McNair5

It's a girl!!!!!!

2011-10-11T20:18:00.000-05:00

4 baby girls.... 4 little lives to shape.... 4 heads of tangles to brush.... 4 little sets of fingers and toes to paint.... We are so thankful for the privilege and responsibility we have in raising them. Love love love love:). We appreciate your prayers and messages.

Boy or Girl????

2011-10-08T22:30:00.003-05:00

Tuesday, October 11...

It may seem like just another day to others, but to our family it is a very special day. We are going to find out if the new baby is a boy or a girl and the excitement at our house is building. Count-downs, guesses, 'I hope it's a boy/girl', what time do we find out, and more have been the topics of discussion at our house recently. What's your guess???? Boy or Girl???

ouch!

2011-06-02T00:25:00.000-05:00

Stop.....

growing.....

up......

I love watching them grow.... but it hurts my heart to see my littles get big!

LOVE!

Snow in April?:)

2011-04-15T11:52:00.000-05:00

Power outage and heavy snow = fun times in the dark with flashlights, sleepover in Ali's room with blankets piled high and battery operated nightlights:), a snow day which meant no school for Ali and no work for mom, building snowmen and having hot chocolate... so many blessings!

Crazy Aria is 3!

2011-04-04T15:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Aria!

This was her expression after she blew out the candles... priceless!

I thought I would spend the next 5 years making princess, castle, and crown cakes, but this year was the year for Toy Story. Ava chose Jessie and Aria chose Buzz... and I loved it!

birthday fun...

2011-03-20T22:13:00.000-05:00

Ava is 5!!!!!

growing up

2011-02-15T15:04:00.000-06:00

My kids are growing up... I love it but I also get sad sometimes. Aria is so adorable right now! Always making me laugh and always challenging me. Ava is just beautiful! So quiet and sweet and full of life. And Ali is just growing up! She is becoming quite the little reader, loving life at home and with her cute little friends. Each day is a blessing with them. Here are some recent pics...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-30T07:47:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

This photo was taken last year 2009.

This picture was taken this year. 2010 :)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a blessed 2011!

Love you all!

crazy fun with daddio

2010-11-20T12:16:00.000-06:00

Fall is Fun!

2010-11-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

Fall is my favorite season... my girlies love it too:)

I told Ava to pose and smile... this is what she did.

This is what her sisters did...

Alice in Wonderland, Princess Gigi, and our little ladybug:)

Ali and Ava carved most of their pumpkins on their own this year. They are growing up so fast. I have to remind myself all the time to slow down, play with them, and enjoy these moments that are so FUN!

I love this time of year and these years with little people are cherished even more! Sam carved a pretty cool pumpkin too. He's a pumpkin carving artist.

much love!

Abby

change

2010-07-25T03:42:00.001-05:00

Ali Mae will turn 6 soon and I am sorting through memories and asking God to help me remember. School starts in a few weeks and it will be a huge change for us! Pray for us please...

My girlie is growing up...

Aria's songs - This will make you Smile!

2010-02-17T00:34:00.003-06:00

Click here > Aria singing 'You Are My Sunshine'

Click here > Aria singing 'Jesus Loves Me'

Ski trip

2010-02-15T15:15:00.003-06:00

WE went on a ski trip recently and I was reminded how well you can get to know people when you are living with them for days. We had a great time! Friendships grew, people ate, people enjoyed the snow, people didn't sleep much:, and kids had fun! The trip was a blessing for us! A great getaway!

Ali and Dad got to go skiing together one of the days. Ali's favorite part was the enclosure at the bottom of the chair lift.:)

Spiderman joined us on the trip and 'flew' off of the couch many times throughout the trip... yes we were letting our kids jump on that furniture... please don't judge us.:)

Sam's long time friend Reece Hale joined us for the trip. He had his fill of kids (he's single) and skiing:) We enjoyed catching up with him. Yes... he and Sam did manage to get into trouble together during those two short days... you'll have to ask them for the story!

Here is the group (- me). The Russell's, Mr. Hale, and the McNairs! Thanks for a great trip guys!

Big News...

2010-01-23T12:11:00.004-06:00

Sam turned 30!!!

and we partied all week... 30 years of God's faithfulness!!!

2010-01-21T15:58:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!!

really late, but we have our computer back so I am posting again:)

Introducing...

2009-11-07T09:55:00.002-06:00

the newest member of the McNair family.....

Boone!

ouray vaca

2009-10-13T09:59:00.003-05:00

Sam and I had a mountain retreat in Ouray last week... it was delightful!! Here are some pics!

Sam napping on the beautiful deck at the cabin we stayed at.
At the top of Imogene Pass

Still going strong...

update...

2009-10-08T02:12:00.001-05:00

we have a kitchen :)

She's 5!

2009-08-18T11:57:00.003-05:00

My baby turned 5 on August 3rd... yikes! She is a beautiful, daring, fun, outgoing little girl and we lover her so very much! Here is her cake...

