Halloween Happenings

Halloween always brings back such awesome memories from childhood for me. I always loved picking out a costume and it was always a mix of clothes and whatever things we could find out of my grandparents or parents closets mixed with some accessories. Having children to share it with now really makes it special and this was one of the first of years to come. Mckenna loved cleaning out the pumpkin and washing the seeds. I drew the face on it and Uncle Dave cut it out. Mckenna just laughed and laughed when it was all lit up with it's candle.

Mckenna wasn't too enthused about the whole trick or treat thing until.....she learned that she got candy! We practiced at the door and she learned to say 'trick or treat', though it sounded more like 'twitweat'. Once she got that down pat she couldn't wait to get out and get some candy. Ryan and I couldn't wait for the candy either, a definite bonus in having kids. Mckenna was a 50's witch and Caili was a princess frog.

Mckenna practices trick or treating before we head out!

So out we headed and Mckenna LOVED everything about it. The kids, the costumes, the candy. She was in her glory and said 'HI' so enthusiastically when she saw the kids. We couldn't help but laugh. Someone was even handing out beenie babies, but when she realized it wasn't candy, she through it back at the poor old man. He just laughed and gave her a stuffed kitten instead of the horse she had. As we headed across the lawns as there was no sidewalk, I said to Ryan; "Just carry Mckenna to the next house as there are 4 without lights on" Well, as we were about to step down to the next property, I told him to watch his step and just as I stepped my left foot down, it ended up in a three foot hole that had a storm drain at the bottom of it. It was covered in leaves and was so much further down than the rest of the property. So I landed on my ankle sideways and my knee so that the baby didn't get hurt. I was in major pain and the baby was screaming. Probably just scared, as I took all the cuts and bruises. Mckenna was so worried about her mama. Needless to say, we cut the night short, headed back to my parents and iced my ankle. It was really swollen and my knee was all cut up.
The whole next day all Mckenna would say was 'Mama boo-boo knee down'. I love her so much!

So besides halloween, everything is great. Almost all our new windows are in along with our new sliding patio doors. It looks like we are sitting right on the lake now as opposed to beside it. Next project is plaster and painting. I can't wait to finally get that done so that we can hang things up on the walls.

Caili is doing wonderful and loves sitting up in her bumbo seat so that she can watch her big sister dance and laugh at her. She is going through a growth spurt right now and sleeps about 6-7 hours at night (except the last few nights as all she wants to do is eat!) Her hair is really growing in and it is so much lighter than Mckenna's. She has a fascination with her hands and is always playing with them. She thinks they are toys and stares and laughs at them. Mckenna amazes me at how good she is with her. Just this morning all three of us were sleeping in my bed and Mckenna reaches over and started rubbing Caili's hair and talking to her. It moments like that that take all my worries away.

I made use of the left over Candy sale at Shoppers and took Mckenna there to get her potty treats. She has been telling us for months now when she goes to the bathroom in her diaper but it was always after she went. Now she usually tells us before she goes, so I decided to start the potty training. The first night, she went all by her self. I put the potty in the kitchen and left her naked to run around and told her that when she goes pee pee on the potty, she can pick out a treat. Well, not 5 minutes later and I turned to look in the kitchen and there she was, sitting on the potty watching herself pee. She took the pot out of the potty that she was supposed to pee in and peed right in the toilet itself. She stood up and yelled 'YAY!' so loud. We did the pee-pee dance in the kitchen and then she picked out a treat. She was so proud of herself. We called Daddy right away to tell him. Last night she went on the big toilet right after her bath. Not so good to get the candy right before bed, but oh well, she slept fine.

So the cold weather is here, and Christmas is fast approaching. Another favorite of mine. If anyone knows me, I am the one blissfully listening to Christmas music long before the Halloween costumes are put away. It is my favorite time of year and I can't wait to decorate our new house this year.

Well, as everyone slowly gets busy for the holidays, I will continue to try and update as often as I can.

Thanksgiving

As I sit here and feed Caili, I am amazed at what I've learned to do with one hand and one arm and usually one eye as the other is always busy doing something else(watching Mckenna, cleaning, reading or whatever) It is truly a year to be very thankful for with all that has gone on. Our new house, a smooth move into it, our family and friends, our two beautiful daughters, Ryans health, my health and everything else that has seemed to just 'work out'.
I don't have much time to write but wanted to attach photos from Thanksgiving day morning and our ever growing family. Mckenna and I sat on our dock and watched Daddy out on the boat. It was a beautiful weekend and we had a lot of time together. Mckenna enjoyed her first roasted marshmallow, Ryan enjoyed the weekend off, Caili enjoyed her breast milk, and I enjoyed our time together as a family. I've also attached a few photos of the inside of our house.

Oh where oh where does the time go?.......

