Perfect Kite-flying weather

Today was amazing. The weather was so beautiful - not hot, kind of cool, perfectly sunny and breezy! The absolute perfect day to fly a kite. It was Cary's idea - and it was a GREAT idea - so we packed up the jogging stroller was various necessities, got on our active wear and walked about a half a mile to this huge open field at a nearby elementary school.

For Easter this year, we'd given McKinley an Elmo inflatable kite, we blew it up and Cary sent Elmo right up into the sky. McKinley was kind of amazed at first, then he started chasing Cary around the field as Elmo continued to fly. He just kept saying, 'Elmo fly!!!' Too cute.

After a while Cary showed McKinley how to fly his Elmo, he caught on quickly and loved watching the kite in the sky. We flew the kite for quite a while and reminisced about our own kite flying experiences. I think that's one of the greatest perks of parenting, if you take the time to enjoy it being a parent it's awesome because you can relive your own childhood experiences and also see the unbridled joy in your child's eyes all in one! How great is that? I have always loved holidays and doing fun things, but I notice that I am enjoying these holidays and experiences 100 times more than usual! Today though, I seriously enjoyed our beautful family moment and amid that moment I relived a specific time when my family and I flew a kite in our huge yard. My Dad had gotten this new, kite-flying professional thing that was like a big fishing rod. It took my kite up a bazillion feet higher (okay, not really a bazillion feet, but I was like 9...). I can still picture that thing. I can still picture my Mom out there taking our pictures. I think my Dad had so much more fun with that new toy than anyone, but it was pretty cool to have something like that. Cary also remembers flying a kite in his childhood, we had fun rehashing these stories this afternoon.

After we finished flying the kite we played on the school's playground, then walked over to Subway. On our way home we decided to stop off at Rural King - the place where McKinley first saw his chickies. Well, the chickies are all in their new homes so we missed them, but he did rather enjoy throwing pennies in the decorative pond. He just kept saying, "Mommy, I throw a penny!" So cute!

We got home and McKinley and Cary rested on the big overstuffed chair, where McKinley literally fell asleep on Cary's chest - like the old days, as Cary said. Our boy was exhausted, but he had so much fun! We all did.

What a happy Sunday afternoon!

Lynn

The Presidents hit the Childrens' Museum

It's that time again - time for our monthly trip to Indy. Last night we stayed at the Crown Plaza with the big, REAL, indoor train cars. We didn't stay in one, but you'd think we did as loud as it was! Who knew Union Station was still a fully functioning rail station -- YIKES. Three hours of a train engine running constantly at 3am got a 'little' annoying - even for McKinley. It was all worth it though because today was a total blast!

While Cary went off and did his civic duty, McKinley and I trotted off to the Childrens' Museum where we met Kylie and Lincoln for a whole day of fun! It was surreal to see TWO FILLED car seats and two baby faces in my rear view mirror...but adorable, no less. After hitting Ben's work (Kylie's hubby)we had a lovely, if not totally complicated lunch at Circle Center and then hit the Museum just in time for the MASS NUMBER of school children on a field trip leave the premises. Nice!

The Museum was still crazy-packed, but that didn't stop our boys! We headed right for the Playscape where the Presidents donned their water-proof smocks and headed for the giant water table. Then it was off to the sand table. Then the maze. Then the train table. Then the playhouse. Then the mowers...you get the idea. They were busy - so busy in fact that the time flew by and it was time to go! McKinley and I introduced Kylie & Lincoln to our tradition of riding the carousel at the end of our visit and a self-portrait picture to remember the day. I LOVE that we do this and can't wait to see how much we change as the years go by...

I am so thrilled that Kylie & Lincoln came with us for a fun day of play, I wonder if they are as exhausted as we are??? Just a few more months of our annual trips of civic duty, but I hope we can drag our friends with us again soon! We picked Cary up and headed home for a QUIET night's sleep in our own bed...sans train engine.

What a great day!
Lynn

Mother's Day #2

Happy Mother's Day!

Today we celebrated this special day in Bloomington with much of the family, it was a really, REALLY fun day.

The highlight for me was McKinley telling everyone, 'Happy. Mudder's Day.' He's speaking more and more clearly by the sentence - it amazes me. McKinley had so much fun today running around chasing Gonan and Bootie (those are our nephews, Logan & Mason - we have NO idea where the nickname Bootie came from, but we go with it and Mason's a good sport). We also got to coo over Baby Braelyn (McKinley pronounces it Braynen) - she is precious, and 9 weeks old already!

We all had so much fun taking turns with badminton or this fun velcro tennis ball catcher thing (which I am now obsessed with) or basketball. It was the perfect day to be outside and my mother & father-in-law's front yard is the perfect spot for these impromptu games. We had a lovely dinner and dessert and soon headed home - my sister-in-law and I agreed that they day had absolutely flown by.

What a fun day for the family, Happy Mother's Day!

Lynn

Above, Uncle Mike and McKinley, McKinley sporting his "Momma's Boy" shirt, Aunt Rose feeding McKinley a fun treat of cake and ice cream, Wendi holds Baby Braelyn, Cary teases his Mamaw.

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