She got to put the sprinkles on top and help with the frosting:)
She had one party at the lake and one party in Hastings:) What a fun time of life!

wish we all could be california girls...

2009-07-06T11:32:00.003-05:00

California was a blast. I'm missing the beach, but I am soooo glad to be home.

Here are all the cousins in their name shirts. too many cute kiddos that's for sure!
Aria had a few facials while she was at the beach. She was lovin' that sand.
Ava thought the Electric light parade at disneyland was great!
Ali spent most of her time chasing and running from waves. She loved the water!
What a fun trip. We are thankful for the McNair family and have many good memories!

See below for Colorado post!

Colorado

2009-07-06T11:19:00.004-05:00

Colorado was a blast! Thanks Berkheims, Millhi, and my parents for joining us! I hope everyone had fun! Here are a few pics...

David, Justin, Sam and I hiked Quandary Peak while we were there. The boys all made it to the top, but I made to about 14,000 feet. My pride was hurting as I slid down the mountain in the snow, but my frozen feet and my queasy stomach were thanking me. It was really fun and next time we go... I WILL make it to the top and I will wear waterproof hiking boots.v:)

My studly husband:)
My hiking buddies...
The girls on their first hike together.
A really old tree.
I like Colorado and can't wait to go again... we are reserving the cabin for 2010.:)

the new house...

2009-06-24T08:07:00.004-05:00

Here are some pics of the new house. It is hard to tell what it really looks like, so you will just have to come see it:)

This is a picture os the upstairs. We knocked out a few walls and took the ceiling out. Insulated, tore off wall paper, put in new lights, and will retexture walls and paint soon. The girls will like it up here. It is pretty cute!

This is the kitchen. We are tearing off wallpaper, tore out the drop in ceiling, are getting new cupboards and appliances, and doing a few other things. That doorway is my monster laundry room/pantry.:)
This window looks out on the front yard to the great tree that is out there. We have two stained glass windows and I like them a lot!
This is the living and dining rooms (with lots of wallpaper on the floor) The woodwork is very pretty. We are going to texture the walls, paint, and refinish the wood floors.

This is the front of out little bungalow. We have a large front porch. We already have a porch swing for it and some other furniture. Hoping we will use it lots in this great climate!
Come visit us!

Comparing babies...

2009-05-20T03:28:00.005-05:00

Here is Ali a few hours after she was born...

Ava a few hours after she joined us...

And Aria....
What precious babies and precious memories!

springtime fun

2009-05-06T14:11:00.004-05:00

The girls love playing outside. I love to watch them. They pick flowers, pretend they are the characters out of jungle book. They also play David and Goliath and throw gravel at each other:) that one had to be stopped, but it made me smile..

Yummy cupcake

2009-04-15T12:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Aria!

2009-04-15T11:09:00.003-05:00

Aria has a little brown teddy that she sleeps with, so her cake got to have a teddy on it!:)

Here she is with cupcake #1 at party #1.

She liked it.
Here is cupcake #2 at party #2. She smashed it and then she liked it... check out the video.

Now I have to say that I have a 4 year old, 3 year old, and a one year old:) And in a few weeks I am taking my friends baby when she goes back to work, so I will have a newborn too:) I love kids.

3 new posts

2009-03-18T15:41:00.001-05:00

3 new posts below. Check them out!

Country girls!

2009-03-18T15:29:00.003-05:00

It has been so nice out. The girls have been filling buckets up with rocks, playing soccer, and going to feed the horses every day. I have been running and walking every chance I get. There is something so peaceful about running out with the cows and the corn:)

Here is Ali with her "feed lot boots" on and her soccer clothes.

This is our new friend Mr. T. I am learning how to take care of horses and loving it. The girls get to feed Mr. T and his friend Buddy all the time and they love it. They let Mr. T lick their hands and I love watching it. :)
This is the house we are living in. The smell is going away, but for some reason the mess isn't:)
Ali loves to fill her bucket up with rocks and then dump it into a big pile. She says she is getting her garden ready to plant.
Ava walks around outside and pretty much does nothing, but loves every second of it. She is a happy girl and likes living by the cows. She has taken to my friends horses and really likes spending time with them. She just stares at them and talks to them. It is pretty cute.

special projects

2009-03-18T15:24:00.002-05:00

My girls love to do special projects, so I get out the glue, crayons, paper etc pretty often. Here is our most recent project. The girls were given jewels, glue, crayons, and other crafty things and some closepins and decorated the closepins. Then I slid the closepins onto some twine and now we have a great place to display all of the girls preschool papers and artwork! Yay! They thought it was fun and I like having a place to put their work up.

Ava's birthday (her second party... pics of the 1st will come soon)

2009-03-18T15:06:00.004-05:00

Ava had 2+ parties for her birthday this year. This is the only party I have pics of, but will post more soon. Here she is opening presents. When I asked her what kind of party she wanted, she said she wanted a princess party. She had a princess crown, cake, plates etc and loved it all. It was great fun for us and a blessing to watch her enjoy herself!

