McKinley's First Nine

It's no secret that McKinley likes golf. He just does. No one pushed him into it, we just gave him one of his clubs a few years ago and "WHACK!" he was hooked. We've taken him to the driving range many times (and yes, he drives WAY better than I do) and Cary has taken him along for a few holes. But today was special...his first nine. Just McKinley and his Daddy (Mommy got some shopping time). When I came back to meet them at the course I was literally laughing out loud at what I saw. McKinley was standing up in the golf cart, foot on the pedal, Cary steering with a death grip on McKinley's back. My boys were smiling from ear to ear. Totally made me cry.

Snapped this photo and I absolutely adore it.

My boys!

Lynn

A Weekend Adventure

To continue our annual month-long celebration of McKinley's birthday, we headed to French Lick for the weekend. We all had a total blast at the city's water park and hotel Big Splash Adventure. Well, a blast except for the rash of flies that seemed to be at every eatery in the city. Yuck.

We swam, we slid (okay, well, I didn't...not a good idea to go peeling down a giant 3 story slide while pregnant...), we played in the outdoor pool and went around on the lazy river 3,413 times. Honest. It was awesome. We broke only to find fly-free food or to sleep, visit the historic resorts of West Baden and French Lick, or to hit the nearby train museum.

We had one little incident where some teens were literally making waves in the lazy river and got it going so hard that they knocked McKinley right off his raft. He was fine, but I was hot. When I was done with those little stinkers they left! I remember being "young" like that, but I would like to think I didn't act like that. Aside from that brief mishap the trip was super fun. And we even made a stop a "McKinley's Market" in Oaktown...which is where my Grandfather (Clarence McKinley Crecelius, McKinley's namesake) was born! A great little escape on a long weekend. I think the photos say it all!

Happy Summer!!!!!!!!!

Lynn

A four year old?

Can it really be? Our baby boy is four years old?
He's such a big boy now...and so very much fun.

Happy 4th Birthday to our precious McKinley, we love you so very much.

Love,
Mom & Dad

Lunch with Nonna & Mommy, Dinner with Daddy & Mommy at Texas Roadhouse (McKinley's choice - because you KNOW he wanted to hear them give a great big YEEEEEE-HAAAAAA) and hours of playtime at Bogey's where he literally hit the jackpot over and over and over. Awesome day!

Birthday Party #4...Golf!

What an awesome day and a labor of love for all of us since JANUARY. Yes, January. That was when I offhandedly asked what kind of birthday party McKinley wanted this year. He instantly answered, "Golf! I want a GOLF birthday party, with a real golf course and a golf cake and lots of golf balls." Immediately my brain went into overdrive. Honestly, I don't think on the way home (we'd been out for dinner) I was able to think of anything else. I set out to brainstorm and search the internet for unique ideas since McKinley had chosen such a unique theme - which I LOVE. Suffice it to say, I didn't find much. I did find golf ball cake pops and eventually a back yard mini golf course, courtesy of Martha herself. Cary and I discussed our plans and moved forward with them. It was such a joy to create a day like this for McKinley, we were all so excited for the theme and McKinley loved having input on everything! My favorite thing has to be the invitations...I had a vision of what I wanted and was able to execute it with the help of a graphic designer in California. What she put together was exactly what I asked for. I could not have been more pleased. I was so happy in fact that she and I worked together to design the printable paper products (signage, etc) for the party and I'm so happy with how it turned out. The only problem was I was so excited for the entire day that I never took the chance to snap photos of the decor or set up or anything. I'm so upset, but that wasn't the point anyway...McKinley, our friends and family all had a wonderful time. Seeing the smile on that boy's face was enough to make me have a party like that every single day. But, oh, would we be tired...

As guests started to arrive the kids immediately took to the 'make-your-own station' that I always enjoy putting together. This year it was a golf visor...apropos, no? And all the guests were invited to take a guess as to how many golf balls were inside the candy jar. We chose one adult winner (who won the Caddy Shack DVD) and a one 'youth' winner (who won a big selection of toys and games chosen by McKinley). Brent (my Godfather and McKinley's "Papa") won the Caddy Shack DVD when he chose the EXACT number of balls inside the jar! I was shocked when he won because I have fond memories of watching that movie (parts of it...) in my Godparents home on a particular visit. Brent always loved that movie, so I was tickled that he won. Our nephew Logan was the 'youth' winner and was pretty excited with McKinley's little bag of goodies.

We asked Brent to lead us in prayer again this year, it's a nice little tradition and we so enjoy the efforts made by our friends and family to share this day with us, so it's nice for us to be thankful for that as well. We had a golf club-ish lunch of "Club" sandwiches, pasta salad, chips and veggies and dip.

