McCain Family Journal

Another Birthday

2011-10-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

Look at the blaze! Only one more year in his twenties.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T01:53:00.000-07:00

I was surprised to find out there are pumpkin patches here! We get to continue our family tradition. The only differences is we wear shorts and flip flops when we pick our pumpkins here.

I'm lucky I got this picture. He kept calling the pumpkin a ball and throwing them.

baby pumpkin

Great use of a double stroller.

Maci's first experience with Shave Ice.

Brain Freeze

The day isn't over until someone is crying.

Shark's Cove

2011-10-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

This past Columbus Day we went to Shark's Cove we a few other families. This was our first time out there and we really enjoyed it. You can only go in the summer months when the surf is low on the North Shore. It starts to pick up some time in October and the cove is under water. It was a bit tricky maneuvering out over the rocks but we had a blast.

Maci's 7 month pictures + some

2011-10-24T00:57:00.000-07:00

I love my job and using my kids as subjects!

How to Keep Up

2011-10-08T04:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know how this happens. How do I get so behind on blogging? This is technically our Family Journal so I really do want to keep up with everything that's going on, but there is SO much going on! I remember the days I laughed at people who carried around planners and palm pilots. Now, I would be lost without the calendar on my phone and our huge family calendar by our front door. What are we going to do when all of our kids are old enough to be in activities?

Jacob is in 1st Grade with Ms. Kinoshita. We had a little bit of a rocky start but we have found our groove. Jacob is now in the accelerated reading and math programs. Jacob is also learning about social behaviors. Unfortunately girls start the "popularity contests" at a very young age. Jacob has learned the hard way that it is better just to steer clear of such girls. Jacob has also gotten his very own first pair of glasses. He looks even more like Brandon now, if that's possible.

Zoe has started Joy School (a pre-K program). Six Moms from church have gotten together to have school in our homes. We all take turns teaching and rotating houses. Zoe looks forward to Mondays and Wednesdays every week. The first week we had school at our house, the kids got to finger paint with chocolate pudding. It was so fun watching all the kids (Peyton included) making a huge mess! Wednesday is Zoe's favorite day of the week. She has started dance class. Watching how excited she gets and how much fun she has in class has made me look forward to Wednesdays as well.

Peyton is busy...always. He isn't 2 years old yet and is wearing 3T clothing. Within these last few weeks, Peyton's vocabulary grown leaps and bounds. It is nice that we are able to communicate to a certain extent. The grunts and crying was making me want to pull my hair out. One of Peyton's most favorite things is going to the pool. Zoe may not like putting her face in the water but Peyton has no problem with it. As soon as his floaties are on he launches himself into the pool, swims to the latter and does it again...and again...and again. He would jump off the diving board if we let him.

Maci is the sweetest little baby girl. I can't get enough of her chubby legs and snorting laugh. Maci is a scholar of yoga. She holds a plank position longer than I can! Today I saw her get her knees under her and rock back and forth. Is it bad that I want to push her back down? I'm not ready for that stage! Maci has started eating baby food and loves it. She has been the easiest so far with all of the different flavors. She didn't even make a face with the green beans!

This past month I have been in a boot camp and really focused on loosing some post pregnancies (yes that is plural) weight. I have been pregnant or postpartum for 6 years but now I am ready to have my body back. This month I lost 8.4 pounds and 6.75 inches! I also won the biggest loser in our class which got me a free month of boot camp! I'm so excited. I also have a new obsession that is perfect for living here in Hawaii. I have learned to surf and have my own board now. We have a surf group in Relief Society that meets every Thursday morning. This group is such a blessing and I am so grateful to the Sisters who go. They have all taught me so much. Brandon is also learning how to surf. He likes it just as much as I do but doesn't have the opportunity to go as often as I do. Brandon has started playing racket ball with some guys every week and has found his new obsession. Our upcoming date night is dedicated to us playing racket ball.

My friend Brooke made this beautiful cake for my birthday.

Birthday flowers from Dad and June.

First day of school

He has gotten really good at riding his scooter and is finally showing interest in his bike!

He keeps going until he goes to sleep or gets stuck.

Eats like a champ!

First Day of Joy School

She was so excited about this back pack that she sang about all through Target. She stopped strangers so they could see her Princess Backpack.

So proud of loosing a tooth. He says, "I'm getting big now."

She had to hug herself to contain the excitement.

Don't you just want to squish her? So stinkin' CUTE!

Bunco 80s night at our house.

Seriously!

Soccer

2011-09-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Jacob played soccer July-August and had a blast. Brandon coached while I was the team Mom. Never again do I want to be the team Mom! It is a lot of work!

Jacob and Molly (the little red-headed girl next to him) had crushed on each other!

Easter

2011-07-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Easter that I had forgotten about!

This is what happens when you try to take your own family photos.

This is my favorite

Family Photos!

2011-07-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

So Much Fun!

2011-07-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our family has had a low key but really fun summer so far. In June, Lauren and Jeremy came to visit for a few days. We took them out to Bellows beach and had a great time. Even though the wind was blowing really hard, we stayed out and played until the kids were exhausted. We have been busy going to the Bishop's Museum looking at dinosaurs and volcanoes. We've gone to the zoo and plan to go again and again thanks to our family pass. We have started a new tradition of Family Movie Night every Friday night. After we put Peyton and Maci to bed, Jacob and Zoe get to snuggle with us in our bed and watch a movie. To top everything off, we also have popcorn and candy! Our summer has been busy and relaxing at the same time.

Macil
Our baby girl is growing at an alarming rate! She is over 4 months old now and definitely no longer a newborn. She is so stinkin' cute with her chubby cheeks and babbling baby talk and she loves all the kids even though Peyton plays a little rough some times. She rolled from her back to her belly a few days ago and now I can't get her to stay in one place. She has also started playing in her activity center. I don't realize how big she is until I see her next to a newborn at church. She has her own little relaxed personality and I am amazed that she only really cries when she is hungry or tired.

Peyton
He is a beast! Peyton moves at 100 mph all day every day. He goes and goes but still likes to cuddle when he gets tired. A few weeks ago, he learned how to climb to the top of the bunk beds. He fell off the next day. After an ER visit and a sprained ankle (so grateful it wasn't broken!) we turned the bunk beds around so he couldn't climb the latter. I will say he was really cute with his leg wrapped in an ace bandage. Peyton is getting to the age where he wants to try to keep up with Jacob and Zoe but his little legs just won't carry him that fast. Peyton's main activities are Eating, Running, and Sleeping...in that order.

Zoe
At the beginning of June we decided to get Zoe's hair cute short for the summer. I was worried that she wouldn't like it but I worried for nothing. She loves it and so do I! She looks so grown up with her new hair and it is so much easier to take care of. Zoe has been busy making friends here in the neighborhood and at church. Everyone is her "friend." If she sees someone/anyone outside, she wants to go play with her "friend" even if it is the mailman.

Jacob
Jacob has started playing soccer again and loves it. I don't know if he really likes soccer or if he just likes running around with all the other kids. I am amazed at how curious Jacob is about everything. He is constantly asking us "What is that? What does it do? and Why?" The funny thing is, he remembers everything we tell him even when you think he isn't paying attention anymore. Jacob is also learning how to deal with his emotions. He gets frustrated with his siblings sometimes and we are trying to teach him appropriate ways to deal with his frustration. Throwing a toy at your sister is not an appropriate outlet. Now that I see how annoying Zoe can be as a little sister (she does it on purpose) it almost makes me want to call my brother and apologize.

Mom and Dad
Brandon and I are loving living here in Hawaii and being in our new Ward at Church. We have met so many people and have made a lot of new friends. There are a lot of Youth at church and we have some regular babysitters which is AWESOME! Brandon and I are able to go on regular dates! A few nights ago we went to shop new minivans and eat Thai food for the first time. Every thing seems crazy busy but I don't think I would change a thing.

Brandon is enjoying the people he is working with and the class he is in right now. There are a lot of big decisions coming up with he career but I think that is a constant with the military. Brandon is coaching Jacob's soccer team and I love watching him do the "Dad thing". Brandon and Jacob went on a Father-Son campout at Bellows at the end of May. Jacob is already counting down the days until he can go camping again.

I have been busy with photography and am enjoying every second of it! I photographed my first wedding last weekend and learned a lot. I learned that I really want a lens that costs over a thousand dollars. I better start saving! I also got my hair cut for the summer. I wasn't planning on going this short and I cried for a few days after it happened but I have now learned how to rock the new 'do'.

