we always did. But back in July, on McKinley's birthday I decided I'd had enough. Our son was blessed with so many wonderful tokens of love from so many wonderful people, but I didn't want to bless the landfills with all that non-biodegradable cardboard. So, we checked around and found a wonderful thing that's been going on forever around here, with little publicity - ISU recycling center. Now, since that hot day in July we have been recycling aluminum, cardboard, plastic, glass, newspaper, magazines and batteries.

Happy Earth Day to everyone, hope you can all find a small way to impact our environment too.

Lynn

Happy Easter!

What a beautiful day!


This morning was gorgeous, sunny, cool but warm enough to know that it is finally SPRING. We had a lovely time at mass where we sat right in the front row. With a toddler. Yikes! McKinley loved the choir and today's added bonus of a brass orchestra acompaniment - do you like my specifics on the music? Can you tell I just completed a class on musical appreciation? Me neither. And it was SO pertientent to my degree.


Anyway, McKinley tried his hand at conducting, which cracked everyone up, including the scripture readers - oops.


After mass we went to a beautiful brunch where the Easter Bunny stopped by to give our boy a little treat. He kept saying, "Bunny! Bunny! Bunny!!!"

Soon after brunch we headed off to visit Cary and McKinley's Mamaw. She got a real kick out of seeing him and was amazed at what a 'rowdy' boy he is. That's our boy!


This evening we finally took the time to sit down long enough to see what the Easter Bunny brought McKinley. Mommy & Daddy had some goodies for him too, we think he really enjoyed his goods: new train set, playdoh, bug net, Egg-shaped Doodle-pro, CARS figures, some new utensils (Elmo and CARS!) and other goodies from us and a chocolate Easter Bunny and Elmo eggs filled with a piece of chocolate from the Easter Bunny. I'm not a fan of feeding McKinley candy, but it's a holiday and little treats are just fine - It may take months to get through this big ol' bunny though. hahahaha.


It was such a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time together all day.
Happy Easter to all!
Lynn

Chick Magnet Goes Hunting

This morning McKinley donned his 'Chick Magnet' t shirt and schlepped along his 'Chick Magnet' Easter Pail and we headed for Deming Park's annual Easter Egg Hunt. And no...I am not implying that my son is a chick magnet...okay, well maybe a little, but he seriously loves chicks. The fuzzy kind. He calls them 'kickies' and he is a fan. Real ones (courtesy of the kind gentleman at Rural King who so willingly scooped one up to show McKinley, risking a wet hand), wind-up ones, blog wallpaper ones, t shirt ones - he loves chickies. So, we went with the chickie shirt and bucket. Cute! And don't you know it - I had his vest zipped up and he had his pail turned around the entire time. Oh well.

So, the hunt...Shhhh - don't tell, you're supposed to be at least two to participate. So, we're shy a couple of months, it didn't matter because McKinley made us proud!

Parents were not allowed inside the gates of the 2-4 year old hunt site which slightly frightened me. I could just see McKinley A. Melting down at the mere thought of Mommy being out of his line of sight for more than a minute, B. Suddenly displaying some sort of strange toddler behavior and taking out all the other kids in order to get a tiny, plastic egg, or C. Being the target of such behavior from another unpredictable toddler. Hallelujah, we had none of the above. The sweet helpers inside the gate were tolerant, helpful and made sure each child had plenty of eggs.

The whole thing lasted a total of 48 seconds - give or take a few seconds for camera adjustments. We waited in line forEVER for that, but it was so worth it to see McKinley head for the eggs that would hold precious prizes and candy. His favorite part was taking the eggs apart and putting them back together - that's my boy!

In the end, McKinley walked away with 5 eggs, 2 prizes - a bunny puppet and a card game, a little mud on his shoes and a big smile on his face.

After nap time, Cary and I took McKinley to the mall to have his picture taken with the Easter Bunny where we ran into friends Kylie, Ben and their son, Lincoln. McKinley and Lincoln. I call them future running mates. We've also got to fit Reagan, Chrissy's daughter in there too - she's obviously going to be a future presidential candidate as well...I digress.

The bunny thing went okay, though it was not McKinley's favorite thing to do ever, he tolerated it for a moment. We got the picture! Whoo hoo!

After dinner out, we came home to dye Easter Eggs. McKinley was much more interested than I anticipated. He LOVED dipping the eggs into the dye and could hardly wait to get his hands on the eggs. He just kept saying, 'Eggs! Eggs!'

