Snowman

Yesterday was the perfect day to make a snowman for Marcail! Snow had fallen the night before, and it was bright and sunny out. Plus, Andrew and I had a full day off to play-- no work! Marcail loved to help her daddy out (he did most of it; I took pictures). Donovan was miserable, though. I'm not sure if it was his snowsuit or the cold that he didn't appreciate, but he just sobbed and sobbed unless I held him. So I did : ) The rest of us had a lot of fun anyways!

The beginnings of the SnowMan

Marcail in her snowsuit

"Why, hello, Mr. SnowMan!"

"I DON'T like this!"

Putting his eyes in.

Buddies

The rest of us.

If you thought the PBJ was messy....

Then check this out: Chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce, and honey mustard sauce. Yummy! I think he got so much of the stickiness on his face, even HE started feeling uncomfortable. Maybe he was just trying to get a bath out of it : )

And here he is as a big boy, learning how to drink from a huge adult glass! He was so proud of himself!

Birthday Time!

Andrew turns 27 on Tuesday! We had a birthday celebration with friends this afternoon, and on Tuesday, we will go pick out his grill (his birthday present) and eat lunch at a steakhouse (of course!).

Status Update

Many of you have been asking how we have been doing. It has been a little over a month since we found out our baby had passed away and I had the operation.

There are good days, and there are hard days. There are still nights where I cry myself to sleep, but those are not most nights. I still find myself going to sleep and waking up with my hands on my belly, because I used to go to sleep praying for the baby. I still feel movement in my lower belly and my mind first immediately thinks, "Its the baby kicking!," followed by the reminder, "No, there is no baby, remember?" We just started getting the bills in the mail, and it tore me up inside to know that we will have to pay for a child that we never got to see.

Someone encouraged me to really pour into my husband and children here when I miss my other children; to take that emotional energy and transfer it into actively loving and appreciating what God has given me presently. That has truly been transforming for me.

I have had some very endearing moments with Marcail and Donovan as it has made me more tender towards them. Whenever I find myself fretting over the mess on the floor that they made, or the constant diaper changes, or their demands and annoying whining and having to correct them over and over, I just suddenly remember that I am so blessed. All of that is just the territory you cover when you have children. And I would rather have all their messes and tears, than to have a perfectly clean house and never have them in my life. Instead of thinking, "Oh, man, I have to cook dinner for us tonight," I think, "I get to cook dinner for my family tonight!" And while I am washing the dishes, the clothes, and the floor, I find myself grateful for my family who makes me work so hard : ) Because it means I have a family I am caring for.

Spring Day

We have had beautiful weather for the past couple of days. It thrills me that Spring is finally on the way! We played outside this afternoon. I played in the dirt. Yes, I really did. Technically, I was planting flower seeds, but it was definitely playing in the dirt. Marcail was so curious as to what I was doing. After I told her that I was planting seeds that were going to grow into flowers, she proceeded to inform Donovan of that for the next hour while they were coloring with chalk. I guess it was a good conversation piece! Who knew? : )

PB & J

Why are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches regarded as the classic food for children? Here is what I get from my child every time he "eats" it :





Just look at this endearing jelly mustache and gotee.... He reminds me of a Spaniard : ) (You can almost imagine what he will look like at 25.)



It seems to me that this is adult food. I didn't show you any pictures of the pretty decorations on the floor : )

Officially American Family

Last night, on our way home from the gym, we stopped off at McDonalds for a quick dinner. They had a playroom! Whenever we have gone to McDonalds (which is still not very often), we have always gone through the drive-through. When we saw the playroom, we decided to actually do a sit-down, and let the kids play. When I was a growing up, we never did such a thing, so I was really excited to let Marcail and Donovan experience what has become an ordinary American past-time. We all had such a fun time!

A Murphey's Law

How is it that freshly mopped floors seem to scream "PLEASE drop your messiest food on me!"?

So GQ

I know every mother thinks their children are the most gorgeous. But seriously! Look at this handsome child! I know I say this all the time, but it truly is Andrew's fault.

Ready for Spring

Any guesses as to why? Here is a hint (above).
I think I wouldn't be craving warm weather as much if we didn't have 70 degree weather this whole week until today...

Still trying to get this Makinson thing down

So, I was trying to teach Marcail how to eat whipped cream from the can. Its a Makinson thing : ) Apparently, I don't quite have the skill quite yet, even though I've been a Makinson for almost 4 years. I suppose I will just need to keep trying : ) but that will only work if I haven't scared Marcail from letting me practice on her!

Getaway

Our cozy room

at the sushi restaurant

Mr. Ridiculously Good Looking

Our view from our room

We were sent, as a gift from friends, up to the mountains for a night. I cannot tell you how touched I am that someone even thought to do that for us- just thinking about it makes me emotional still. Well, we had such a great time. Great would actually be an understatement. It was so romantic, relaxing, refreshing, rejuvenating, and beautiful. I had thought that one night would never do the trick for me - that I would need 3 nights to feel fully restored and rested. I was so wrong, and I'm glad of that!! We came back today, and I felt as though time had stood still for us in the perfect way.

It was the most beautiful and classy hotel we had ever stayed in, up in a gorgeous little ski town village nestled in the mountains. We relaxed in the outdoor hot tub in the crisp evening air. We took a stroll at night into the village, where there was a perfect little skating rink. We had sushi for dinner (thank you Travis and Lindsay for introducing us!), in a cute little modern Asian restaurant (Lime green and hot pink decor inside. Wow.). We slept in the most wonderful bed ever. We brought massage oil, candles, and dark chocolate . I just can't tell you how beautifully romantic and relaxing it was!