Rolling Over

Another day in the Rainbow State

Before

After

My girly-Girl

This is what happens when Mommy isn't looking!

The only time he isn't moving

Checking on Maci after bathtime

The new 'do'

Bishop Museum

First ER visit

camping

Playing in the Studio

2011-07-10T02:05:00.000-07:00

Zoe is 4!

2011-06-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Zoe is 4 going on 16. She has been talking for so long it is hard to believe she is only 4. We had a fun princess celebration on her birthday and had a fancy tea party a few days later. She loved getting all dressed up for her Tea Party and I loved taking pictures of it! I think Jacob had just as much fun because there were cupcakes involved.

Zoe's Top Ten

Coloring in her coloring books
Playing with play-dough
Dress up-she got two new princess dresses this year
Singing-she makes up songs in the car
Squenkies-new little toys to collect that drive me crazy because they are scattered throughout the house.
Playing with Jacob in their room-They have "quiet time" every afternoon in their room and there are times they want to stay up there all day because they are "busy playing" as Zoe would say.
Snuggling Maci-at bedtime, Zoe always makes a point to give Maci a hug and kiss.
Putting makeup on with Mommy
Short Hair-Zoe recently got her hair cut and loves having short hair so much that she wanted to cut the hair off her Rapunzel dolls. (I did it gladly)
Primary-She loves singing songs at Church and talks about what she learned in Sunday school on our way home.

Foster's Botanical Garden

2011-05-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

I love my kids!

Battleship Missouri

2011-05-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

It was not easy with our double stroller but we did it!

Paternity Leave

2011-05-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

After Brandon finished ALS, he was able to take his Paternity Leave. Since Maci was already 6 weeks old, we were able to do some sight seeing and family fun.

First Stop-The Zoo

She slept the whole time and it was HOT!

Zoo Keeper #1

Zoo Keeper #2

The Monkey

It's a Giraffe!

Burger's at Teddy's = sooooooo good!

Airman Leadership School

2011-04-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

When we first found out that Brandon had to start Airman Leadership School two days after my due date I wasn’t thrilled. I was counting on his 9 days of paternity leave. I finally came around because I knew that we really didn’t have a choice and it would look bad for Brandon to postpone it. For some reason we were under the impression that ALS was pretty easy. We were wrong. Brandon was working longer hours than we were used to and when he was home, he was studying.

All the hard work paid off. At Brandon’s graduation he got the Academic Achievement Award and Distinguished Graduate Award. I am so proud of him! I also loved that the graduation was a semi-formal dinner and I got to get all dressed up.

I love the shoes but my feet were KILLING me!

I am grateful for ALS because we got to know the Larsen's better.

The head table

Jacob's Birthday

2011-04-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

When did this happen? How is Jacob 6 years old already? I know every parent says this but it is so true, “They grow up so fast!” We took Jacob and one of his friends to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday. I hate Chuck E Cheese but the kids absolutely love it. I don’t have a problem with the games but the food is awful! The important thing is, Jacob had a blast.

I love that Jacob did a fist pump for blowing out all the candles.

Jacob’s Top Ten

Lego Star War’s game with Daddy-anytime Jacob has a choice of what to do with his free time, he wants to play this game with Brandon
Gymnastics-he goes once a week to an all boys tumbling class and looks forward to it every week.
Dessert-every night after dinner he asks for dessert. He is happy even if it is one starburst.
The beach-He LOVES the beach and the water. He just got a mask and snorkel and loves looking at all the fish.
Legos-He wants every present to be a lego present. I am so tired of stepping on legos!
Castles, Knights and Dragons-he got a lego castle for Christmas and since then he is hooked.
Family movie night-We all pile into Mommy and Daddy’s bed on Friday nights, eat popcorn and watch a movie.
Making a Space ship in his bed-he drags extra pillows and blankets into his bed to build a “spaceship” to sleep in.
Riding his scooter-He is getting better at riding his scooter and always loves the chance to practice
Primary-If we miss church one week , he wakes up on Monday and says, “but we didn’t go to church!”

Tsunami Warning

2011-04-27T00:59:00.001-07:00

On March 10^th, following a 7.9 magnitude Earthquake off the coast of Japan, the tsunami sirens ring here in Hawaii. That was a very scary moment. It was about 10:30PM when the sirens started going off and they went off every hour until 3:00AM. We had no idea what to do at this point because we had only been here for a few months and had never had to worry about a tsunami. I’ll admit that during the first hour I had to talk myself out of panicking. Once we learned more about the tsunami’s size and our evacuation zones I was much better. Thankfully we did not have to evacuate and the tsunami did very little to the island. Our prayers go out to everyone in Japan.

More Visitors

2011-04-27T00:53:00.000-07:00

Dad and June got here the day before Jacob’s birthday and stayed for 5 days. Jacob thought it was so cool that Papa and Nanie were here for his birthday. It was really nice to have two extra set of eyes at Chuck E Cheese because it is a mad house.

One of the days they were here we spent the whole day at the beach. All of the kids were in Heaven except Maci. I swear she was going through a growth spurt or something because all she wanted to do was eat. So I basically sat in the shade most of the day feeding Maci and watching everyone play. I had a great time!

We were able to bless Maci while Dad and June were here and it was really nice to have family here for such an important event.

I love this picture!

I don't think you could get more people on a paddle boat if you tried!

Peyton plays with his ears when he is tired. Papa wanted to play too.

This is Jacob's heaven.

I don't think Papa is even moving but Zoe thinks she is super strong.

Peyton's turn on the boogie board.

This is the sign of a very good day. We hadn't even gotten out of the parking lot yet.

First Family Visitors

2011-04-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

Mom and Mark were the first family to come out and meet Macil. They originally planned to come out before my due date to do some sightseeing. The only problem was Maci was 10 days early. Everything worked out though and Mom and I were able to do a big project while she was here. I have wanted to refinish the dressers in the master bedroom for a long time. I have had these dressers since I was a child and they were a little out dated. Mark thought we were “biting off more than we could chew” and Brandon said, “You are both very ambitious women.” We are also two very stubborn and determined women! One week after Maci was born we stripped, sanded, and refinished two dressers and I am so happy with the result!

Before

After

My Mom has given all of my children their first bath at home. I am so glad she was able to be here to do that for Maci, even though it looks like Maci isn't enjoying it.

Mark was a really good sport and played Twister with the kids...Zoe cheats!

The kids had a great time playing with Poppy and Lita!

Macil's Birthday

2011-04-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Macil was born on the perfect day at the perfect time. The day before she was born, I had a doctor’s appointment. I was excited about this appointment because I knew the midwife would strip my membranes and hopefully get labor started naturally. If not, I would have been induced 5 days later. I guess I was a little bit too excited because my blood pressure was a little high. I was kept at the hospital all afternoon and really didn’t think I was going to go into labor because I wasn’t able to be out walking to get things going. Four hours later I was finally able to go home and I wasn’t having any contractions. I took Zoe and Jacob to gymnastics and was surprised when the contractions started. One of the other Moms noticed and I blew it if saying they would probably stop when I got home. Later that night, they didn’t stop.

After the kids were in bed, Brandon and I stayed up late playing Canasta. At one point I looked at Brandon and said, “I’m scared.” I don’t really know what I was scared of. I know how this baby birthing works, I’ve done it 3 times before. But, I think I was afraid of the fact that I knew how much my body was about to hurt. Brandon gave me a blessing to help comfort me and calm me a down a little bit. After that, I was in complete denial of being in labor. I kept telling Brandon that if I could just take a shower and lay down, I was sure the contractions would stop. I finally got in bed at 1:30 in the morning. Brandon stayed up after I went to bed and I wasn’t really sure why that was. I just focused on relaxing and stopping these contractions. I don’t know why I wanted the contractions to stop. This is why I was so excited about my doctor’s appointment right?

I fell asleep with the watch in my hand timing my contractions. I woke up at 4:30 because the contractions were pretty rough. But, of course I was still in denial. I lay in bed not wanting to wake Brandon or the kids up. I also didn’t want to have to call the Addington’s (our friends that were going to take care of the kids) that early in the morning. I finally woke Brandon up at 5:15. He jumped out of bed and told me had already packed our bags and we could be out of the house in a few minutes. I love my husband so much. When I went to bed, Brandon stayed up and packed a bag for myself and the kids. While I tried to tell him the labor would stop, he hugged me, got me comfortable in bed and stayed up getting our bags ready anyway.