Here she is attempting a swing at the pinata. Her older cousins had to show her how to hold the bat.:)

Aria was the cutest guest at the party. (Mom - this is the outfit Marge and Dave gave to Aria when she was born.)

And the princess cake... She loves frosting and this cake had plenty of it!

Happy Birthday to Ava!

Ava

2009-03-18T15:06:00.000-05:00

before and after

2009-03-04T11:31:00.003-06:00

Before the paint

After the paint

Before the new tub/shower and paint

After the new shower and paint

We are living in the feed lot house. It is a moving in mess, but it is painted and cleaned up. We still have some touch up to do, but it will get done. :) The girls have adjusted to their new home. I have not, but that's okay:) We are truly enjoying life here. We have been blessed with new friendships, quality time together, the beauty of God's creation, and as always the hope of the gospel.

Last night we took the girls down to the lake to throw rocks:) The sunset was beautiful on the lake and we had a great time together. Sadly I forgot my camera, so we may have to go back today:)

Miss you all!

love

abby

11 months :)

2009-03-04T11:16:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! I am 11 months old now. My mom forgot to post about my birthday because my sisters and I gave her to much laundry to do. :) I am growing up fast, but my hair is not growing as fast as my body. Some of my cousins still ask if I am a boy.

I know how to do a lot of things by myself now. I can say a few words and it makes mom and dad smile. I like to say 'Hiiiiiiii' and 'ba bye' in a very high pitched voice. I can say Daddy, but for some reason I can't get the word mommy out. Whenever I want to say that word a big whine comes out. I just don't understand it:) I wave a lot and like to play with my sisters. My new game that I enjoy playing is called 'I hand it to you and you give it back'. We play this game a lot at my house and it makes me happy.

I hope you all miss me... I miss you!

Love

Aria

flies and helpers

2009-02-09T00:09:00.004-06:00

Ali and Ava were allowed to help us paint a little bit the other day. Here they are with their brushes and showing off their hard work. They did great and had a blast!
BELOW: These are the latest thing for feed lot houses... fly tape. Lots and lots of it:) we are using it to decorate every room. It I was a cow I would want someone to wrap me in this.

I will post pictures of our stinky friends later on.
A few funnies: 1) Ali calls the trucks that they haul 'fertlilizer' in the "poop trucks". They run in and out of the feed lot all throughout the day. "Cows poop too much." - Ali Mae

2) Ali walked into this little house and said, "What a nice house!" Paint peeling off the walls and dead flies everywhere - my girl put it into perspective for me! It is a great house and we are truly thankful. I can't wait to move in.

This is a great adventure for our family and I am sure that we will learn a lot! We will post pics as we make progress!

love to all!

Unloading...

2009-02-08T23:35:00.003-06:00

My new kitchen. We are painting the cupboards white and the walls yellow. I will post new pics when that is done.

ABOVE: Sam replaced the bath tub because the old one had a large crack in it. It was interesting, but he got it done.:)

BELOW: This is how you get rid of an old stove country style:)

This is our huge uhaul and our little red house. We were thankful to have about 5 guys to help us unload. It went very quickly and now stuff is stacked every where in there as we try to paint etc:) Praise the Lord that it all went smoothly and that we will have a place to live until our house sells.

Moving...

2009-02-08T23:23:00.004-06:00

We had great help when we packed the truck in Lincoln. It was such a blessing! Here are the boys taking a break.

Danielle is a wonderful friend. She sent her kiddos to Sutton for 3 days and spent those three days at my house helping me pack. I got a lot of great smiles from Mia, had a few more good times with my friend at our Lincoln house, and didns't have to stay up all night every night to be ready for the move. Thanks bunches Danielle!This is a great moving picture. Packing a uhaul is the worst. Mike, who we love very much, was sick and not feeling good at all and still came over to help. We have been blessed in so many ways by eh and j'net. Thanks Mike!
J'net and Richard took over the packing on the inside of the truck. Thanks so much! My brain was all over the place on that day and I needed the help. You guys made it go very smoothly and it was all in the same place when we got to Imperial! Yay!
The girls cleaning up the kitchen. Lynsey, Danielle, and Sara German. love you ladies!
It was a sad day. Although there will be many great opportunities ahead of us in Imperial, it was hard to leave such good friends behind. My brother was one of those friends... miss you Tom!

Where is the ?????

2009-02-06T16:00:00.002-06:00

Hi all. We have been asking eaach other this question over and over again since we moved. "Where is this?" Where is that?" Where is the camera cord is my current question? I thought I packed it in the camera bag, but 'poof'... it is gone. :) This is sad because we have great pictures to share of the house we are working on, the girls painting the house and how we got rid of the old stove"country style". I will post pics as soon as I can.

We are fixing up a house that someone is letting us live in and it is proving to be more work than we planned for. Sam has been painting for 5 days straight with very little help and has is tired out. I have been back and forth back and forth adn up and down and up and down trying to keep kids clothed fed and loved of course... and trying to be a good supportive wife to my hard working hubs.

