January 2012

January around here is birthday month.  We've got Brandon's mom on the 5th, Brandon on the 11th, Lily on the 18th and me on the 24th.

Brandon had to work late all during his birthday week, so we didn't have much time to celebrate, but Lily and I did manage to make him a pie.  We used the basic apple pie recipe from Joy of Cooking which is really simple and always turns out great.   I made it after breakfast and it only took around 30 minutes which was good since if I cook anything longer Ehren will start hanging onto my legs and crying.

Birthday pie (with pie bird so it stays pretty!)

January is also the month I started watching Winry (5 months old) during the day time.  It turns out that having three children is not as hard as I thought it would be!  Ehren has done much better than I thought he would.  He really seems interested in the baby although he does not have the motor skills to always be gentle so I have to watch him like a hawk if he can reach her.  He tries to give her toys, replace her pacifier or bottle, and pats her and hugs her.  He even will throw dirty diapers away for me.  It makes me realize how big he is getting compared to the little baby.  Nap time can get a little rocky with the little ones, but she is easier to get down to sleep than Ehren is.  I can usually wait until she's tired and then just put her down and presto - she's asleep.  LOVE that.  (Don't get me wrong - I love my difficult one too!)  Speaking of sleeping.... I am proud to announce that Ehren now will self sooth himself without resorting to letting him cry.  I can put him in his crib when he's tired (but awake) and he will fall asleep on his own.  I just lay down on the floor where he can't see me but he knows I'm there and its enough for him.  Sometimes he watches a crib toy that makes noise and other times he'll roll over and conk out without the toy.

Lily had a nice birthday and party.  She wanted to have a rainbow theme and invite family and her friends.  Since our house space is limited we opted to have her party at McDonalds.  Because I didn't make reservations soon enough the party was at 6:00 pm!  She had fun though and we got to see the family which is always nice.  McDonalds didn't allow outside food and drink so we made rainbow cupcakes and went out to eat at Fazolis with our adopted college students before services on Wednesday.  Not surprisingly, our little firecracker also had a blast at that "party."

Lily's girlfriends Anni and Louise

Cousin Wyatt

Snakey got covered in cakey

Our first batch of rainbow cupcakes (Thanks Pinterest)

Lily also started preschool this month on Tues-Thurs from 9:00 to 1:30.  I decided that she was becoming too bored just hanging out with me and needed some more mental stimulation.  I thought this was especially important since I would be devoting so much time to caring for the babies.  However, having her away for part of the day can be actually harder because when she's here Ehren wants to play with her and will mostly leave me alone to care for the baby.  He'd check in on me from time to time for reassurance and then go back to playing.  When its just me and the little babies, he's a lot more demanding for attention.

Lily loves preschool!  So far it has been exactly as I hoped.  The teacher also seems pleased with her behavior and knowledge.  Apparently Lily knows all her letters though I have not formally taught them to her. 

Ehren's separation anxiety is showing signs of tapering off.  As I mentioned earlier, he no longer must be put to sleep by physical contact with us, but has also survived bible class twice without us being there.  The first time was hard on him and I know he cried, but the second time was better and although he needed to be held periodically, he didn't become as upset.  So there's hope for the little Klingon yet!  I'm so glad he's making these steps because I know independence is an important part of growing up! 

For my birthday we didn't really do anything special since we had a gospel meeting that night with Tim Jennings.  It was an excellent meeting and very timely.  I was glad that I was able to worship on my birthday.  That day had been a little rough but I got a little knock on the door and was surprised to find a chocolate covered fruit bouquet with a balloon and a teddy bear from Anna.  That was a nice treat and made even better since all three kids were asleep and not awakened by the delivery.  I also got a most awesome card from Aly that wished me a Happy "29th" birthday from my "110 lb" friend.  That gave us a good laugh since this is my second "29th" birthday.  ;-) The Saturday after my birthday aunt Angie came over and watched the kids so Brandon and I could go out to eat lunch.  Ehren went down for a late nap and was still sleeping when we got back.  I was glad for that because he might have been upset if he knew we had gone.  Lily had Aunt Angie all to herself which she loved because Aunt Angie always brings books.