The day's festivities brought back lots of memories for Cary and I and reminded us what it was like growing up with the Easter Bunny, Egg Hunts, Easter Eggs and all of the kiddie stuff that surrounds the holiday.

We know these are the trivial parts of Easter and obviously not the true meaning, but what a classic part of childhood and wonderful family time spent together that we would not trade for the world.

Tomorrow we will see what the Easter Bunny brought for McKinley then we will go to church, spend the day with family and celebrate the true meaning of Easter. Wishes for a Blessed Easter to everyone.

Lynn

KiKi and Nanah

Thank goodness the weather is on the upturn...I think...I hope. McKinley has gotten a LOT of park and outdoor playtime already in an effort to rid the house-wide cabin fever and air ourselves out, so to speak. We have been to the park together, we've been to the park with Kylie and Lincoln on mommy-walk dates and playground playdates and tonight we had a family-to-family playdate with Savannah and her fam.


The kids had so much fun together climbing all over the place, we are so blessed with a beautiful park and such awesome playground equipment. Savannah and McKinley enjoyed the slides, playing follow-the-leader (which was too funny), swinging side-by-side, and the highlight of our evening - a giggle-inducing game of chase in the little tunnel.











After the kids burned off some energy the six of us went to dinner together at the Olive Garden where McKinley proceeded to cover himself in spaghetti. I'm thrilled he enjoyed it so, but I really don't remember him ever making such a mess during dinner. It was reminiscent of his first birthday cake - yes, THAT much clean up. Hahaha









It is so fun to see McKinley develop friendships and so hard to believe that he is at that age. It warmed my heart to hear him squeal for 'Nanah, Nanah, Nanah!' as he ran through the tunnel chasing her.


We had so much fun and are already planning all kinds of other activities - for the adults AND the kiddies! I smell a shopping trip...



Good times!



Lynn

A Heavy Heart

Yesterday I got some disturbing news about my Aunt Judy. She has been battling cancer for a long time - my Dad was still alive when this began it was that long ago. Tuesday her doctor gave her a very final prognosis and I am heartbroken.

You see, my Aunt Judy is not technically my 'blood' relative. She is married to my Uncle Dave, my Dad's brother and best friend. I remember the first time someone explained to me that she was not my blood relative, I was totally perplexed. In my book, that technical stuff doesn't matter, it's how you connect with that loved one - like my Godparents, who are the furthest thing from related to me but are a second set of parents and their family is my family. I love them, therefore they are my family, simple as that.

Aunt Judy is truly one of the kindest women I know. I do not remember her ever saying anything mean about someone else, I do not ever remember her gossiping or even saying a real, live cuss word above a whisper. She embodies a true Christian woman and is one heckuva role model. She has always had a caring heart and I felt that beyond words while Dad was so ill, and as he was dying.

It's like this, my cell phone was a bit of a clustered-mess that early morning in 2005. I was going back and forth on calls with Cary, Mom and Aunt Judy as Dad's life was ending. We were all so gobstruck, but Aunt Judy would just let me answer the other calls from Mom and Cary and say, 'Sweetie, I'm praying.' And I knew she was.

In those dark months following the loss of my Dad, she and Uncle Dave called me all the time. Even then, things were hard on her because just a month and a half after Dad died she was given the diagnosis that no one wanted to hear. No matter the time, no matter the circumstance, she was always there - and at that time, it felt like there were only four other people on Earth besides me. Cary, Mom, Uncle Dave and Aunt Judy.

This post wasn't meant to be about me or about losing Dad and the Earth-shattering grief I experienced - it is about the love and concern of a kind woman who would do anything for anyone no matter her own state.

Do you know that Uncle Dave and Aunt Judy were the only two blood relatives to come to our wedding? A wedding who's guest list surpassed 375, there were only two - aside from Mom and Dad, of course - whom I could legitimately call family. I was so touched by that. So touched.

And after McKinley was born and we were all home and settled, and while Aunt Judy was having chemo treatments nearby, my Uncle Dave brought her to our house, pulled up into our back yard and came to see our boy. She was so weak from the chemo that she couldn't walk, but they both wanted to see him so badly. So, they pulled right up to the back door practically! We didn't care, we were all so happy to share in that time, and I treasure the photo we have from then.

Last week, Aunt Judy was hospitalized. We had the opportunity to go visit, so Mom came with the three of us and we shipped McKinley up to see his Great Aunt and Great Uncle. They had a ball with McKinley, I am still amazed at how quickly he warmed up to them. Heck, they got more kisses and shared treats than Cary and I do! We were jealous.