As everyone finished many of our guests - especially the kids - played in our little back yard golf range. We had a putting range and a chipping range and clubs for everyone! While they played we got the piece de resistance ready...McKinley's AWESOME golf cake (that he picked out himself!) and the adorable cake pops that were truly the most difficult thing to find (mold ordered from amazon, turned down by 3 local bakeries, turned down by cake pop maker in Indy, quoted $100 for 12 by a cake pop maker in Memphis, Tn., and finally able to place the order four days before the party with a new cake pop maker in Indy --Sticky Sweet Cake Pops--, shipped the mold to her, had my Godmother pick them up from her home and drive them here! They were NOT $100...Ha!). Cary had been the one to pick up the cake from Baesler's and he could NOT believe the attention this cake had gotten. Apparently the entire bakery had been enthralled by this cake as it was being made and decorated, so much so that they even took photos of it and the owner of Baesler's himself carried it out to Cary's truck. It was awesome, more awesome than I had pictured...when McKinley said he loved the photo I'd found he was certain it's what he wanted. When we walked out with that thing there was no doubt in my mind he was happy. He couldn't stop smiling! He was squealing with delight! It was a good moment...

I think it was the photo booth that really brought out the humor in everyone though. We always enjoy taking photos with McKinley and his guests and I've recently become obsessed with photo booths, so we put together an array of mustaches and other "on a stick" items along with props and a chalk board. I LOVE how they turned out! We have some really creative friends and family!

We sang Happy Birthday and McKinley watched his candles (that I had to continuously light due to the stupid wind...) and his cake with intent. He blew his candles out after making a wish and everyone dug into that yummy cake! Oh it was so good.

Things began to wind down as McKinley opened his gifts and we once again brought a special birthday to a close. It truly is the happiest day of the year for Cary and I - and so worth the absolute exhaustion from the weeks and weeks of work we lovingly put into it.

Fourth birthday party down, one happy, happy boy as a result...and two parents full of love for their precious boy!

So...too early to make plans for #5??????

Lynn

Fourth of July

In keeping with tradition, the Vernon fam, Douglas fam and Semmler fam all gathered at the roof of the parking garage for a cook out, some good times with good friends and a heckuva view of the city's fireworks. Except for one little thing...we couldn't GO to the roof! The new owners decided to close the roof off due to some seriously disgusting behavior. We quickly made do and made our own little tailgate area on the level below the roof. It worked well! We had yummy food, the kids had a blast playing together and the view was just as wonderful as always.

I brought along some glow necklaces for the kids and Robin brought some American flags, the kids loved their little goodies as they sat in the hatch of the Douglas' SUV or our truck bed.

When it came time for the fireworks I took a break and sat in the hatch myself, I needed a little break. I looked at my family and friends and realized just how much our lives have all grown since our first time on the roof. Every person in front of me had a child in their arms! Except me, which I pointed out, because it seemed so funny! Robin quietly reminded me that I DID have a child on my person, just as every one else...he or she just isn't here yet!

That's right, next year we will each have our own child to hold in our arms. How fun will that be?!?!

What an awesome 4th of July!

Lynn

Big Fall

This morning was a real surprise...ending with much to be thankful for. Cary was off work today, we all had intentions of sleeping in a bit. But suddenly we were all awakened by a BIG thud and immediate screaming. The kind of screaming no parent wants to hear.

Cary and I took off for McKinley's room where we found him pretty beat up. He'd fallen out of bed and directly onto a small stack of books we'd been given from a friend. I'd neglected to put them away because I wanted to keep them out for us to read and play with the following day. Big mistake. Lesson learned.

McKinley didn't stop crying for a long time, it scared him and he was in pain. As he pulled away from my hug so I could look at his face I saw blood coming from his tears. Insert panic. I think the past few issues that have happened (Bully shove at the park, Pecan up nose, etc) have built up my ability to contain the panic so it isn't seen by McKinley (which is super important, particularly when you're alone and handling a situation that needs immediate attention) but inside I was literally freaking out. Utterly terrified.

I called our pediatrician (the receptionist on the phone did NOT hide HER panic as well as I had managed...)and they asked to bring him in immediately, so we threw on clothing and made it to the office in just minutes. McKinley's eye was swelling slightly and was super sensitive. The doc took a look and found a small cut that was extremely close to the tear duct. Extremely, as in I can't even think of the proper measurement to accurately describe just how close it really was. Our doctor spent several minutes examining the cut to be absolutely sure it WAS NOT at the tear duct. Thankfully, the cut was where the blood had been coming from and we were minutely close to a major problem...MUCH, MUCH to be thankful for.

We walked out of the appointment only needing an antibiotic ointment and to use a cool compress to keep down the swelling. I am so thankful for the outcome and so relieved that McKinley is okay.

I try to count my blessings every day, but today I didn't stop counting them. I am so thanful...
Lynn

Zoo Trip

Another fun trip to the zoo! This time we briefly met up with my friend Kylie and her two boys. They had a blast in the splash park, which was perfect because it was a HOT, HOT day! When I pulled my camera from my bag I bumped the setting, didn't have time to check because I was trying to capture some real cuteness, so the photos of the boys ended up blue! Honestly, kind of a cool mistake!