We miss you lincoln people... I will start to make phone calls soon!

love

10 months old!

2009-02-03T23:46:00.004-06:00

Aria was 10 months old on Feb. 1. :) She is too much fun! Over the last few weeks she has discovered that she can yell/talk/scream very loudly and she loves doing it! I think she is trying to compete with her sisters. She has been speed crawling to mom every time she sees me because I have been gone quite a bit and busy with the move. She is adorable and we love her so much! Here is a few pictures of our baby Aria. What a blessing she is!

Aria and Ryan playing together:)
She makes lots of funny faces. I call them her teething faces.
She loves to wave to people and climb into things. Here she is doing her 2 favorite things.

last night....

2009-01-31T02:00:00.002-06:00

It is our last night in our home in Lincoln. Tomorrow we pack up and head west. This will be my last post for awhile. Thanks for all who have been sending encouragement and prayer our way. It has been a sad time for us, but we are looking forward to new opportunity and new relationships. Yes... it is 2 am and we still have work to do:) Love to all!

pinata

2009-01-28T14:03:00.005-06:00

more tears...

2009-01-27T23:30:00.003-06:00

We had our last Monday night with our small group at church on Monday. We are going to miss them sooooo much. They have been there for us in so many ways over the last 4 years. J'net made a photo album for us and the tears started. I am so thankful to the Lord for being my comfort in this time of change for our family. I am experiencing a lot of sadness, but I do not feel overwhelmed by it. It is just sadness. I am thankful for this emotion because it shows me that I have loved and been loved and that God is working in and through believers. I will miss these people in so many ways, but I know that God is faithful and that he has a plan and a purpose much bigger than I can see. My camera was out of batteries so I have no pictures of the flock...

Tuesday morning tears...

Our preschool group meets on Tuesdays and today was our last day. Karin hosted and there were 13 kiddos under 5. It was fun and so sad. I love each of those kiddos very much and love and admire the moms. I am thankful that during our time in Lincoln God provided moms that love him for me to share parenting and life stories with. Here are a few - okay - a lot of pics from today! Bekah brought a pinata and it was hilarious! :)

My dear friend Danielle and Ali - there were tears from mom shortly after this pic...
Ava painting her cookies.
They were giving me their biggest smiles!
Ali doing her fingerprints...

Karin and her little students.

Church

2009-01-25T17:44:00.002-06:00

this is the song that keeps going through my head...

"I am the church.

You are the church.

We are the church together.

All who follow Jesus, all around the world.

Yes, we're the church together."

We are terribly sad to be leaving the believers we have come to know and love at Faith Bible Church. We have been truly blessed to be guided and taught by many Godly men and women. Our kids have been blessed by the loving teachers and the carefully selected curriculum in Sunday school. We will greatly miss our flock. The people have become very close to our hearts and we love them each very much. We have watched it grow and change over the last few years... what a blessing and a growing experience for us.

I know that God is faithful. So, we look forward to change knowing that God is God. We look forward to meeting new people and sharing life with others... taking the gospel to the ends of the earth ;) okay, to the end of Nebraska:)

long awaited pictures...

2009-01-23T00:33:00.004-06:00

I found the camera cord. Now I am posting these pics and crying...

Here are a few friends that my kiddos and I will miss too much! They are our special friends and we love them! This cute kid is Levi Parker. He is adorable, sweet, and Ava's 'best friend'.

Here is Evan Parker. Almost a head taller than my little peanut. He recently taught Ali how to play pirates:) Ali told me tonight that if she had a brother she would want it to be Evan.... yep... tears from her mom...
And this is beautiful baby Mia. Someday she and Aria will be great friends!
Here are my girls opening their stockings a home! Fairy wands that are also pens, new watches, and lots of big smiles! We had a wonderful holiday season.
Our final attempt at a picture of all three. This was one of the few where Aria was still in the picture;)

WARNING: Many sappy posts to come as moving day approaches!

catching up...

2009-01-10T14:29:00.003-06:00

I cannot find my camera cord.... ugh. The one that connects the camera to the computer so that I can download. Yep. Can't find it anywhere. (Sometimes when I am cleaning before open houses I put things in random places because I am usually rushed:) It's probably under the kitchen sink or something:))

So here are some things worthy of sharing....

Aria is crawling faster, going up stairs and wanting to go down stairs, eating everything in sight, waving at everyone, smiling all the time, and bringing so much joy to our home!

We have set a move date. We are packing up the last weekend in January. We have a house to live in in Imperial until ours sells and we can buy a new one. It is perfect. We prayed for a place to live and our prayers were answered. It has plenty of space, is a few miles outside of town, and yes Kathy...it is on a feed lot. :) We are happy and looking forward to moving.