We dropped the kids off and got to the hospital at 7:00 AM. I was still able to walk so I thought we had plenty of time before she would be born. By the time we got up to Labor and Delivery I changed my mind. She was going to be here any minute. I looked at the nurse and said, “She is gonna be here soon.” She looked at me like, “uh-huh sure, calm down pregnant lady.” When they checked me, I was 7 cm and feeling like I wanted to push. At this point I had to get in a wheel chair and go from triage to my L&D room. I was so mad that they didn’t just take me to my room first. I TOLD them she was going to be here soon! I started pushing as soon as I got in the bed.

This was the first Delivery that I actually felt in control of. The contractions came in sets of three, 2 hard 1 a bit easier. I could breathe and really focus on what was going on. I was able to hear the Midwife and nurses coaching me and actually do what they were saying. I could hear Brandon cheering me on and giving me confidence. Macil was born at 7:55, less than an hour after we got to the hospital. The midwife told me I was a pro and should teach pregnant women how to go through natural labor and delivery. I laughed and said, “Sure, all you need to do is have three kids first. On the fourth one you’ll have it figured out.”

Macil was born on the first day of Brandon’s leave. Brandon took leave so we could get the house ready for Macil and family visitors, but having her early let us have some time together as a family to just enjoy it. This was the most “enjoyable” labor and delivery out of all of my children. It might be because I know it is my last. I am so happy that Maci is here and our family is complete.

Look at that hair! She has the most hair out of all the kids.

Going home. She looks so squished still.

Macil McCain

2011-02-26T20:18:00.000-08:00

Macil McCain

February 16, 2011

7:55 AM

7lbs 6oz

18 1/2 inches

Polynesian Cultural Center

2011-01-09T23:01:00.000-08:00

The Tuesday after Christmas the wonderful Addington family watched our kids so we could go to the PCC. The military was having a special on tickets for the buffet and show. I am so glad we went. Next time I definitely want to go to the Luau and Island tours but "Ha-Breath of Life" was amazing! The show is all about the cycle of life while showing the complete Polynesian culture. I cried like a baby during the first few scenes. I am still going to blame this all on hormones! We loved the show and can't wait to go back and do it again!

Look at the HOT guy I got to take a picture with! Too bad some shirtless dude was in it too.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T02:06:00.000-08:00

As the kids get older, Christmas gets more and more exciting. Santa also has to work a lot harder to keep from being seen! Every year we have the kids sleep in our room (only the ones not in a crib). Basically we want to make sure the kids don’t go down stairs without us. This year since our bed is on the floor and we don’t have the kid’s sleeping bags, we put all the beds in our room. We had wall to wall mattresses and by morning they were in our bed anyway.

Christmas morning we all came downstairs to see what Santa brought and opened presents from Grandparents. By the time we were done, I was exhausted. Brandon let me take a nap but I unfortunately woke up with a head cold. Luckily, it only lasted a couple of days.

The day after Christmas I still wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to get anyone at church sick. But, I still desperately wanted to get out of the house. We decided to load the kids in the car and drive to the Temple. It was so fun to see how excited the kids were about being at the Temple. In Maryland we would see Temple a lot and I’m glad they know there is one here too. The drive is really pretty and we did a big loop. We stopped at North Shore on the way home and watched the crazy surfers, and believe me they are crazy!

Fun in the Sun

2011-01-02T00:34:00.000-08:00

We have been able to test out two of the beaches here and look forward to trying all of them. We have been to the Hickam Beach, which is small but close to home and the Bellows AFB beach. Bellows is by far our favorite of the two. It is much bigger and has great boogie boarding waves. All of our kids love going to beach but the hardest one to control is Peyton. His entire mission is to get to the water at all costs. I never knew his chunky little self could move that fast! He gets knocked down by waves and just laughs. Zoe likes the water but had a bit of a scare. One wave knocked her down while the other wave went over her. I pulled her up and everything was fine, but she was more interested in building sand castles for the rest of the day. Jacob loves everything about the beach. He went boogie boarding a few times with Brandon. He loved it but his white knuckle grip on the boogie board tells me he was a little nervous about it. I caught a great wave on my first time out but got swallowed by a wave after that. I got hit pretty hard again on the very next wave. I hung up the towel after that. A pregnant woman can only take so much. Brandon is a boogie boarding natural. We need to go to the beach on a date without the kids so we can spend more time playing in the water than chasing Peyton.

Another plus about Bellows is Keneke’s Shaved Ice. I have found a new addiction. Everywhere we go, I scope out the shaved ice. We have had some at the mall and at the stadium swap meet but these don’t compare to Matsumoto’s and Keneke’s. I will have to do more research to figure out which one is my favorite. While Matsumoto’s has more flavors, Keneke’s is literally on our favorite beach. Having shaved ice after a day at the beach is what it is all about!

Naika helped us keep tabs on our little maniac.

No Longer Homeless

2011-01-02T00:16:00.000-08:00

Now that the car was taken care of, we just had to wait to find out if/when we got a house. In the meantime, we were living in a hotel for an undetermined amount of time. While in the hotel Laundromat, I got to talk to some of the other women there. I found out some pretty scary news. There had been families living in the hotel for months waiting for a house on Hickam. This was not good news. We had a meeting with the housing office on Monday morning and I was terrified of what they would tell us. Again, things went so much more smoothly than I had expected. They offered us a house and we were able to “move in” on Thursday. As soon as we accepted the house, they sent us to another building to borrow furniture, then to the Lending Closet to borrow everything else. Between the Airman’s Attic, borrowing furniture, and the Lending Closet, we had a functional house for free! This is the first Air Force base we have lived on and I have to say, I’m impressed! We have beach style patio furniture and everyone has a bed and dresser. We were able to get a Christmas tree, TV and VCR from the Airman’s Attic…for free. I’m amazed.

Now that we have a house, and are trying to settle in, the kids are realizing that this isn’t our stuff. The excitement has worn off and now they are getting homesick. Everyday we talk about all of our stuff being on a boat and we pray to Heavenly Father that the boat will go faster. The kids are usually fine during the day but at night they want their beds and their blankets. Zoe asks me just about everyday where her play dough is and when it will be here. Right now, we think everything should be here by the end of January. That gives us a few short weeks to get everything situated before Maci gets here. Our van got here the Monday before Christmas and I have never been so excited to drive that van! Having all three carseats in the back of the Jetta is not fun for anyone except Peyton. Jacob and Zoe were excited to see the van too. They thought it was on the same boat as all of our household goods. We had to explain that while it is exciting that our van is here, we still have to wait for a different boat for everything else. Over all the kids are doing really well with the whole move but at times it is tough for all of us.

Papa's got a "Brand New" Car

2011-01-02T00:08:00.000-08:00

The day after we got here, we bought a car. We spent the whole day driving around checking out the dealerships and test driving cars. We really didn’t think we would actually find a car and buy it in one day, but we did. We got a 2007 Volks Wagon Jetta. I LOVE this car. This is the newest car we have ever had. After driving the rented minivans and Brandon getting a new car, I got spoiled. Now I want a new minivan with all the bells and whistles instead of a suburban. That will have to wait for awhile though.

Our Move to Hawaii

2011-01-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

Our move to Hawaii started on December 6^th and is ongoing. The movers packed up our entire house on Monday and loaded it into the crates on Tuesday. On Wednesday the cleaning began. The cleaning really wasn’t the hard part. It was all of the last minute appointments and errands that had to be run. Luckily, we had some wonderful friends that watched the kids for us on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We moved into a hotel on Wednesday night and that made life a little rough. I think Charlie might have eaten some stale dog food that was behind the fridge because she was sick for three days. Having all the kids and a dog that is throwing up stuck in a hotel room was interesting to say the least.

Friday, December 10^th was the big day. This was the day we moved to Hawaii and were officially homeless. We got to the Airport at 5:45 AM so we would have time to check all of our 13 bags and Charlie. This day went surprisingly well. The kids did great! Everyone around us was impressed with how well the kids behaved on two 5-6 hour flights. I on the other hand I had a rough time. Hormones! I mean seriously! One of the flight attendants was pretty rude to me and I broke down into tears. On any other day this wouldn’t have phased me, but once I started crying, I couldn’t stop. It was pretty embarrassing. By the end, I think I was crying because I was upset with how hormonal I was being.

Everything that day and since we got here has gone so incredibly smoothly it is amazing. Brandon’s military sponsor, James and the Addington’s have made this move really smooth.

Bedtime in the hotel

Sleeping on the plane. It didn't last long!