My days have turned into my nights which have turned into my days. Mckenna is starting to hit the early stages of terrible twos and it makes for quite an interesting day. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I yell and sometimes I just give up. She is great with her sister though and just loves staring at her and stroking her head.
Caili is doing well and is in a growth spurt right now. Not sleeping as much as I would like during the day but sleeps amazing at night. I can't wait to see how much she has grown at her next appt in two weeks. She is a piggy and just loves mama's milk!
Our house is almost done being ready to jack up and as soon as that's done we can get the new windows put in. How exciting. It was really cold on Sunday morning and it was great to have Ry not have to work under the house until the afternoon so we had a fire and relaxed as a family inside. Haven't really had too much time to do that lately, so it was very nice.
My brother Dave and I took the kids to the park this week and Mckenna just loved the swings and the slides. It was great to see her burn some of that energy off so she would have a long nap. She loves the outdoors so much. Her favorite thing to do right now is walk around the property and pick up things to put into her little pails (She has 6 of them) She also loves the frogs in our pond and watches them hop in and out of the water.
Fall is quickly approaching and I am excited to watch everything change around us as we have such a beautiful forest behind us and so many surrounding the house.
Here are some recent photos.....Mckenna on one of our walks and at the park and also Caili in her first dress.
Enjoy!

One Month gone.....

What an adjustment it has been, going from one to two, really not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Caili is an amazing baby as was Mckenna and is already sleeping 6 hours at night. I am blessed that way. She sleeps on and off during the day, but I'd rather get the sleep at night with her. She is almost smiling at us already and can hold her head up when on her stomach like I've never seen a baby do before. She has actually been doing it since birth, but the strength continues. She hates being on her back, so I have to sleep her on her stomach. SSSHHHHH, don't tell all the doctors, or I'll hear the lectures about SIDS. I know, I know, but we all slept on our stomachs as children and we are all okay. I might try her on her side as the Dr. suggested today at her one month check up. Still don't think she's going to like it.
She is weighing in at 8lbs, 8oz already. Not too sure if she's grown length wise though.
Mckenna is as amazing as I could of hoped her to be as a big sister. She loves watching her and I can see the anticipation in her eyes waiting to be able to play with Caili as she gets bigger. She has started only having one nap a day though will sleep 2 hours or more, which gives me a nice break just when I need it. She is also sleeping 11 hours a night which is great too, as I can feed Caili and still go back to sleep for a few hours before Mckenna hops into bed with me.
Ryan is doing well since his episode with the Caterpillar. His allergies are terrible right now due to this terrible Hayfever season we are having and being out on the lake surrounded by trees and forrest is not helping.
Our house is coming along well and we have the chimney all fixed and no more leaking into our bedroom. The excavating should be done after this weekend, enough so that we can get the jacks and concrete under the house. It will all come in time and I am thrilled to watch the house unfold to it's true potential.
I wanted to attach the recent photos my girlfriend Liz took when she was home last week. They are beautiful and these are just a few. She only started a couple of month ago and it a true natural at it with an amazing eye.
Hope everyone is well and enjoyed their summer. Fall is quickly approaching and I am so looking forward to watching the new season change out at the lake.
I will attach the house photo's next time....I promise!

Caili Dean is here!!

Wow, what a ride it was, but I would do it again in a minute. Caili arrived last Saturday August 11th at 7:12pm after a quick hour and a half labor. It was amazing and a completely different experience than with Mckenna as I went natural and felt every last minute of her delivery. She looks quite different than Mckenna, though still has some of her features like the big eyes and little dimples. Mckenna only has one, and Caili has two.
I couldn't believe how quick it went and when it was done, I knew why she had waited all week to arrive. She wanted to be sure we were all prepared for her beauty and cuteness.
She is a great eater and sleeper. She will feed on and off for an hour or so, falling asleep for minutes at a time then remembering that there is plenty of milk for her, she'll awake looking for more before drifting off to her big sleep. Usually 4 hours at a time. Last night she slept from 11:15 pm till 4:10am. I felt great when I got up to feed her. Even made Ryan coffee and packed his lunch before heading back to bed for another 3 hours.
Mckenna is doing absolutely amazing with her new sister and just adores her. We have adjusted our bedtime routine to include Mckenna, Caili and I rocking in the rocker before putting Mckenna down for the night. She loves it and cuddles into Caili like it's her doll.
Ryan is amazing and has really shown his adaptability to new situations over the past week. He has really taken to having his two girls and is great with helping me out.
I've included some photos of us, there will be more!!
Take care and enjoy.

Today should be the day.....

Well, we have been at our new house for over one month and have finally got settled in. I went to the Dr.'s last Wednesday and he told me that he didn't think that I would make it until the weekend as I was already 2-3 cm and 50% effaced.....so I went into panic mode as I didn't even have all the baby stuff prepared yet. Luckily our awesome neice Sam was over and helped me get completely organized over the next few days.
Here it is Tuesday August 7th and my contractions started this morning 7-8 minutes apart and 30 seconds long, so we headed to my parents house at 2:30 this morning. I got there, put Mckenna to bed, Ryan went back to bed and I had a bath, washed my hair, blowed dryed it and and then, poof, the contractions lessened. So off to bed I went after waking up my doula Kari already at 3:00AM.
It is now 9am and they are slowly coming back, so I think I will go and walk on the treadmill as it is pouring rain outside.
We are very excited and anxious to meet our new little one. Lets hope it's today as '7' is our lucky number. Maybe it will be a boy.....
I do have new photos but have yet been able to load them to my parents computer so that I can show you all our new house and recent family pictures. I know I will do it as soon as the baby is born.
Congratulations to the Campbell family on their new addition Finn!! Welcome to the world little guy.
Talk to you soon and keep us in your prayers please.

Love Ry, Ally, Mckenna and baby