Merry Christmas everyone!

Going to see Santa!

Wow, it really has been a while since I posted anything. Life is just moving along like normal here. We have had a busy couple of weeks with IEP Meetings, Parent/Teacher conferences, Book fair, and now cycle break. Quinn has 3 weeks of break before going back. When he gets back to school they will start working with him an "language". This is the outcome of 3 different tests at school, 3 different adult evaluations, and one big IEP Meeting. Everyone actually agreed to the same thing, so he will start working in the language area. Not sure yet how much individual attention he will get (will find that out at another meeting), but it will all help!

Meadow is getting bigger every day. She gets out quite a bit, but her mommy is lacking in quality adult time (not with Chris) so she is thinking of going back to work part time.

Went to my 25 yr class reunion. Here is a picture of 2/3 rds of our high school "gang". Dawn wouldn't come to the reunion so I couldn't get a picture of all of us. Maybe next time I'm up that way.

Steve got a big smoker for his birthday this year and promptly dubbed her "Black Betty". Here he is on a rainy day taking her for a test drive. We got some really good pulled pork from her that day, and I'm hoping for some good stuff on my birthday. Steve is also talking of doing a turkey or two on her for Thanksgiving.

And here is a picture of my girl Lola. She is my constant companion - when Steve and Quinn aren't here! I love her anyway, but had to get a crate for her to sleep in, since she is a real "bed hog"!

Misc. Pictures

Since I haven't posted in awhile, I thought I would just post some pictures of the kids!

Here is Quinn with Meadow - this was the first time he wanted to hold her, and she wasn't really in a very good mood!

Here is Auntie Miranda getting her fill of Meadow.

And one of my big kindergartener with sunburned cheeks.

Steve and I at a Cardinal game.

Off to Kindergarten...

Last Thursday was Quinn's first day of kindergarten. He was very excited and had a great day. He loves his teacher and is making great strides every day. I can't believe how much he comes home with every day.

They have homework, and they have to do book reports! We just had stories read to us when I was in kindergarten. Today was the third day of school and already they are sending home info about school pictures. Nothing seems to be as it was when I was in school - although to be fair that was a "long" time ago!

Meadow is growing by leaps and bounds and maybe one of these days we'll actually get to watch her while mom & dad go out.

Tile is finally going in my bathroom Wednesday. I am so ready for everything to be done with that room!

Isn't she precious!

Here are just a few more pictures. We haven't done much around here lately - just hanging out and enjoying the AC. Quinn is all ready to go back to school next week. He starts kindergarten on the 16th! I'm excited too, since he will be going full days.

Having trouble with the guy who was going to put down my tile, so I'm currently looking for someone else. That's not an easy thing, since I'm looking for someone (not a company) to do it on the side. I'm cheap, I really don't want to pay the "BIG" bucks to have it done!

Anyway, here are the pictures.

Grandpa made me smile!

Grandma, Uncle Quinn and Meadow getting cozy on the couch.

Doesn't he look just too comfortable holding that new grand baby?

She's Here!

Meadow Dee McDonald made her arrival on Friday morning at 10:06am. She was 8 lbs 15 ozs and 21 inches long with a healthy set of lungs. Here are a few pictures.

Not much going on around here - lazy summer days! I have been taking Quinn to the library and he loves that he can pick out videos all on his own. I then have to go back and do my browsing later or just reserve online, because he isn't patient enough to wait while I look around. I think he will get better with it once he's in school and they do the library in class. He's pretty good right now, he doesn't run around or be loud, just doesn't want to wait on me!

We always get a little 3 ring pool and set up out back so he has something to splash around in and cool off without me having to take him to the "big" pool. I set that up this morning and by the time he got home it was ready to go with warm water and all. I'm sunburned, he's sunburned and daddy gets the shade. Not really fair, but he did work all day so I'll let it slide. Maybe we will go to the pool over the weekend - they have a big slide (wide, not tall) that Quinn loves to go down and since the pool is a zero entry it's easy on all of us and we don't have to worry about him getting into too deep water.

Still waiting on the grandbaby - she's due the 22nd, but Christina has an appointment today and the Dr. said last week that if things hadn't progressed a lot further she would like to induce. I don't see why they need to do that, since the baby isn't getting "too" big - I think they should just let nature take it's own time. I mean, women have been doing this for thousands of years all by themselves right?

Finally........

Quinn finally decided it was warm enough to play with the present Santa left at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Here is a little video of him.

Up until yesterday, he wouldn't have anything to do with this car. Suddenly he wanted to drive it and he ended up going through some large puddles with it, even though Grandpa told him not to!