My Dad Turns 60

2010-12-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

The weekend of December 4th I flew down to College Station to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. My Dad's birthday is actually Christmas day but everybody got together to celebrate before hand. I got to spend Friday night with my Mom and Mark eating some great Mexican food. Saturday morning the girls got to go shopping at one of my favorite places, Charming Charlies. Unfortunately, there is not a Charming Charlies in Hawaii. After my shopping fun, I got to surprise my Dad at his hotel. He didn't even notice I was standing there until I said something. Everybody got a kick out of the surprise. That evening we got to visit with people we haven't seen since I was a little kid. I'm so glad that I was able to be there and visit with everyone. Although, it felt weird to have two nights without children. I always felt like I was forgetting something. It was nice to have some time to myself but everything was way too quiet. I thought two days without my family would be a piece of cake but I was definitely ready to get home! I'm going to blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but I actually cried in the airport on the way home. I'm such a baby!

Casa Rod in downtown Bryan with the fam. Soooooo good!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

It's official. Brandon and I have successfully hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. The Engstrom and Harris families came to visit and we had so much fun. We had a very full house with six adults and seven children (all of which were 5 and under). We had corn casserole, broccoli & rice, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, 2 chocolate pies, 2 pecan pies, 1 pear pie, 1 pumpkin pie and a 23 pound Turkey. It was a feast! Brandon was in charge of the turkey. He smoked it over night on the pit and it was DIVINE! I will say that I am absolutely fine with the fact that I will never have to cook a big, stinky bird. Brandon has earned that privilege from here on out.

Before...very stinky

after...meat falling off the bone!

Aunt Kathryn and Peyton

The kid table

Chase and Peyton

Zoe and Zachary playing

The day after Thanksgiving we rode the metro into DC to go to the Air and Space Museum. It was our first time and the kids (especially Jacob) loved it. Before we left, Zoe was having a hard time being the only girl out of all the kids. Aunt Jena sat down and played with her while all of us were getting ready to go. Needless to say, Zoe's loyalty switched from me to Aunt Jena.

Aunt Jena and Zoe all dolled up.

We got a single stroller specifically for this trip and our trek across country next week. It was like going from driving a suburban to a sports car!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, they are BEST FRIENDS!

Yes, our kids are eating icecream in the freezing cold weather. It's tradition.

Peyton was free to run around while the big kids ate their icecream.

Brandon was so good about teaching the kids while we were there. I was in survival mode. This pregnant lady was tired.

Waiting for the metro.

On Saturday we went to the Temple and it was C-C-C-Cold! Boyd had been wearing shorts the whole trip but on this day, he wore pants. I'm telling you, it was reeeeally cold. Jacob actually came to me and said, "Mommy I need another jacket with a hat."

Jacob helped push Peyton back up the hill and Peyton loved it.

I am so thankful that we lived here this past year and a half. Thanksgiving weekend was a reminder of what it was like for us as kids at Grandmother and Grandaddy's house. Kathryn and I even sat down and played Speed and Spit like we used to. We called each other cheaters and everything, it was great! When explaining the game, Brandon asked, "What happens if you hit the deck at the same time?" Kathryn looked at him with a strait face and said, "You fight to the death." Living close to family has been such a blessing and I am sad we have to say goodbye. I am hoping that we will end up here again and Jena and Kathryn will stay put! We have so much fun with all of them and wish they would just hop on a plane and live in Hawaii with us!

Nana and Pappy Come to Visit

2010-12-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

Two weeks before Thanksgiving Nana and Pappy came to visit. Pappy was here on work but Nana was able to hang out with us and play. On Veteran's Day we were all able to go to DC and hang out at the Smithsonian. This was our first time visiting "The Castle." It wasn't as fun for kids but it was beautiful. We also went to the Natural History Museum. At the end of the day, my feet were swollen and I was exhausted but we had a great time!

Jacob asked a lot of questions about the dung beetle. He asked, "What is that ball he is pushing Mommy?" I said, "Well, that is a ball of poop." Jacob: "Why is he playing with POOP?!" That is a good question Jacob.

Zoe liked all the sparkling gems...that is my daughter.

Pappy and Zoe playing in the parking lot on our way back to the car.

Fall Family Photos

2010-11-03T12:37:00.001-07:00

Fall is my favorite season and due to the fact that I was sooooo pregnant last year, we didn't get any photos of it. This year, we went down to the Temple and a little park close by to take pictures. I got to use my remote for my camera and take pictures of my favorite subjects.

Halloween Festivities

2010-11-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

Every year on the Monday before Halloween we paint our pumpkins for Family Home Evening. Sometimes Brandon and I carve a pumpkin but this year we just let the kids paint.

Peyton wasn't really interested because it wasn't edible.

We took Zoe's shirt off because she is usually very messy. We didn't have to hose her down this time at all. I was amazed and maybe a little disappointed. None of the kids got messy.

Trunk or Treat at the church.

Iron Man and Strawberry Shortcake

Chunky Monkey!

Doughnut on a string. SO FUNNY!

Zoe is cheating with her hands. She just REALLY wanted that doughnut.

Jacob didn't want to do it until he saw the doughnuts were chocolate.

The Dad's turn. I was laughing so hard!

October Birthdays

2010-11-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

Brandon turned 28 this year. I couldn't find an 8 so I had to improvise with the candles. To celebrate, we had his favorite dinner. Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.

My baby turned 1! I can't believe how big his is! He got his first black eye two days before his birthday. Walking can be dangerous!

We had little train cakes, and all of the kids got to decorate their own with icing and sprinkles!

Jacob really liked the blue icing.

The adults had pumpkin cheesecake. This was my first time making this recipe and I think it is a keeper!

It took Peyton a little while to figure out if he liked the cake. I think he liked playing with the icing more than anything else. Brandon said he didn't get dirty enough.

Peyton's Top Ten
1. Walking- he is like the energizer bunny. He literally bounces off the walls
2. Eating-He eats more than Jacob and Zoe put together!
3. Climbing the Stairs-We have a gate at the bottom of the stairs but if he sees it open, he bolts for it.
4. Flipping Upside down- When holding him, he automatically starts leaning back so you will flip him.
5. Dishwasher- Anytime the door is open, he is there "helping."
6. Upstairs- If he is upset, just take him upstairs so he can get into everything and he will be happy
7. Bananas- Don't eat a banana in front of him if you aren't willing to share. Zoe has problems with this.
8.Stealing & Running- This is his favorite game. He sees something he wants, snatches it and runs the opposite direction
9. Charlie- Somehow while walking Peyton doesn't see Charlie and trips over her all the time. I think he does it on purpose.
10. Peek-a-boo- When he wakes up he puts his puppy over his face and hides until we say, "peek-a-boo!"

New Jersey Visit

2010-10-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Over Columbus Day weekend we were able to visit the Engstroms. We had a great fun filled Saturday of picking pumpkins and apples. The adults even got to go on a double date! Jacob and Adam are best friends, but if Jacob heard me say that he would correct me by saying, "We are best COUSINS!" I didn't get very many pictures of our families interacting but I promise we did. I am going to miss them so much when we move to Hawaii. Saying goodbye after Thanksgiving is not going to be easy.

We have a Name!

2010-10-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I have been having a hard time thinking of a name for our baby girl. We drove to New Jersey this weekend and talked about names all the way there and all the way back. On our way back it hit us...the perfect name. All of our kids have been named after someone in our family and I don't know why it took us so long to come up with this one. We will be naming her after my Grandmother Renfroe who is an incredible woman. Her name will be Macil McCain and we will probably call her Maci. It is the absolute perfect name for us!

Dinner and a Show

2010-10-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago, Zoe brought her Snow White barbie and Woody to the dinner table. After we finished eating Brandon started playing with her. It was hysterical!

She was laughing so hard she was crying.

Brandon is feeding Peyton pork roast by stabbing it with Woody's nose.

Even Jacob got in on the fun.

Just a normal night in the McCain house.

Keeping the Pattern

2010-10-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

We asked Jacob what he thought we were having. Boy or girl? He said, "It has to be a girl. It is a pattern Mommy (in a tone of voice that sounds like "duh Mom")." He pointed at himself, Zoe, Peyton, then my belly. "Boy, girl, boy, girl. See Mommy." Well Jacob was right. We are having a girl!

Cunningham State Falls Park

2010-10-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

We took the kids hiking at a State Park about an hour away from here. It was great to get away for the day.

"That tree is really tall Mommy!"