That pretty much brings you up to date on the happenings of January.  I've been so busy I haven't had much time for crafting anything except one little panda bear.  I'm also working on a quiet book for Ehren for services.  I've got one page almost finished and it has taking me a LOoooooong time.  Hopefully I can finish it before he outgrows the need for it!

Tolee's panda

Happy 4th Birthday to Lily!

Today is my dear sweet Lily's fourth birthday!



The other day I was filling out paperwork to enroll her in preschool and I was asked to describe her personality and I thought to myself.... That blank is not nearly big enough!  Brandon and I joked around that we would need to write a book to fully describe her.

I love her spunk and enthusiasm for life, her outgoing and friendly personality, her imagination, her decisiveness, her bravery (sometimes scary).  She's tough yet sweet and forgiving.  She loves to read, paint and color.  She plays hard and sleeps hard and she's like nobody else.  I'm so thankful that God gave her to us!  I pray every day that we can point her in the right direction because she will be able to do whatever she sets her mind on.

This determination can make life with her difficult right now, but I wouldn't change anything about her.  I love her so much!  Happy Birthday Lily!

Lily's birthday

One year

Second year

Third year

Fourth year - You have no idea how many photos we have of her making this face!!!

December 2011

December came and went pretty fast. Lily and I kept busy making Christmas presents. Ehren turned a year old! I've been counting my blessings. Brandon has a good job and we have two healthy and happy children and a loving family. 

Some of our Christmas ornaments we made with salt dough.  Yes.  That's a lobster.

Brandon gave me the OK for buying as much yarn as I want and I've been going WILD with the crocheting.  Its been so fun.  If you're looking for a hobby - try crochet.

Hot chocolate mix - we also made spiced tea

Hat for Winry - modeled by a big eyed cat/guinea pig creature

Ho-ho for Wyatt

Yoda for Micheal

Ehren had his well checkup 5 days before Christmas and picked up a virus at the Dr.'s office so he and I stayed home for Christmas while Brandon and Lily went to Lufkin. I was hoping E could get some rest and recover but it was very hard to get anything done because he didn't sleep soundly and whined all day long! He started feeling better after a couple of days and I was so glad!

For Christmas I learned that my sister and her husband are expecting another baby! I'm very excited because I just love babies and look forward to meeting him or her. My poor sister is as sick as she's ever been though. Makes me remember how bad I felt with E, but for her its worse because she's got to chase around Wyatt and vomit all day long - poor thing. Hopefully the nausea will pass soon.

I'm looking forward to January when I will start keeping Winry during the day and Lily will start preschool. I think she will really enjoy preschool and it will give her an opportunity to brush up on her social skills. That's all for now.  I plan on posting a new entry for Lily's birthday so stay tuned!

Happy First Birthday Ehren!

One year ago today at 2:17 in the afternoon we welcomed our son Ehren into the world. He has grown into a joyful, sweet baby. Always giving out a smile and a hug and sometimes an open mouth kiss. He's known in our family as "the hugger." I've enjoyed waking up each morning to his smiles and giggles and can"t imagine life without him.

Ehren at 1 month old - Lily put his hat on (doesn't he look thrilled!)

I'd like to thank our family for your unwavering support (even when it scared you.) Thanks especially to my Mom who can sense when I feel overwhelmed and drive all the way from Dallas to take care of me and take Lily home with her for a week. I feel inexpressible gratitude to our midwife Toni, who caught Ehren with gentle, patient and loving hands. I also want to thank the many mothers I have met along the way who by their example showed me how to parent gently. Elaine P., Andrea H., Cori L., and Rachel S. for sharing their home birth experiences and giving me living examples of strong women who have brought their children into the world without fear. Thanks to Kimberly R. and Natalie H, who helped me embark with confidence and discover the joy of exclusive breastfeeding. Thanks to my dear sweet Lily who has learned to share Mommy's attention with grace above her years. Thanks to all of the people who offered kind words when we needed it. This year has been the hardest of my life but also the most rewarding!