More Wedding

Here are some more pictures from the wedding.

Chris & Christina's Wedding

Saturday was the big day for Chris and Christina. We were worried about the forecast all week, but it turned out to be a nice "dry" day. The temps were nice, no rain and it stayed a little overcast, but overall it was about perfect! They were married in Creve Coeur Park at a shelter overlooking the lake.

Here is the bride and her girls before the wedding.

The groom waiting for his bride!

The wedding itself.

My beautiful step-daughter Miranda.

And here's one of mom and dad - neither of which wanted their picture taken!

Quinn sings at church

Here is Quinn singing at church yesterday. He had such a good time, and was practicing his song for 2 weeks - singing at the top of his lungs! Doesn't he look handsome in his suit and tie?

Bathroom Progress

We have been working on our bathroom for awhile now (I'm too embarrassed to say how long it actually is), and I finally feel like we are making some progress. We completely gutted the thing down to bare studs and sub floor so we had a lot of work to get it back usable.

Needless to say, it's not done yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! The walls are up, taped, mudded, sanded and primed (sealed) and all they need is the real color and that's done. The tub/shower is in and working (has been for awhile) and all it needs is the new shower head on. Then we need the tile floor , medicine cabinet, vanity and toilet and we will be fully functional and done. With that bathroom - then we need to start the other one.

But, I've decided not to start that project until Quinn starts kindergarten in July. It's much easier to get things done when he isn't here! So, here are some pictures of our progress.

This is what the tub walls looked like before. That's tape over a hole in the wall behind Quinn's head.

Bare studs and floor, but the tub is in and insulation is up.

Different view.

Drywall up, taped, mudded and sanded.

Primer on the walls, finally!

New Camera

Not much going on around here these days, except the ordinary stuff. Our bathroom is ready to paint - all I need is some time alone to get it done. I will have to put on a primer coat and then the color plus seal the ceiling and paint it also.

I finally got my new camera and took a few pictures today, so that is what you will see. This one takes much better pictures than my old one, and it takes more with longer battery life!

Quinn will sing in church on Easter and grandma got him a new suit, shirt and tie just for the occasion. He couldn't stand it, so I let him wear the dress shirt and tie last Sunday to church.

Lola doing what she does best - sleep!

A baby afghan I'm working on right now.

Lola likes to think the baby afghan is hers.

Refreshing Weekend

There is nothing like a weekend away with friends. I got back last night from my annual trip to the Hearts at Home conference in Bloomington, IL. Four of us girls travel together and stay with another friend that lives in Bloomington (Thanks Tara) and we have a gab fest like you wouldn't believe! The conference was great with the likes of Dr. Kevin Leman, Go Fish and too many others to name. We laughed, we cried, we hugged, we talked, we did everything but sleep much. Even still it was a great time away - even if it was only 2 days/nights.

Quinn got undivided attention from dad and they had a wonderful time together (even though Quinn cried for me every night). I'm sure they ate some junk food, and I know they had steak, baked potatoes and cheesecake. I missed out on a great meal as my husband is an expert griller!

Quinn is on cycle break right now and won't go back to school until the 24th. Usually it drives me nuts, but I may just be OK this time. I still have to get him registered for kindergarten, but I have until July to do it. School starts the 17th of July and he is all ready to go to the big school. After 2 years of preschool, he is an expert at the school bus, so I don't have any worries there. Well, maybe with some of the other kids on the bus, but not Quinn.

I have been looking to get a new digital camera and when I do, there will be more and better pictures on here.

Living Life

I can't believe it's been that long since I posted, but the blog doesn't lie! We haven't been doing much around here other than living life day to day. Quinn has been in his new classroom for a month now and is really enjoying it. We haven't seen and new "bad" habits, so I think we are good with the change. I still need to register him for kindergarten, but I can do that anytime.

Next week I will be in Bloomington-Normal for the Hearts-at-Home conference. Some of my friends and I do this every year, and we really have a good time. Tara lives there and opens up her home to us (she even kicks out her husband and kids for us) - we take breakfast stuff to pay her back and a good time is had by all. Steve always has to take that Friday off of work (just breaks his heart too) to watch Quinn, since he is on cycle break.

We have both been working out lately - trying to get back into shape! Maybe this time we can stick with it. I have been sore for a few days because I started something new. I get tired of just doing the treadmill every day. Would love to have an elliptical, but those run big bucks and I don't ever see them on freecycle.