Sam's last day at work is the 23rd and after that we are just going to lounge around and play the Wii. Ha - then we will be packing up and cleaning! If anyone wants a few kids to play with or feels like working, just call:)

We had a great Christmas! Ava got a Harmonica that was attached to her lips for a few hours :) The girls played and played and baked cookies and played and we enjoyed all of our family!

It was so special to teach the girls what Christmas is all about. Jesus truly is the reason! We praise him!

Will get pics up asap!

love to all!

Ali singing at church...

2008-12-18T22:30:00.004-06:00

I feel like chicken tonight...???

2008-12-10T23:09:00.003-06:00

I made BBQ chicken the other night and Sam loves it. I like it because I put it in the crockpot and forget about it. :) We were halfway through dinner and I looked over at his plate and he had a huge pile of chicken bones on his plate... he had eaten 5 pieces! I am so thankful I am feeding 3 girls:)

Mopey Mondays

2008-12-08T09:09:00.003-06:00

A few of the cute reasons to get over the fact that I got no sleep and want to mope around today...

Yep, they are waiting for their mom to show up. :)

the alarm

2008-12-05T08:05:00.002-06:00

It's 11:45 and we are both exhausted. We are getting ready for bed, winding down and looking forward to rest. It was a long, busy day and we are both exhausted. Sam is going downstairs to sleep because Ali hadn't been feeling good and is in the guest bedroom. All of the sudden we hear an alarm going off. We both run out of the room... "oh, please don't wake anyone up." At first we think it is the clock in Aria's room... check it... nope. We run downstairs and it is so loud! It's the smoke alarms..."hurry, take them out." Sam takes one down and nothing happens. As he stairs at the ceiling I yell to have him take the other one down. The sound seems like it is getting louder and I am not looking forward to coaxing 3 little ladies back to sleep.(Guess I probably shouldn't have yelled:) We eliminate the smoke alarm idea and proceed to look for the carbon monoxide detector...hmmm it's not even plugged in... The sound was getting louder and louder and I am starting to think something is going to blow up. We walk around the basement trying to find the source and finally decide it is coming from the wall by the computer hutch. We start picking things up and looking under them... I pick up the girls cash register toy... the screeching 'alarm' gets louder. Sam gets the look of fury on his face and I run upstairs to take the batteries out.

Sam " Throw it away."

Abby "No, they love this toy. I won't put the batteries back in it."

Sam "Throw it away"

Abby "Please... they love this toy."

Sam (look of fury going away) "Do not put batteries back in it"

Abby ... gets the giggles

Sam ... smiles

Abby... can't stop laughing

Now it is 12:15 and finally time to go to bed, but I can't stop laughing. :)

Praise the Lord for toys.

8 Months

2008-12-04T11:36:00.002-06:00

8 months old on December 1st. Here's my babe... growing up too fast!

Open House

2008-11-25T15:50:00.003-06:00

We had an open house on Sunday. 5 different couples/people came to look at the house. I was amazed, relieved, thankful. We are hoping that one of these Sundays someone will make an offer:) My house has never been so clean... never. I love it. Hoping it will stay clean. Ha! I have put away the majority of the kids toys so clean up time is a little easier. It is fun to watch what they do when they have less to work with. This was their most recent playtime idea. They set up their babies, horses, etc to watch their dance show:) There was pretend cheerig and clapping and even comments from the 'audience'. I love having girls.

Growing Pains...

2008-11-13T15:00:00.002-06:00

My baby Ali is growing up. I went to check on her during rest time today and she was snuggled up under her blanket with one of her teddy bears (Penna:) - they still love those bears Laura!)

I wanted so badly to take a picture. She is growing up. I knew it would happen when I had her, but I am currently in denial. She was so small when she was a baby. She was sick... she was my first and I held her so much when she was a baby. The Lord has used her to teach me so much about love in the last few years. She's sweet, she's my little helper... just cherishing these moments as she changes. I praise the Lord for this precious gift in my life.

Fall Fun...

2008-11-04T15:40:00.003-06:00

On Halloween the girls dressed up like princesses and we went to a few friends houses to 'trick or treat'. Then we came back to eat with gma pat, gpa Rannie, Uncle Tom, and Great Gma Mildred. Gma Pat and Gpa Rannie surprised the girls with their own special costumes. Happy Halloween!!!

Tuesday was a gorgeous fall day and we took advantage. After preschool we played in the leaves!!! This is one of my favorite fall activities. We don't have any leaves in our yard, so we took advantage of the Parker's leaves! What fun!

First Tooth!!!!!

2008-10-31T08:34:00.003-05:00

After a lot of screaming... all night long... Aria has her first tooth! Sorry, no picture of the tooth, but here's our little babe who is 7 months tomorrow!