Here's a collection of photos from Ehren's first year you might not have seen.

Ehren at 1 week old

Cuddles with daddy - He's about 1 month old here

4 months - the chunky phase

Future Starbucks addict (Won't Aunty be proud!)

Loving on the dog

Have toy - will hug

Welcome home Daddy - I love you!

The hugger in action - he loves the cat

November 2011

November has been a quiet month in the McGallion household.

I have implemented a cleaning schedule so it won't always be put off.  I am scheduled to clean the floors one day, dust another etc.  It works pretty well and I seem to have less time to goof around. ;-) Kimberly R. suggested the kids help.  It was actually quite amusing to see how hard they tried.  Even the baby got in on the action.

Ehrenella scrubbing the bathroom floors

Not so helpful

 

Lily getting in on the TP fun

We've also been crafting and making Christmas presents for the family.  Thanks to Pinterest I've got tons of great ideas to try out. We made soaps which was tons of fun and we're going to make spice tea and hot chocolate mixes.  Lily loves to help me cook and loves to craft.

I met a lovely lady names Suly who owns her own business crocheting adorable hats and accessories.  Turns out she lives right in the next neighborhood over.  I went over to her house to pick out some things for a birthday girl we know and she whipped them right up for me in the custom colors I picked out.  She also encouraged me to pick up the hook and make more!  Here is her website - Proud Child Crochet & Handy Fashions

My sister Audrey also introduced me to the world of Amigurumi (Japanese crocheted dolls)  How did I not know about this???  I love to crochet and am a Japan-fan but somehow I'm just now learning about it.  Well better late than never!  We went to the craft store and bought up bags of yarn and this book More Cute Animals to Crochet.  I tried my hand at it and made a hedgehog for Lily.  I also made one for Wyatt and plan on making lots more because it is super fun.  Stay tuned for a Yoda!  If you're on Pinterest, check out my Amigurumi board for all the goodies I want to make.

My little hedgehog (different than the book because mine has ears)

Thanksgiving this year was at my Aunt Kayla's house in Mt Enterprise.  We came and stayed with Brandon's folks the day before and made the short drive Thursday morning for lunch.  It was great to see the family.  All of my cousins are so grown up!  Maegan even has a darling little baby, Kolby.  She and Ehren are close in age and played so sweetly together. It was so nice to just relax and soak up the love.  We left with tons of goodies from Grandma Gibson including pecans!  Mmmmm....

Kolby, me, and Ehren hanging out

After we got back to Lufkin we put the kids down to sleep and sneaked off with Brandon's sister Leslie to see the new Twilight movie!  Mike and Aly met us at the theater and we all laughed and made jokes at the cheesy-ness of the movie.  This is the first movie I have seen in about a year!  Ehren slept the whole time and Grandma McGallion only had to get Lily in bed.  It was great to get a break from my little darling and spend some time with grown ups.

Friday was another family day with the McGallions this time.  The kids (Brandon and Me, and Leslie and Drew) went shopping and both boys got new cowboy boots.  Where better to go than Cavender's in Lufkin?  Brandon will probably be going to Sweden some time during the winter and didn't want to get his feet wet.  Can you believe this guy didn't already have cowboy boots?  After shopping, we all gathered at Nana's house and had Thanksgiving dinner.  Lily was having some melt down issues (she was without a nap 2 days in a row) but we all survived.  After nap time we had an impromptu birthday party for Ehren.  He had a serious little face the entire time.  But the presents made him smile! 

I LOVE this rock

Hi Nana!

Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!

DIY Swiffer Pads

Mopping.... we all hate it.  So messy!  I had the added challenge of having most of my floors laminate which as you might know cannot get very wet without getting ruined.  So the mopping would not get done for MONTHS.  Gross huh?  I had all kinds of gadgets and systems but it just wouldn't get done.