I've been busy trying to get a cross stitch project done. I have e few more days work on it, but am very close. I will be happy when this is done, because it has taken me several years to complete. It's not real easy to work on when you have a curious little one around. I have also been working on a new baby blanket for the grandbaby and have some cute little ponchos picked out to work up. I finished an afghan I had been working on for about 6 months - it just grew and grew and I got tired of working on it simply because I wasn't thrilled with the colors and how it was turning out. I showed a friend of mine the blanket, and she just loved the colors, so I guess it's just me! I have also been teaching her how to crochet, and she is a really fast learner and a great student. Now her 7 year old daughter wants to learn.

We are doing the Fireproof bible study with our small group this time around. We have a group of 7 couples and 10 kids, and we have been meeting on Sunday afternoons. We do our study first and then eat a meal together. We have had a lot of fun "really" getting to know everyone. Last night we learned 3 foods that each person can't stand, and had a great time laughing and joking. It's really great to know your friends like that!

Lola has put on a little weight over the winter. She's not getting much exercise, and she has learned how to be a food thief. Quinn can't leave food anywhere that she doesn't eventually get to it. She even sneaks from the kitchen table (which I hate)!

Girls, Girls, Girls

Well, it seems that this is the time for everyone in the family to be having girls! Can't anybody have a boy????

Congrats to Trever and Krista, and I hope you have better luck next time they do an ultrasound. We found out yesterday that Christina is having a girl also! Mom is very excited, as she has been waiting for a girl in the family to spoil with all those cute clothes. They have picked out the name "Meadow" and I can say that I like it. Now, if we just got to see them more often (and they only live about 15 minutes from us).

The wedding has been planned and is set for May 2nd. I have a few months to drop some pounds, and just ordered some new workout videos to help me. Steve is even ready to get in on the action, so next time you see us we will be thinner.

Quinn has been ill lately and combined with a couple of snow days he was home for 5 days straight. I am so glad he is back in school - and I think he is too! Here is a picture of his artwork - he decided to do this prior to going to school one day and I decided to let him go like that!

Here is Quinn and Grandpa messing around one afternoon.

Passions

Last year I started focusing on improving one of my "someday" goals - I started making my own bread. Not from a machine, or a mix but real, old-fashioned homemade bread! You know, the good stuff.

Let's just say that it wasn't without failures, but I believe I have mastered the basic art of bread making. I have attempted to make sourdough, but it really didn't turn out like I thought so I will try that again in the future. I have not attempted french bread, as it's a very wet bread and I don't have that kind of "uninterrupted" time right now!

I have made basic white breads, oatmeal, pumpernickel and Hawaiian. The oatmeal and Hawaiian are by far my favorites right now, but I'm still experimenting. I have also delved into pizza dough with success and am looking to try my hand at english muffins soon.

Here are a few pictures of some my successes.

Here is a bread made from a potato starter:

Here are some cinnamon rolls made from the same starter.

Here is a pizza that Quinn and I shared one evening.

And here is another loaf of bread. I think this is the Oatmeal Bread.

Christmas has come and gone, and was filled with all the excitement a 4 yo can exude! We had a long day, since Quinn was up at 6:45am and then didn't go to bed until after 10pm sometime. Santa came and left lots of presents, all of which are now being enjoyed. The biggest hit of the day was by far the 2 small flashlights he got. The boy loves flashlights and daddy decided he needed his own to play with. Now we have to close up the windows tight every day, and we also try to sneak outside after dark to play with them!

A big meal was had, presents were opened and we all got to spend time with each other - which is what I look forward to the most. Christina is wearing maternity clothes now and looks so cute! Another couple of weeks and we should know what the baby is. I just realized that is 3 pregnant ones in the family right now!

Speaking of family, we made our annual trek up north for the Christmas party. This year was interesting in several ways. First, Aunt Mildred passed away so mom, dad and Mike went to the funeral at 11 that morning. Then came Kyla's baby shower where the power went out for about 45 minutes (naturally it happened while she was opening gifts) and it poured rain so we had to jump "BIG" puddles when we came out of the church. Third, after we got to Sue's for the party the power went out again and stayed out the rest of the night! Talk about a party to remember - although I don't think the pregnant girls were having much fun. There wasn't any heat, but thank goodness it hadn't been too cold that day and there were plenty of candles around so we could see. We couldn't eat dinner though, so it was just snacking and drinking!

After we left Sue's and headed for home we really hit the bad weather. It had been nasty all day, but by the time we got to Champaign the next front hit and we bucked 50+ mph winds all the way home. That was a stressful ride and we were very glad to make it home in one piece. Thankfully, Quinn slept for almost the entire ride home and went right back to sleep after we got here. Lola had a good day and didn't get into anything, or tear anything up, and she was ready to climb into bed with us after going out into the cold/wind. Here is a picture of her enjoying the down comforter.