Peter and the Wolf

2008-10-27T16:18:00.005-05:00

Our preschool group attended the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra's Family concert event on Sunday. They played the music from Peter and the Wolf and there was a Puppet Co. that put on a puppet show to the music. The music was wonderful. I have forgotten how much I love music. I love the kiddos CD's, but the orchestra was fantastic... brought tears to my eyes. The puppet co. changed the story to make it more modern, which was too bad, but the kiddos loved it! Pictured below... 'Glenda' the duck, Ali and Evan checking out the puppets after the show, the kiddos (minus Karin's kiddos), the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, and Ali and Drew. It was a great day and a great experience for all of us.

another weekend in Hastings

2008-10-19T23:44:00.002-05:00

What a great weekend! Relaxing in a hot tub, Ali and Ava almost getting plowed by a marching band at Melody Round Up, a Husker win, family pictures, and the purchase of a new minivan.... there's more, but those were the most exciting things:) Pics to come!

2008-10-14T20:35:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago we had the privilege of spending time in Hastings, NE with family and friends. I gave a few updates, but hadn't posted any pics, so check out the slide show towards the bottom of the page. We were also in Imperial, but didn't come home with many pics because of craziness and sick kids. Enjoy!

Scooter

2008-10-14T20:28:00.003-05:00

I left Aria alone in her bedroom for a few minutes today. It sounded like she was a little frustrated, so I went in to check on her and this is where I found her:) She had to scoot about 6 feet to get under the crib and I wasn't gone very long. She is getting around pretty well these days!

2008-10-14T17:37:00.000-05:00

Fishies

2008-10-14T17:26:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we went to the Great Wolf Lodge in KC. It is a large hotel with a large indoor/outdoor waterpark and fun for all ages! I was a pretty nervous mom going into the vacation because our kids have only 'swam' in an actual pool about 4 times. I was also nervous because we were going to a busy place with 30 + people with the last name McNair (and a few McBrides). Long story short... Ava almost drowned... ask her. She ended up having a great time! Ali was a bit timid at first, but soon wanted to go on the big slides and in the big pool with Dad. Dad had a blast! Of course! Sammy loves all things action. Mom had some rest time with Aria and battled the crankiness that comes with no sleep.:)

We are home safe and sound and back to learning our numbers and letters, praying for patience, and learning how to be kind and use our words. :) Here are a few pictures of the fish!

6 Months Old!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-02T20:44:00.003-05:00

Here are Aria's new tricks! 6 months! She is a strong, happy, and healthy little girl. What an amazing privilege it is to be her Mom. She brings such joy to our home...

She can sit up on her own and loves being at the same level as those crazy sisters of hers.

She can also do pushups and ride ponies :)

Too much too tell....

2008-09-29T14:58:00.002-05:00

I have too much to tell... we have been gone for 9 days and 10 nights. Hastings was first. We spent time with gma Pat and gpa Rannie :), Great Gma Louise, the Ablott/Reynolds crowd, and the Stutzmans. We went the pumpkin patch and the Blue Moon and ate tons of good food with the grandparents. Grandma Louise took us out for Runza kids meals. It was fun.

Imperial was next. We saw all the McNairs... there are lots:) We ate good food, played with cousins, got our hairs cut (Aunt Kristi cut 4 inches off of Ali's long locks), and then everyone got sick. :) So we took care of 3 sick babies, looked at a few houses, and , and , and .... We had all kinds of fun in both places and are resting today. :) Praise the Lord for family and good friends.

Pictures will come soon....

strong baby

2008-09-19T12:58:00.001-05:00

I walked into the living rm a few mintues ago where Aria had been sitting and playing and guess what I saw........ (did you guess?) She was standing up next to this cube toy we have and holding on for dear life:) How fun! She pulled herself up on those strong little legs. Guess she wants to catch up with those sisters of hers. I love having kids.

Sorry - camera was downstairs, but it did happen.

Dress up...

2008-09-16T11:36:00.004-05:00

The girls were playing dress up this morning and here was our conversation...

Ali - "Mom, how come you never dress up?"

MOM "I dress up sometimes.... just not in your dress up clothes."

ALI to AVA (whispering) "Mommy thinks t-shirts are dress up clothes...she is NOT a very good princess."

Yes, I wear t-shirts all the time. I get spit up on, painted on, snotted on, spilled on and pulled on. I don't like to spend the evenings scrubbing clothes. So I wear t-shirts. Ali has a good point though. I am not a very good princess. Better work on that..... Here are some pictures of the princesses.

2008-09-15T23:15:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Karin hosted a messy party for preschool last week. The kiddos played in white mud, slime, shaving cream and finger paint. They practiced counting etc while they played. They had a great time. It is absolutely amazing to watch your child learn and grow. What a special privilege. Praise the Lord.

They are saying "PIZZA" in this picture...
Ava loved it. It was hard to get her out of the pool to get washed up. Loved it!

Talk to me

2008-09-08T08:07:00.001-05:00

Please leave comments. I love your comments.

too much to do...

2008-09-04T08:14:00.001-05:00

Why is it when there is too much to do..... I GET NOTHING DONE! :)

3 Beautiful Blessings....

2008-09-02T08:27:00.001-05:00

Here is a recent picture of the girls. What precious gifts they are. They bring so much joy to our home!