Peyton sleeps through everything.

Zoe is drawing me a picture.

Jacob just wanted big sticks.

Peyton was not happy about waking up.

They are so cute.

Zoe fell down and literally face planted.

This reminded me of Spring Lake in Arkansas.

On the way home we saw this and I had to stop and take a picture. "Amber waves of grain"

Maryland State Fair

2010-10-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

We went to the State Fair back at the beginning of September. We stuffed ourselves with all the wonderful "fair" food, watched the pig races, and won little stuffed animals after spending way too much money. Here are some pictures of the fun time we had.

Zoe eats the "corn" off the "dog" first.

Zoe and I milked a cow! The weirdest feeling.

One day old piglet. Soooo cute!

"He's soft Mommy!"

Peyton enjoyed the stuffed animal we won for him.

Jacob didn't like the way it smelled inside with all the animals.

Pig races. The one that wins gets an oreo.

The big slide was my favorite as a kid.

It was a long tiring day but we had a great time!

Catching Up

2010-09-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Where to begin? I have a list of things I need to write about! So much happens in a few months with three and a half kids. I guess I will just have to jump in.

Jacob
When I went to South Carolina back in August, Jacob really missed me. I'm sure all the kids missed me, but Jacob REALLY missed me. The first night I was away, Brandon called and said Jacob wanted to talk to me. When he got on the phone, he was crying and said, "Mommy, where ARE you? I need you!" How do you respond to this? I wanted to somehow jump through the phone and snuggle him. Brandon made a compromise with Jacob after we got off the phone. Jacob got to sleep with Daddy in Mommy and Daddy's bed while I was gone. That dried his tears immediately. The only problem with this compromise is, when I got home, he still wanted to sleep in our bed. No need to fear, we got him back into his bed and all was well...so we thought. The next morning Brandon almost stepped on Jacob when he got up for work. At some point in the middle of the night, Jacob dragged his quilt, pillow and teddy into our room and made a pallet on the floor. I thought this was so sweet, until he continued to do it. School was going to be starting soon and I wanted to make sure he was getting enough sleep. He couldn't be sleeping well if he was sneaking into our room. Luckily, after catching him once at two in the morning, he didn't do it again. Now, to make sure the kids get enough snuggle time, we snuggle every night before bed. They beg me to plant a garden on their backs, (just like my grandaddy did to me) and Zoe plants one on my back. I know there will come a day that they won't want to snuggle with their mother, but I will be there until that day comes!

Jacob started Kindergarden the last week of August and is loving it. At least, I'm pretty sure he is loving it. Jacob doesn't like to talk a lot about his day. I want to hear about every little thing but when I ask him what he did at school, he says, "we played." That's it, that's all I get. I got a little frustrated with this and decided we needed a new plan. Now, every day he has to tell me one thing about school. Just one. I write this lonely statement down in a journal for him so that one day he will understand how difficult life was for me.

He is very proud of his Transformers backpack and Star Wars lunch box!

Zoe
Zoe misses Jacob! Every morning Zoe wakes up and asks, "Is Jacob at school?" She looks forward to walking to the school every afternoon to pick him up. In Jacob's absence, Zoe is finally accepting Peyton as a playmate...kind of. She will share with anyone, including Charlie (our dog), but not Peyton. If Peyton starts to crawl toward her "girls" (polly pocket princesses), she screams. In her defense, Peyton does put them in his mouth and slobber all over them. During the day, Zoe spends her time playing dress up, singing and dancing, and coloring. If she gets a new coloring book she will sit for an hour coloring. Needless to say, I love coloring books. Zoe enjoys snuggling every night too, but her definition is a bit different than Jacob's. Where Jacob basically lays on you and puts his face in your neck, Zoe just wants to lay in the same bed. She wants her own pillow and space. She will lay near me so I can put one arm on her, but that is the extent of her snuggling.

Peyton
He is walking. That is enough. I shouldn't have to say more but I will. Peyton took his first step in early August but has recently taken up to ten steps. Not only is he walking, but he climbs the stairs in 3 seconds flat. This child keeps me on my toes. Usually I can tell where he is in the house at any given moment because of Zoe's screams. It just makes me nervous when things get too quiet. For some reason, Peyton likes to play in the toilet and Charlie's water bowl. I know, gross! Understandably, we keep the door to the bathroom and baby gate to the kitchen closed at all times. If for some reason we forget, I hear Jacob yell, "Peyton's in the potty!" Trust me, that is not something any Mom wants to hear.

He had just started climbing the stairs at this point and would get tired very easily.

Baby
I have a baby bump now and have started feeling the baby kick. I look forward to my doctor's appointments every month to hear the heartbeat. We have our anatomy ultra sound on October 4th and are really looking forward to finding out what we are having. Everyone asks if I want a boy or a girl. The answer is, just like every other parent, I want healthy. But, if I got to choose, I really don't know which I would prefer. A girl to keep things even and dress up in all the cute stuff again. A boy would make it easy for him and Peyton to share a room and be best buds.

Brandon and I
Brandon finally got his official orders to Hawaii. Just like my Dad used to say to me, "What did the monkey say when he got his tail caught in the fan? IT WON'T BE LONG NOW!"

One more random picture.

Our neighbor's had the Fire Dept over for some reason. Don't worry, nothing serious. Jacob and Zoe got their own personal tour. It was great!

Charleston

2010-09-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

The last weekend of summer, Jena and I drove down to Charleston, SC to see Kathryn. I hadn't seen Kathryn in SIX years! That was way too long. We stayed up too late every night and got up early. I went to bed at 7 the night I got home and slept for 13 blissful hours! We had so much fun at the beach and in downtown. I will say I'm a bit jealous of Kathryn. Charleston is so beautiful... and fun... and in the South!

The Natural State

2010-09-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

We got to go see my Aunt Jerilyn, Uncle David and Grandparents up in Arkansas on this whirl wind trip! It is a rare occasion that we are able to make up there but I'm so glad we did! The first night we were there was very exciting. After the kids went to bed, the adults sat down to play a game at the kitchen table. I kept seeing something, like a cat, on the other side of the glass door in Aunt Jerilyn's sun room. I didn't realize what it was until it practically put her face up to the glass. A big mommy raccoon with her two babies. They were apparently in there trying to get to the fish food. We tried to heard them out, but of course, that didn't work. I wish we had video taped Aunt Jerilyn and I hopping from chair to chair talking in soothing voices to these animals. It was probably pretty funny and no wonder they didn't listen to the crazy ladies on the furniture. There was the debate of shooting them, trapping them, or letting them go. I voted for letting them go just because it was a Mom and her babies, but I don't live in the country and have to deal with them on a constant basis. After explanation, I can understand why Aunt Jerilyn wanted to shoot them. We ended up setting a trap, but didn't catch any of them. Pretty exciting for our first night!

The next day we were able to visit my Grandmother. I wish we could have spent more time with her. She is such a classy woman and I hope I can be just like her! I left Brandon and the kids at the house playing in the pool while Aunt Jerilyn and I went to visit Grandaddy. I always get emotional when I see him and wanted to be able to visit with him without worrying about the kids. I love that the first thing Grandaddy said to me was, "You're so beautiful and I love you." I love Grandaddy so much and miss him terribly!

The last day we were there, we went boating! We had been at the lake for about 15 minutes when Jacob said, "Mommy, I want Daddy to get a boat." Then he clarified, "I want Daddy to get a boat like this one!" So do I Jacob, so do I. We all had a blast and were worn out by the time we got back to the house. The next morning we slept a little late, then started our trek home. Brandon and I were so tired of fast food and being on the road, we decided to drive through the night to get home as soon as possible. We took 3 hours shifts the whole way back, sleeping when we weren't driving. We made it home at 7 on Monday morning and slept blissfully in our own beds! We had a wonderfully exhausting vacation!

The raccoon family. You can see the other baby on the outside of the screen.

The bluebonnet picture on the wall is a mainstay. I will always remember that picture!

Home at last!

On to the Longhorn Hatin' City

2010-09-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

I was going to title this post "Aggie Land," but Brandon did not approve. He suggested, "The Livestock Mutilating City," in reference to "Saw 'em off." I think Brandon feels alone in family full of Aggies. Anyway, on to the good stuff. The first morning we were in College Station, my Mom got up with all of our kids and let Brandon and I sleep blissfully until 10...well, maybe it was 11. We spent most of our days playing in the pool or water in the backyard. What else is there to do in the summer in Texas, right? Mom and I went to my new favorite store, "Charming Charlies." We spent 2 hours walking around looking at jewelry and spending a good bit of my birthday money. We were also able to take care of something extremely important to me. My insane craving for Jalepeno Garlic Tilapia from Carinos. If you haven't had it, you must try it...heavenly! We got to do some family photos and I got to test some ideas on my guinea pigs. All in all, a great time!