There are no words to adequately describe how thankful I am to have had those moments together again.

My heart is heavy for my family today.

Lynn

Greased Lightnin'

Well...I'm wondering when my Mother-of-the-Year award will arrive.
While I was focused on making McKinley a lovely lunch prior to heading to the grocery store, McKinley was watching his favorite show - Imagination Movers - and very quiet and content.
For months now I have known to always worry when he is quiet. I was too focused on this meal to notice the aforementioned quiet...when I came in to get him - plate in hand, ready to eat - he looked up, smiled and said, 'uh oh!'
Yeah.
That's an understatement.
Somehow McKinley located his Vick's Baby Rub (which I thought was up high enough...wrong), OPEN THE LID and dug his little fingers in.
He had just finished up the ENTIRE jar (the small jar, thank GOD) when I came around the corner. It was all over the front of his shirt, his pant legs and globbed in his hair, also smeared on his face, neck and in between his fingers.
Oh my GOD.
Somehow all those books I've read about NOT freaking out and panicking paid off...I did NOT scream, freak or gasp. I grabbed him to make sure his eyes were okay and that his nose was clear (thank goodness, they were) then I HAD to take a picture to have as evidence someday when he brings home his girlfriend. I carted him off to the bathtub where I stripped him down and called the Vick's company, where I was very quickly re-routed to the medical staff for the company. Thankfully, since it was the baby rub there is no camphor - his breathing was not compromised and he didn't even get any directly in his eyes, so all is well. I just have to figure out how to get this petroleum based goop out of his hair.
Four baths, a poopie in the potty and light lunch (to let his scalp rest) later...he's napping and still looks like he stepped out of the 80's gel days.
Think 'Flock of Seagulls'.
I've tried everything suggested by the Vick's doctor and some close hair-stylist friends - baking soda, baby shampoo, clarifying shampoo. It's gonna take a while. In the meantime, all of our sinuses are clear and McKinley smells quite heavenly.

I have no words.
We did not make it to the grocery this afternoon. hahaha
Just wondering when my award will arrive.
At least I have pictures...and you can see how much fun McKinley had, so if that's any consolation...
Good times.
Lynn

Toddler's Creed

So, I happened upon a post from my favorite mommy website...it's too darned cute not to share....and SO, SO true. Especially the very last one - that is SO McKinley. The only thing that makes me worry is the one about bugs...hmmm, is this a sign of what's to come? Yikes!

The Toddler’s Creed
If it is on, I must turn it off.If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back.
If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged.I am toddler!
also... If Mommy's carrying me, plus groceries, plus car keys, plus holding another kiddo's hand in a busy parking lot... her cell phone will ring every time!
and also... If Mommy wants me to nap in the car, I won't. If Mommy doesn't want me to nap in the car, I will!
AND... If we are running late... I will POOP!

Holy...well, POOPIE!!!

MCKINLEY POOPIED IN THE POTTY TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

And I even took a picture of it...ala Kate from J&K+8. lol I know, it's gross - I guess I just got caught up in the moment. I promise to NOT show that to his girlfriends when he brings them home to meet me...well, maybe. Hee hee hee.

Per my husband's request, I will not be posting poopie pictures on here (McKinley, thank your Daddy!). Yes, I recognize that would certainly be taking it all too far.

Cary totally gets the credit for introducing McKinley's precious potty bench (by Boon, inc) to him one evening while I was at a sorority meeting. In that short night he'd shown McKinley all the basics of coming in, closing the door, opening the lid, doing your business and then saying, 'bye bye' to said business (the potty bench doesn't flush, so he had to come up with something! hahaha). A few months ago we brought out the potty bench because McKinley started telling us when he had to go to the bathroom. We were pretty surprised that this was happening so quickly, so we both figured we'd give it a shot, because...well, why not? We've both been working on explaning what 'goes' in the potty and further discussing the specifics of the whole ordeal with McKinley.

Tonight, as we were getting him ready for his bath we noticed a look...we all know that look. So Cary said, 'Do you have to go poopie? Go sit on your potty!' We all three stood in the bathroom, Cary and I chatting as McKinley sat like a good boy. Cary even said, "Huh, wouldn't it be funny if he really did go to the bathroom?", when suddenly he stood up and Cary yelped, 'He pooped!' I thought he was teasing, so I looked too.....and started screaming - which concerned McKinley, greatly. Then I started clapping and jumping up and down and cheering, which prompted much laughter from our sweet boy. I ran for a treat and told him what a good boy he was!