Imperial Trip

2008-08-26T23:47:00.004-05:00

Driving with kids can be a joy or it can be a lot of hard work and take a very long time:) Aria was not pleased with the second half of this trip...

Here's a summary... We had a flat tire 10 minutes outside of Imperial. Pat and Linda came to help us:) and we rolled in a little after 11:00 Lincoln time. The next day was spent taking care of tire stuff, doing a few rides, getting hairs cut, and playing with cousins. Saturday was the Fun Run, the parade, the BBQ, more rides, and a concert. Sam and I had a date night (concert and bingo) which was a blessing! Sunday we had church, Bryn's bday party, Sam golfed, and then a relaxing night watching Olympics. Monday brought the race to get the car (with new tire), get packed, say goodbyes, and get on our way. Whew! What a weekend. Busy, but fun! Check out the pics!

Visit to the Children's Museum

2008-08-26T22:34:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I packed up the girls and went over to the Lincoln Children's Museum. We had a great time there! Aria slept most of the time and the other two ran around and checked everything, I mean everything out. A few highlights from our trip.... "Ava, get in the back.... I'm driving.", "Ava, I am bigger so I need to show you how to climb up here.", "Ava, you sit in this chair while I put on a show." :) Ava eventually walked away and did her own thing.

I had a great mommy moment that day. Ali wanted to play in the grocery store area. It is set up just like a little store and it was a popular spot that day. She filled up her cart and then patiently waited for 20-25 minutes for her turn at the cash register. There was a little girl who was taking a LONG turn and Ali quietly went up, tapped her shoulder and said, "There are a lot of people waiting... could you finish your turn please." I just about started crying. She kept looking up to the front of the line. So cute. Just standing there waiting to pretend to check out. I loved every minute of it! Praise the Lord.

While Ali was doing this, Ava was picking up every little Lego (that some crazy kids had thrown all over the place) she could find while repeatedly saying, "Let's get ornganized." (No, I did not spell it wrong, that's how she says it.) I love raising kids. What a privilege and a blessing. I would not choose to do anything else.

Aria was a champ. Praise the Lord!

Beauty...

2008-08-26T22:09:00.004-05:00

Indescribable, uncontainable, awestruck I fall to my knees as i humbly proclaim.... You are amazing God. I am continually amazed at the beauty of God's creation. I see it every day in my children and so many things around me. The picture of the sky on the right was taken on the way back from Omaha on I-80. love it love it

long time no post...

2008-08-26T21:42:00.001-05:00

We are still here and very much alive and well. We went out of town, I got sick, Ali got sick... now we are on the mend and I think I'll start posting again. Here are a few catch up photos and moments from the last few weeks.

Friends

2008-08-12T18:15:00.002-05:00

Friends are a blessing. Praise the Lord. We are thankful for the Froehlichs. Here are a few pictures from our Sunday with them.

Things I can do now that I am 4....

2008-08-04T11:54:00.002-05:00

Because I am 4, now I can....

eat tomatoes

obey better

eat bigger salads

almost go to school

be nicer to Ava

get my own computer:)

the list goes on. Ali Mae is 4 - watch out world!

Birthday Bash' sssssss

2008-08-04T11:52:00.001-05:00

The parties all over and we are eating left over cake. Ali had a blast with family and friends. She loved the hotdogs, horse races, and cowgirl hats. She probably had too much fun! Thanks to all who came and partied with us. Ali is truly blessed.

The Countdown

2008-07-30T06:46:00.002-05:00

Ali turns 4 on Sunday and we have been talking about it for quite some time. We love birthdays at our house and usually end up celebrating or having parties 2 or 3 times for each person! Ali has 2 parties this weekend and she is so excited. I cannot believe it has been 4 years. Everything about her first months of life is still fresh in my mind. Praise the Lord for the many works he has done in her heart and life in the last 4 years.

We have been counting down the days, which is pretty funny to do with me, my 4 year old and my 2 year old. Most of the time I don't know what day it is, so I change the countdown frequently as I remember what day I am on. Ali is still saying that it is just 1 day away. At first it was 1 month away all of the time. And little Ava just has to chime in because her sister is talking, so she says it is 8 weeks away. I love it.

3 days until her 1st party, 4 days until her 2nd party, and 5 days until her actual birthday.

Thank you Lord for Ali.

Aria

2008-07-29T22:35:00.002-05:00

We love Aria so much. She brings so much joy to our home. Her smile is so big that we sometimes worry that her face will break:) She is such a special blessing from the Lord. I remember praying that the other girls would not be jealous, and that they would love her. Praise the Lord. They love her so much! It's amazing how one day she was in my tummy, the next day she was here and now I cannot imagine life without her.