The look of determination!

Why do my children never smile in family photos?

Keep Austin Weird

2010-08-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Going to Austin was chaos as always. With a big family you can't really have it any other way. This was a VERY rare occasion that we were all in the same place at the same time. We were able to get a family picture and a few others but I didn't take a whole lot of snapshots because we spent most of the time in the pool. I'm glad we got to see everyone, including the 19 year old girls soccer National Champs in our whirlwind visit in Austin.


The WHOLE family

Hey, atleast the Grandparents are smiling right?

My favorite picture of my Dad and Peyton

Moving on to Mont Belvieu, TX

2010-08-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

It was so wonderful to be back in the great state of TEXAS! Just being in the south in general was nice. At Jack and Johnelle's house we had some fun in the sun. One of the days we were there, Jacob got in the pool at 10 in the morning, and stayed in until dinner time. He had short breaks for lunch, snacks, and of course, peeing in the grass. We went to NASA one of the days and I think I had just as much fun as Jacob in the giant jungle gym. Although, it was a little difficult to navigate as quickly as Jacob. We got to hang out with Aunt Amy and cousins, Champ and James. We also got to spend two whole days with Uncle Payton. Payton, I've been practicing on Sequence. We will win next time!! Peyton also got to meet his Great-Memaw. It was so much fun seeing the Mont Belvieu clan!

I don't think Peyton is big enough yet.

Peyton and his Great-Memaw

I am laughing hysterically because Brandon and Payton are trying to sing "Happy Birthday" in some kind of weird harmony. At this point Payton had given up and Brandon is still going strong.

Jacob had so much fun playing with the boys!

It isn't fun unless your Dad throws you in the pool right?

I think Jacob is actually trying to steal the raft. He called it a boat.

Zoe loves her Uncle Payton. The first thing out of her mouth every morning was, "Where's my Uncle Payton?" Knocked me down a few notches as the Mom, but I was okay with it...for a few days.

I was so happy to see my friend V. It had been way too long!

4000 miles in 18 days!

2010-08-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

Our first stop, Lafayette, LA. We drove for two long days but we finally made it! The first day on the road was the hardest. I thought I was being well prepared by bringing the kids coloring books and games. I didn't think about them getting carsick. After Jacob threw up twice, we decided to stick to watching movies the whole time. Other than the carsickness, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the kids did in the car. We took out one of the seats in the van and had all three kids on the bench seat. When Peyton got fussy, both Jacob and Zoe would start playing with him. Hearing them laugh and play together was the BEST.

We had a great time visiting with everyone in Louisiana! Peyton got to meet his Mimi, Pawpaw and Great Grandma. We played hard during the day and slept hard too.

Jacob caught a fish but wasn't really happy about it squirming on the hook!

Pawpaw's shop is everyone's favorite place to hang out.

Pawpaw is playing with the kids and their new toys.

Mimi and Peyton

I have no idea how or why this happened. All of the sudden I turned around and saw little booty cheeks!

Playing on Pawpaw's new mower.

Jacob is all about safety with that helmet on,

Great Grandma and Peyton

On Sunday, my birthday, we got in a water fight. I say that Brandon started it but he begs to differ. This is our homemade slip and slide. Plastic tarp + water + liquid soap = lots of fun!

Jacob's thoughts, "You mean I get to spray you with your clothes on and not get in trouble? This is the best day EVER!"

I am trying to hold my own here but Brandon's Dad wasn't helping me. In the midst of the water fight, Carl kinked my hose so Brandon could douse me. So not fair!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Pasta

2010-07-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is Peyton's first experience with pasta. We had lasagna and Brandon had a hard time keeping up with Peyton's demands.

Creative Big Sister

2010-07-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Peyton interrupts Zoe's artistic ability.

Baby #4!!

2010-06-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true. We are expecting an addition to our family!! Things are going great so far. I haven't had any issues with morning sickness, so it makes it a bit hard to believe. We are extremely excited that we will be having an island baby. We have moved in the middle of all our pregnancies so it is tradition now. This will be the biggest move though. Brandon said I have already started nesting. I think that is just how I am during the summer. Life is such an incredible miracle!

Lady Liberty

2010-06-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

SQUOG! Atleast that is what the Engstrom family calls this tackling kind of huge. Jacob and Adam are BEST friends and it is so much fun to see how happy they are together.

Brandon doesn't like this picture because he thinks it makes him look old. I love this picture because it is so sweet.

We went to the Statue of Liberty last Saturday and it was the most beautiful, perfect day. We had so much fun!

Strawberries!

2010-06-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year! Every year we try to go pick our own fresh berries. We found a really great place here and have enjoyed all the fresh berries.

Jacob was all about the picking! He would fill up his little basket and get so excited when he got to dump it into the big basket...over and over and over!

Zoe was all about the EATING! I don't think she picked a single strawberry. I put a few in her basket so she could see what she was suppose to do. After she finished those, she would hold out her basket and say, "More please Mommy." She would turn her head to the side and smile so sweetly. How could I resist that?

Peach Fuzz Mohawk

2010-06-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

My Little Girl is 3!

2010-05-28T20:48:00.001-07:00

How did this happen? How is my baby girl already three years old? Saying Zoe is a girly girl is probably an understatement. She loves all the princesses and everything that goes along with it. Zoe got "Beauty and the Beast" a few days before her birthday. She requested a "beast cake" for her birthday. I'm pretty sure this is what she meant. It was a very easy cake to make and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Zoe's Top Ten (in no particular order)

1. Princesses-all of them

2. Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street

3. Dancing-she dances to the music Peyton's toys play.

4. Singing- she will make up her own songs in the car. Brandon tries to get her to sing about purple hippopotamuses and most of the time it works. Do you know how funny it is to hear a three year old try to say "purple hippopotamus?"
5. Polly Pocket-she now has the princesses in pocket size and plays with them every day
6. Dresses-we have a hard time getting her to wear anything else.
7. Driving her older brother crazy!
8. French Fries-she doesn't care anything about the burger, she just wants the fries.
9. Make up-every time I put my make up on, Zoe stands on the toilet and waits her turn. She then asks me to hold her up to look in the mirror.
10. Talking on the phone-she asks to talk to Daddy every day. I know she loves her Daddy but she will find a way to get on the phone.

Happy birthday to my baby girl!

Payton and Peyton

2010-05-28T20:36:00.001-07:00

We named Peyton Douglass after Brandon's brother and my brother. This is the first time Peyton met his Uncle Payton. They look like the best of friends.

New York City

2010-05-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we met Brandon's brother Payton in New York City. My cousin was nice enough to take care of Zoe and Jacob while we were there. That means we only had one child all day! It felt so weird and wonderful at the same time. Brandon's brother came up to see his friend Michael, who was our own personal tour guide. We walked, and walked, and walked! We had so much fun hanging out and seeing the city.

While we were in Central Park Brandon asked, "Is there anywhere you can go inside the park where you CAN'T see the buildings?" Michael responded by saying, "Yeah, if you go under the water or lay down in the grass...face down." You don't get comments like that from a normal tour guide!

John Lennon Memorial

FAO Schwarz

Tiffany's! I tried on a $139,000 ring. My day was complete. I wish I had gotten a picture of that! This is a set up for a wedding shower.

St. Peter's Cathedral

Someone was getting married. My first thought was,
"How much would it cost to get married here?"

Hanging out in Time Square. Brandon, Peyton, Payton and Michael

St. Paul's Church. This church is across the street from the twin towers. When the towers came down, all the buildings around them were damaged. This church didn't even have a broken window.

Slip and Slide

2010-05-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

As a child, I never had a slip and slide. Atleast not that I can remember. Therefore, I have been scarred for life. As a parent isn't it our goal to give our kids everything we didn't have whether they like it or not? Well, luckily for us, Jacob and Zoe loved the slip and slide...until they realized it got them wet. Don't worry I will torture them with it all throughout the summer. Something my Mom says as she grits her teeth, "We are gonna go play and you are gonna have fun!"

Peyton laughed at Jacob, Zoe and Daddy on the slide.

"Mommy, I all WET!"