So begins a new chapter in our lives. I'll be picking up some pull ups and 20 month old appropriate 'potty training treats' tomorrow while errand running. I can hardly believe this is happening! I'm so excited for McKinley, what a big boy step!

Yay for the big boy! Yay for POOPIE IN THE POTTY!
Lynn

St. Patrick's Weekend Fun!

Well, it's almost everyone's favorite Irish Holiday and the Haute is celebrating big, as usual. Today Mom and I took McKinley to his very first parade - the St. Patrick's Church/School parade! We dressed in our best green and headed over a block to watch all the cute little kids walk the boulevard. It brought a tear to my eye when I realized that it won't be long before we'll be out there with McKinley! This is where we plan on sending him to school!

He loved watching the kids, adults and dogs (one lab was even spray painted green!) and happily took candy, flyers and beads from all the children (no candy for him yet though - we passed that on to Daddy).

Tonight we also headed to the annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration Dinner and Silent Auction. Had corned beef, cabbage and a lot of fun. It was a super date night for us and McKinley had a ball with his Nonna.

Special props go to my new friend on Etsy.com who designed McKinley's oh-so-appropriate "McCutie" tshirt just for him! We are thrilled, it's too darned cute. Click here for her store, here for her blog. Her shirts are PRECIOUS!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lynn

In the toddlerhood

We have been insanely busy again...seems like we go in spurts. Cary's Grandmother has been very ill, but is on the mend - thank goodness, we've had our annual trip to Indy and many trips to Bloomington and Indy to spend time with family lately. Then there's that loud nagging in my head...homework. Almost done. August. Light at the end of this 13 year tunnel. And finally, we top off our chaos with a major renovation. I call anything more than painting major renovation, but this is a big one. New carpet, new tub, maybe a new bay window...all kinds of stuff! We're excited, but we are tired already. lol

Now down to some McKinley business. This boy is changing every day, learning all sorts of new words, a different way to do something, or discovering something for the very first time that we all take for granted. It is still so amazing to me to see those moments through a child's eyes, it's beautiful. A while back I went to change out the Diaper Genie and noticed something inside the bag along with all of those lovely diapers. Mr. Potato Head had recently been missing his ears...just guess who put them INSIDE the Diaper Genie? As in - where the poopie diapers go? Mr. Potato Head promptly had his ears cleaned and returned to the sides of his spud. I'm happy to report that his hearing has been restored. hahahaha!

Yesterday McKinley finally named his pacifier, we've encouraged words like paci, cup, milk, water, etc on a daily basis for a long time. I guess he just wanted his own word and timing for his special paci! Finally yesterday he told me he wanted his 'Pass'! Yay!

Today he discovered his shadow. We were rocking and listening to his lullaby CD, our bedroom light reflected in just right so that the shadow of McKinley's sweet little hand shown on the nursery wall. He noticed it. I didn't say anything. He watched intently and began moving his hand in a wave, watching every move. It was like, 'Oh, that's cool. Look what I can do!'

McKinley does some of the cutest and funniest things! Every night when we start his bath he gleefully brings in his towel and wash cloth - I mean, he's squealing with delight as he does this. Funny! Have I mentioned that he greets everyone at the front door by flipping open the mail slot? It is the perfect height for him to stick out his hand and say, 'Hi!'. It can scare the crap out of you if you don't know someone is right there. He also really loves to help us do simple tasks like unloading the dishwasher (once we've removed the knives, of course), or wiping off his highchair tray, and he is still our main grocery de-bagger. I treasure these efforts as I know one day, sooner than I would like, I will be begging him to pick up his room and do his chores! Goodness knows he's already in the middle of this toddler hood independance exploration thing. He's giving us a run for our money!

My favorite thing McKinley is doing right now is kissing. He'll kiss anything! He loves to kiss our pictures (omg, melt my heart!), his Elmo Live, Valentine (our girl cat), us, stuffed animals, etc. He even makes a smoochy noise now! I love it.

Below I'll share some funny pictures of our own celebration of Mardi Gras. I got all of us some beads, a different form of a King's Cake (traditional Mardi Gras cake) and made a REAL 'fat Tuesday' meal that was oh so NOT low in calories. We HAD to celebrate the start of the Lenten season!

Lynn