Kylie and company left shortly after the splashing, but McKinley and I stayed to close the place down...surprise, surprise! We had so much fun together and even stopped off and had dinner in Plainfield at Panda Express, a favorite of ours. It was great to spend a little time with friends and even more fun to spend such a great day with my boy.

This was the first time since the new Tiger exhibit opened that we had a chance to visit and were we treated with a sight! Several tigers were up close and personal with us, much like the Cheetah exhibit. We even saw a Tiger stretch all the way up (and trust me, it was at least 8 feet worth of stretching...vertically) right beside the viewing glass. Another tiger took a drink from the stream, and another tiger paced back and forth checking out each person viewing. Very interesting, and a little freaky too...

And of course, no zoo trip is complete without at least one ride on the train!

Lynn

Spring Recap

Today is the first day of summer, so an appropriate time to recap our crazy spring! And crazy it was, between soccer, school, social engagements, gardening and a surprise, whew!!!!!!!

Soccer was a riot! McKinley's first crack at a team sport proved to be a real treat to watch and a lot of energy-releasing fun for the entire team of 3 and 4 year olds. We are blessed to know the coaches of McKinley's team, they live on Cary's mail route and their daughter is in McKinley's preschool class. We could not have asked for a better experience for our boy and his first go-round, he learned a lot, he played hard and most importantly --- he had a LOT of fun! Below are some of my favorite photos:

School was a really wonderful experience for our entire family. We've again been blessed to be introduced to such a wonderful group of people in the St. Patrick's community and McKinley isn't the only ones to reap the benefits. The Spring was easily the busiest time for school, it kept us on our toes! I think my favorite day was McKinley's 'pretend' Birthday (since he's a summer baby they all get to celebrate before the school year ends! Hello, JEALOUS! I never got to do that!), not only was it "his" day, it was also water day for the entire class. When we picked McKinley up he was soaking wet from all the water play, it was really a funny sight. We also discovered that the strawberry smoothie pops I made for his birthday snack were a big hit combined with water day and the heat. I was glad. I really enjoy making a healthy treat that makes the kids happy...

Another project we've embarked on is a bigger garden than we've ever made happen at home. And I've learned that apparently we are now called "URBAN FARMERS". I love the term. Makes us sounds WAY better at it than we are! So, my URBAN FARMER hubby and I set out to create a few small raised garden beds - another wonderful find from ana-white.com. They were pretty easy...and in my opinion they look fabulous! I'm SO proud of what we (mostly Cary) did. And yes, Cary may have done most of the 'putting together' of the awesome new beds, but I did my share as well, tending to the new little seedlings we were growing. McKinley is really enjoying watching a seed turn into a plant, turn into something we can pick from our little back yard garden and use in the kitchen for dinner!

We chose tomatoes, sweet peppers, summer squash, lettuce, carrots, chives, basil and cilantro. It sounds like a lot but it hasn't become more than we can keep up with thus far. I just CANNOT wait to see what happens! I'm seeing some pesto and some guacamole in our future and I cannot wait...those are two of my faves!

Here is some of the process, updates to come!

Another Spring project (yes, totally bit off way more than I could chew, but worth it) was a Lenten project called 40 bags/40 days. I found the idea on a blog I follow, the author experiences something much like me...she just doesn't get much out of giving the typical item away during lent, so she does this: makes a list of 40 areas in life that need physically cleaned out. Gather 40 bags, do one projects each day and reflect on how releasing that space of its clutter, physical or psychological makes you feel and how it connects with lent, Easter and God's love. I did it, thought truth be told I did not complete all 40 of my areas by Easter but I've continued to work on the ones that were not yet finished and I'm pleased and a bit overwhelmed with how I feel. I loved having the opportunity to better organize our keepsakes, newspaper articles and photos and other things of McKinley's. I'm so proud of how beautifully everything fit into two small archival boxes. The most awesome thing for me was the reorganization and cleaning out of my shoes. I like shoes. A lot. Almost as much as bags. And no, bags were NOT on my 40 days list. Nope, not budging on those babies! The shoes were not well organized and I could not stand it. I knew what needed to be done and I knew what I wanted it to look like upon completion. So, I chose to do it while McKinley napped...and when he awoke several pairs hit the growing donation pile, a few hit the trash can and a few friends were reunited...and they are so lovely together on their beautiful new shoe tree. Anyway, it was quite liberating and I think I truly GOT more from this lent project than anything I've ever done for lent. It was awesome! Below, photos of some of the beauties who got to stay for the party:

Finally, the social engagements nearly knocked us right off our agendas this Spring, but so fun! We enjoyed everything from zoo trips and egg hunts to weddings and impromptu gatherings with old friends.

Hooray for Spring and the good times and beautiful weather it brought, and hooray for Summer and all it has to bring!

Lynn