The End

Peyton's First Tooth

2010-05-15T19:09:00.001-07:00

It is here! Peyton's first tooth. If you look closely, not at the drool, you can see it. The second one is coming in right behind it. I didn't even know he was teething until he stuck my finger in his mouth and bit me. Let's hope all of his teeth come in this easily!

Sesame Place...Last Installment

2010-05-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

The kids had no idea what to expect from Sesame Place. Now, all they talk about is "Elmo's World." Zoe sleeps with her Sesame Street figurines and Jacob asks if we get to go back "tomorrow."

My favorite conversation from the whole trip was with Zoe. In the van on the way home,
Zoe: Mommy?
Me: Yes Zoe?
Zoe: I want Daddy.
Brandon: What is it Zoe?
Zoe: NO DADDY I'M TALKING TO MOMMY!

Brandon and I couldn't help but laugh. She is such a drama queen!

jumping on Big Bird's bed

Ride 'em cowgirl

Peyton was so good in the backpack!

He was tuckered out with all the excitement!

Climb up...

...slide down

endless amounts of fun

Face Painting

2010-05-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

When I think of face painting I think of, little rainbows on the cheek. At Sesame Place they do not play around with the face painting. Jacob was a pirate and Zoe a princess. Priceless!

This is his "ARRRRRGH" face.

Oh...my...goodness they are so cute!

Help me! I can't handle all this cuteness!

The Monsters & Zoe

2010-05-12T10:22:00.001-07:00

Zoe loved seeing all the Monsters! Jacob didn't want to have anything to do with them.

Zoe ran to Grover for a big hug then said, "I wub (love) you Grover!"

Abby Cadabby is Zoe's absolute favorite! Notice the same pose with the feet. Zoe saw Abby during the parade. Before I knew it she had run out into the street to follow Abby. The security guards brought her back to me.

Sesame Place-Rides

2010-05-10T18:47:00.001-07:00

We went to Sesame Place this past Friday. This was our first experience taking the kids to an amusement park and we had so much fun! This was the best place to go for our kids. This first picture looks just like a toy we have for the kids.

Jacob loved this ride!

Zoe did too, but it took a few times.

So cute!

This is Mommy trying not to throw up...I hate teacups!

I'm surprised Brandon got a picture of us all looking at the camera!

Jacob and I loved this ride. Zoe did not!

This was the first time Zoe rode this one. As you can see, it took some time for her to like it.

There are many more pictures to come!

Uncle John

2010-05-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

My Great Uncle John Stockton passed away Sunday, May 2nd. We were fortunate enough to spend some time with him and family a few months ago. We were all able to go to his funeral and spend time with family after.

I think Zoe is trying to boss Papa around in this picture.

Zoe had so much fun with Sarah, Melissa, Emily that she didn't want to leave them! She was very dramatic about saying her goodbyes. She cried, "My girls, I can't leave my girls!" We are looking forward to seeing them again.

Jacob and Zoe were thoroughly entertained...I was very happy!

Running Day 2

2010-05-10T07:45:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of running I ran/walked 2.2 miles. I did notice that my achilles tendons are hurting! That has to do with my 5 finger shoes. I need to walk more to strengthen my feet and tendons before they can handle all the running. I still intend to run, I just need to strengthen first.

Day One

2010-05-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Day One on my C25K plan: 2.2 miles walking/running. My first day in my new 5 finger shoes. Other than the blisters on my big toes, I love them! Maybe if I tape my toes next time I can avoid the blisters. We will see.

Couch to 5K

2010-05-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

I am not a runner and never have been. I am trying to change that now. Coolrunning.com has a variety of different programs. The one I have chosen is "couch to 5K." I will be posting my progress to hold myself accountable for the next 9 weeks. I am hoping this will start a love for running. Is that too big of a hope? If not love, then at least tolerate. Wish me luck!

Washington DC

2010-04-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

We went to DC on Wednesday. This was my first time seeing the sights. Awesome is an understatement!

We had a picnic in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This was the kids favorite part of the day.

Jefferson Memorial with the Cherry Blossoms.

Mount Vernon

2010-04-11T20:03:00.001-07:00

Monday we went to Mount Vernon. Absolutely beautiful!

The kids loved the sheep. This one got right in Zoe's face and said "baaaaaaa!" He wanted some grass.

Caleb was fascinated.

We had so much fun!

Cherry Blossom Festival

2010-04-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

We went to the Cherry Blossom Festival on Easter Weekend. It was very, very busy but worth it. Here are the highlights.

Jacob's doesn't have a very high opinion of the flowers.

up close and personal

Caleb, Zoe and Jacob were playing chase. Every time Caleb ran past me, he posed for the camera.

Zoe was dancing and singing.

Tulip garden

Peyton blowing raspberries.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend
We had a house full for Easter! My brother and his family came up from Texas and my cousin and her family came down from New Jersey. We had a blast! I felt "all grown up" hosting a family gathering with a kid table and everything! There will be a lot of pictures so beware.

Zoe dropped her bubbles. This is her "pitiful" face.

Everybody kept dropping their bubbles! This time it was Caleb.

Charlie enjoyed the festivities.

Bubbles!

The traditional Easter Bunny cake.

Family Photos

2010-04-01T19:06:00.001-07:00

We did family photos last week! Here are my favorites.

I love my family!

Jacob's Top Ten

2010-03-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here are Jacob's Top Ten most favorite things or sayings in no particular order.
1. Flashlights-when we lost power during the back to back blizzards he was in heaven.
2. Super heroes-ALL super heroes
4. Star Wars
5. His new bunk beds
6. Jovanny- his best friend from school. Jacob talks about him all the time.
7. "Mommy can we say that?"-Jacob said a bad word a few weeks ago and I had to explain that he is not allowed to say certain things. Now, he constantly asks me what he is allowed to say.
8. The "Snowman" song from Primary
9. Helping with Peyton
10.Picking on Zoe

Happy Birthday Jacob!

2010-03-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

My baby boy is FIVE years old! I'm not sure how I feel about that. On his birthday we had a cupcake party at his school. I had fun sitting with him for story time and getting to meet all of his school friends. We had a bowling party for him this past Friday night. We all had a great time but I am glad it is over! A birthday party with a bunch of 5 & 6 year olds is hard work! Jacob had a blast with his friends and opening presents.

Jovanny and Jacob are writing their names on the gold pin.

Moving Again

2010-03-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

We have new orders to move to Hawaii! We report no later than December 31, 2010. When I first heard this news I was shocked to say the least. I always thought we would be here in Maryland for a few years before we got a new assignment. We haven't even been here a year yet! We still have some time here to enjoy with our friends and see some sights before we leave. Being in the military is always an adventure!

Reading, PA

2010-02-28T12:42:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went to visit and meet some of my extended family up in Reading, PA. I got to meet my Dad's cousins and one of my second cousins. We had a blast!

Jacob and Zoe both got to ride on the stair chair. It was a mini roller coaster for them.

Peyton was as cute as ever!

Jacob was showing his great, great Uncle John his transformer.

My second cousin (aka Jacob's friend) Sarah's birthday celebration.

Jacob and Zoe anxiously waiting for cake.

Dad and his cousin Katie. She was so much fun!

Grandmother, Uncle John and Zoe.

Uncle John has Lou Gehrig's Disease and has lost the ability to speak. This has not stopped his sense of humor! We had such a good time meeting everyone!

Back to Back Blizzards

2010-02-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

The first weekend of February we got hit with 3 feet of snow in 24 hours. What an adventure! We lost power at 2:00 AM on Saturday morning. We stayed at our house all day thinking it would come back on any minute. It didn't. Most of the base had lost power but our friends, The Bradshaws, got their power back Saturday evening. They invited us to stay at their house until our power came back. Luckily, Brandon and I had been shoveling the van out throughout the day. Unfortunately, the Bradshaw's street had not been plowed. We parked our car on the main road (in a parking spot that they shoveled for us) and trekked through a maze of paths to their house. Our power did not come back on at our house until early Monday morning. Our house was sitting at a frosty 54 degrees. We had a blast hanging out with our friends but we were happy to be in our own beds again.

Two days later, another blizzard hit. This one had more wind and less snow. It was hard to tell how much snow we got because of the drifts. We think we got about 12-18 inches. Luckily, our power stayed on! The bad news is, we all got sick. The good news, Brandon didn't have work all week!

Brandon's car is in there somewhere.

Our backyard.

Our front walk.

Looking out our front door.

Playing Catch Up!