I decided with a crawling baby that I needed a better system. I started making a commitment to clean floors at least once a week. The Swiffer came the closest to meeting my moppnig needs but was so expensive for the cleaning solution and pads refills.  So I improvised.

I discovered you can use a high quality diaper and your own mixture of vinegar and water or use a generic floor cleaner. 

One weeks worth of dirt

October 2011

October has been a busy month for the McGallion family!


Brandon is officially a world traveler.  He has been to both Sweden and England.  I've been suggesting that he write out a guest post for ya'll but no luck so far!

Stockholm

London

 Lily has visited the dentist for the first time.  I was concerned about her chipped front teeth, but it turns out that its not a problem.  She got x-rays and got her chompers polished.  She was so cooperative and giggled the whole time.  Too cute!  To reward her for her good behavior we went to Toys-R-Us where she liked NOTHING.  She wanted a grow platypus.  Um.... yeah.  So I ordered a platypus online for her.  Girl KNOWS what she wants.





The dog also got to visit the vet for some much needed dental care. She also had teeth pulled and that gross wart on her head removed. She had stitches and looked perfect for Halloween - FrankenMo. She is doing well.







We've had some exciting adventures in eating inspired by Forks over Knives. Its a documentary about the link between meat and cancers and all sorts of other diseases. We're eating more vegetables and less processed foods now. If you've never tried to cut back on processed foods - you should try it! Its surprisingly difficult to avoid additives. So far I have seen a number on the scale I haven't seen in YEARS! We're now a semi-vegetarian family.

Ain't is purty?  Butternut squash soup with organic chives (Thanks Grandma G!)

I've been inspired by Pinterest and friends to make my own laundry detergent.  It was surprisingly easy thanks to Brandon and his workout buddy who ground the bar of soap for me.  It does not leave the clothes smelling like anything but does an adequate job cleaning.

In other news, Micheal Evans was so kind as to lend us his camera so we can take better pictures than my phone will allow.  We had planned on going to the store and buying one but it turns out I am camera challenged and know nothing about cameras.  They are also expensive.  Who knew?  This brings to mind the time back in 2000 or so when Anna told me that digital cameras are the way of the future.  No way I told her, they'll never be able to get the resolution as high as film.  Oh how young and silly I was. 

Lily had the opportunity to visit my folks in Dallas for a week.  She got to attend lots of gospel meetings and was reportedly well behaved (to earn a stuffed animal).  It was nice to have some one on one time with the baby.  He started signing and babbling in earnest when she left.  He was, however, quite excited to have her back.  He adores her.  His favorite thing to do lately is just hug her, knock her over and just lay on her.  Occasionally he will bite her.  She takes it well though.  Makes me so proud of her!  Charlie bit me

Gorgeous little Winry

We had the great honor to attend a welcome Winry party in Lufkin this past weekend.  She was such a doll and didn't cry at all.  We got to visit with Brandon's folks and enjoy some great BBQ (not on the diet)  Since I was already off the diet we sampled all four kinds of desserts too.  YUM!  We had Sunday lunch at Nana's which was super tasty as well.  Lily announced that the macaroni and cheese was not healthy.  Thanks kid!  More whole wheat pasta for you then.

Halloween this year was fun.  Lily was a bumble bee AGAIN.  Ehren was a panda bear which he did not like.  He kept trying to pull off the hood so we left it off.  After dinner we put Ehren in the wagon and set out to visit our friends in the neighborhood.  Lily got so excited she practically went inside everyone's houses!  She's just the most enthusiastic and talkative little girl everyone we visited was cracking up about her enthusiasm.  After a couple of polite bits of chit chat she would say, "I've got to go get more candy - See you next week!"  She had a blast.  And I think we got our money's worth on that bee costume!

Halloween 2009

 

 

Random day in 2010 - Bee Mario

Halloween 2011

I actually made something I saw on Pinterest!

Lily had me carve this to look like Ehren. Sorta.