Her name means a melody. An Aria is a song in Italian and is usually sung by one person. My prayer for baby Aria is that the song of her life would be a song of praise to the Lord. We are working on choosing a verse to go with her name... what a blessing! Tears come to my eyes whenever I think of my girls. We love them so much.

bounce, bounce, bounce

2008-07-26T15:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I was at a garage sale and saw two big balls with handles on them for the girls to bounce on. They were covered with a stuffed animal thing that looks like a horse. I debated about whether or not to get them for the girls... they were only $3.00 a piece and they looked like they would provide hours of fun. I decided not to get them. We have sooo many toys and Ali's birthday is next weekend....

When Sam came home I sent him down the street to look at the garage sales because there were a few grills I thought he might be interested in. Guess what he came home with. :) The squeals of delight thrilled Sam and it was all fun to watch. The girls have bouncing around ever since. They have also put their bouncy ball horses down for naps a few times:)

I often contemplate how to teach the girls to have thankful hearts. We have so much more than we need and we are able to go and do many things. We have family that gives, gives, gives. At first my answer was try to control how much they get from people and when they get it. I am slowly realizing that I need to let people give to the girls and then make sure that I am praying for their hearts, teaching them about gift giving and why people like to give them gifts, and being a good example in their lives.

As Ali frequently says in her prayers, "Thank you God for this good day, and for all of the things you gived us..."

Hot Summer Days

2008-07-22T15:10:00.001-05:00

There's nothing better than filling up the pool and having KoolAid on a hot summer day. Here are the girlies through my dirty back door:)

Lists

2008-07-21T13:56:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up and made my list for the week, looked at my calendar, and tried my best to prepare myself for what was to come. Most of you know me fairly well and know that I am not the best housekeeper. I am pretty unorganized, never do things in the right order, and have a hard time completing tasks. I have been working on improving the way that I run our household because it really impacts every part of our lives. I often reflect on the Proverbs 31 woman and all that she accomplished. She worked hard, she was efficient, and so much more. The kicker for me is that she was wise and kind in all that she did. Sometimes I get a lot done, but am cranky in the process. Other times I don't get anything done, but have a blast teaching and playing with the girls. I am trying to learn balance in that. Most importantly, I am trying to set aside times to reflect and be with the Lord so that I can grow into a woman who fears the Lord and speaks wise and kind words. So next time you are at my house you can check my attitude, how clean the house is, and how I am doing with the girls and Sam. :)

My victory today is that I made a long list of realistic things to do and have already checked half of them off. They are even fully completed:)

Happy Day.

2008-07-18T15:23:00.001-05:00

We were shopping at the Fort for boots and a hat for Ali and Ava today and had some pretty funny things happen. First of all... Ali picked up a little (hem hem) naughty looking figurine off of a shelf and asked if we could get it for the top of her cake. (She's having a cowgirl birthday.) The salesperson about wet her pants laughing:)

While I was helping a screaming Aria, Ava wet her pants and proceeded to take off her panties and shorts and hand them to me resulting in 1 half-naked child, 1 screaming child, and one in boots that were 3 sizes to big. I wanted to take a picture or video or something. I cried with Aria instead:)

Yeeee Haw!

One of those days...

2008-07-18T15:03:00.001-05:00

Today is one of those days. 90% of the time I love my 'job' and am pretty good at. (by the grace of God) 10% of the time I wish I was somewhere else because I am selfish and horrible at what I do. I am just praying that those little girls will grow up to be kind, gentle women who know and love the Lord. Pray with me:)

Because I am truly thankful for my beautiful girls I will post a picture:)

2008-07-17T08:39:00.000-05:00

Every morning that I wake up I pray for patience, love, and self-control. Only the Lord has enough of that for three little people. He faithfully provides when I depend on him and for that I am thankful.

Here are a few pics of beautiful Aria. She is the best baby. Smiles, giggles, and toots a lot!

Enjoy!

The Bumbo Chair

2008-07-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

I bought this purple bumbo chair from someone on Craigslist and I LOVE IT! It is so fun to see Aria sitting up like that. She loves it. Her sisters love it. (We have to watch pretty closely:) Her Daddy loves it! She can see everythings and when she spits up she doesn't choke.

These are a few of my fav pics!

Backwards and upside down

2008-07-16T15:26:00.001-05:00

I love this pic. It sums up Ava so well:) Big cheesy smile and upside down glasses! She is always putting her shoes on the wrong feet, her glasses on upside down and her legs in the armholes of her shirts. I love it!

Our little cowgirls

2008-07-16T15:21:00.000-05:00

These pictures are from our trip to Jackson Hole. Aren't those girls cute up on those horses. We still talk about that horse. His name was 'Doc'!

Too many words....

2008-07-16T15:11:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog post and I'm a little nervous. Who, besides the good Lord and Sam really cares to read this... we shall see!

Awhile ago Sam and I talked about the possibility of me starting a blog and decided against it. We thought that I might not share things with him if I was writing it down for others to see. Well we changed our minds. I have a lot of words to get out during the day. Hopefully this will spare his ears from my many stories that rarely have a point. It will also be a great way for the grandparents to hear stories and see pics of the girls! So check back regularly!