2010-02-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the end of January.
Zoe will wear whatever you put her in as long as she can take it off and put on her "pretty dress"

One Sunday afternoon. Poor Peyton is wide awake while Daddy is sleeping on the job.

In Zoe's words, "I'm a SUPER!"

Pappy taught the kids the proper way to eat an oreo.

Peyton's Birth Story

2010-02-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

I had become “that crazy pregnant lady.” You know the type of pregnant woman who has that wild look in her eye. The kind of look that says, “at any moment I will cry, scream, laugh, go crazy or all of the above without warning.” Jacob was born 11 days early and Zoe was 10 days early. I was expecting Peyton to be born some time during the 38^th week like my previous children. When the 38^th week had come and gone I began to go insane. My OB had tried to convince me to induce two days before my due date but I refused because I thought he would surely be born by then. The OB wanted to induce because I had been battling with low amniotic fluid. I called Dr. Goitom back after I realized how badly I wanted Peyton to come out! We scheduled the induction for October 29^th.

We had to be at the hospital at 7 am so Jacob and Zoe spent the night at the Bradshaw’s house. I was very excited and nervous when I woke up. It is an odd feeling knowing you are going to have a baby within the next 24 hours. I was actually having contractions every 15 minutes when we were on our way to the hospital. When we got to the hospital we had to fill out some paper work and get situated. We started pitocin at about 8:00 or 8:30. I was 1 cm dilated when we started. Dr. Goitom was very busy that day with c-sections so my doctor throughout the day was Midwife Debbie Doerfer. She was awesome. I had been seeing her for the pregnancy but when I started having trouble with low amniotic fluid I started seeing Dr. Goitom. I wish I had stayed with Debbie the whole time. We had a wonderful nurse named Susan as well. She helped calm my nerves about being induced. I really wanted to have a natural birth like Zoe’s and I was afraid having pitocin was going to make everything unbearably painful. I was also afraid the hospital staff wouldn’t listen to what I wanted. Debbie and Susan were incredible. Unfortunately I got a different nurse at 3 pm…she was not so great. At 10 am Dr. Goitom came to check on me (the last time I saw her). She wanted to check my dilation and break my water. This frustrated me because it had only been two hours at most. Checking my dilation at that point would have only discouraged me. I refused. My contractions were 3-5 minutes apart but were not very strong yet. Honestly, I was kind of bored. I was playing Farkle on Brandon’s itouch. The day passed very slowly for me. I was dreading the pain but I just wanted to get it over with. At 1:30 I asked Brandon to go home and get a few things. I knew he would be gone for about an hour but I really didn’t think anything would happen in that hour. Just to be safe I asked Debbie to check how dilated I was. I was at 3 cm…grrrr. I knew it was going slowly but I wanted to be farther along than that. At 2:00 Brandon left (even though he thought it was a bad idea). Fifteen minutes later I called him on his cell and asked him to come back. Contractions were still 3-5 minutes apart but I was getting really uncomfortable really fast. I knew if this labor was anything like Zoe’s I was going to be in a lot of pain very soon. When Brandon got back I was laying on my side and the contractions were really working, aka hurting. Brandon was out of breath from running from the car, up the stairs, to the room. He was worried about me and said the elevator took too long. From here on everything happened really fast. I couldn’t talk through my contractions anymore. Brandon was applying counter pressure on my lower back during the contractions. I don’t think I would have made it if he wasn’t doing that. The nurses shift change was at 3. Unfortunately Susan left and we got a new nurse. This new nurse informed me that I needed to keep the blood pressure cuff on so they could check it every 15 minutes. It is a little distracting to have something squeezing your arm in the middle of a contraction. As soon as she left the room I took it off and refused to put it back on. At 3:30 I asked Debbie to check me again. I was 5 cm and asked her to break my water. I asked for an epidural but I knew I probably wouldn’t get it in time. I was groaning/yelling through my contractions now. A nurse named Bambie came in and said, “Blow through the contractions like you are blowing out a candle.” All I was thinking about was how could I pry my hand off the bedrail, slap her in the face, and still maintain control of my body. Needless to say I didn’t slap her. At about 3:45 I told them I was going to start pushing. Actually it was more like, “I’M PUSHING NOW!” I don’t think they believed me. Debbie was there by 4:00 and was not phased in the least at my yelling. My epidural got there right after her. I was 9.5 cm dilated…too late. I was pushing and yelling with every contraction. Debbie grabbed my knees, got in my face and said, “Kristin you need to breathe!” That got me to focus on what I was doing. I found out later that I was yelling more than I was breathing and that worried some people…especially Brandon. After Peyton’s head came out Debbie told me to stop pushing. The cord was wrapped around his neck. Brandon told me later he was very blue. Trying not to push when that is all your body wants to do is very difficult. After the cord was unwrapped I was able to deliver Peyton. Peyton Douglass McCain was born at 4:15 pm. Debbie put him on my chest and I cried. He was perfect! 8 pounds 1 ounce, 21 inches long. My biggest baby so far.

Haircuts

2010-01-29T18:31:00.000-08:00

Zoe and I got haircuts this month. For Zoe, this was her first. I thought I would be all emotional and cry, but Zoe was doing enough of that for both of us. I don't know what I was thinking when I cut my hair. I wanted something new, but I forgot that not being able to pull it back in a pony tail is a problem. My choices now are, cut it shorter (much shorter) or grow it back out. Brandon votes for growing it out which is probably what I will end up doing.

I bribed her with M&Ms

Happy New Year!

2010-01-18T17:34:00.001-08:00

It feels like it has been so long since we celebrated the New Year but it has only been a couple of weeks! For the New Year, the Engstroms' came to celebrate. We always have fun with our "parent party time" (after the kids go to bed.) We went to the Natural History Museum and browsed through one floor. After the museum, the kids ate ice cream, yes ice cream in the freezing cold weather.

The following Sunday, Peyton was blessed in Church. I'm so glad we have family close to celebrate with!

Peyton on his big day.

Christmas!

2009-12-27T18:19:00.001-08:00

Christmas was so much fun! This was the first year we were at our house on Christmas morning. This is what our living room looked like before...

...and this is the after. I am so grateful for what my parents did for me when I was a kid. Christmas is a lot of work! We had a traditional Christmas dinner too. This was the first time I had ever bought a ham. I had to ask a lady at the store which ham I should buy. I feel so grown up now.

New Traditions

2009-12-27T17:32:00.001-08:00

My mother-in-law gave me a snowman cake pan a couple of years ago. This is the first time I have used it and I love it. It is about 18 inches tall.

I have been wanting to make homemade cinnamon rolls for a long time. I was very happy with how the turned out!

Yummmmmmmmmmm!

SNOW!!!

2009-12-20T15:56:00.001-08:00

We got over 2 feet of snow this weekend!!! Brandon asked me on Saturday, "Did you ever think you would live in a place that would snow like this?" Growing up in Texas we did not ever have snow like this that I can remember. It was awesome!

Jacob: What do I do now Daddy?

Daddy: You should JUMP!

Jacob: Whahoooooo!

Poor Charlie didn't know what with all the snow.

Proof that I shoveled snow.

Zoe was eating the snow saying, "Yummy ice cream!"

Jacob wanted to swing but he kept hitting the snow with his feet.

Washington DC Temple

2009-12-20T15:44:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went to the DC Temple to see the lights. It was amazing and so much fun.

Incredible!

I love how they make each tree a different color and they wrap the WHOLE tree in lights!

This is the whole family. Peyton is snuggled up in the wrap.

Let It Snow

2009-12-14T18:03:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we had our first snow! Unfortunately, I missed it. Brandon, Jacob, and Zoe had a blast sledding with some of our friends. I am so excited for it to snow again so I can play too!

Newborn Pictures

2009-12-13T18:30:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago we took newborn pictures of Peyton. We aren't having family pictures done until January so we took these pictures at home. This is what my friend Lauren, Brandon and I came up with.

Christmas Decorating

2009-12-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

We got a tree and decorated for Christmas the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Due to traveling over the holidays in years past, this is the first time we've decorated in three years. It was so much fun! Especially with Jacob really understanding Christmas. I love FHE and family scripture study this time of year. We get to learn about the birth of Christ and sing Christmas carols.

The kids favorite part of the decorating was putting up the train. When we were finished, we turned off the lights and sat around the tree. I cried.

While Brandon's Mom was here helping me adjust to having three kids, she made our Christmas stockings. These are mine and Brandon's.

The kids are made out of the same fabric as the first blanket I ever made for them.

Jacob put all the green ornaments in one spot.