Isn't This Funny?

Two posts in one evening? Wierd, I know! But I just couldn't resist sharing these pictures of Jacksen:

Who needs a hat when you have Tupperware?!

Our Runaway

So, Kellan has been a bit of a handful lately (lately?) and we have been spending what seems like a lot of time on dicipline. Well, I guess Kellan is feeling discouraged so he informed me that he is leaving our family. In fact, he has packed his little backpack on wheels and is planning on going out to our horseshed...to stay. I realize this is probably normal...I hope, but I feel kind of sad about it. I wonder if he feels unloved or unwanted because he seems to always be in trouble. The thing is, I can't imagine life without our middlest kiddo. I hope he changes his mind and decides to stay with his family....

Our Afternoon at the Pool

Megan and Kellan practiced their newly-learned swimming skills at Grandpa and Grandma Miller's pool this afternoon. At first Kellan would only go in the jacuzzi, but Megan was able to finally talk him into getting into the pool - and he had a blast! It was a hot afternoon so it was a perfect day to go swimming!

Tired McCauley Kids

Megan and Kellan went to the Fairy Festival at Tizer Gardens with their Grandpa and Grandma McCauley today. Kellan really enjoyed the creek and Megan loved the crafts. There were both a little pink from the sun and very tired this evening. After Marc's birthday dinner, they took baths and snuggled in the recliner with their daddy to watch "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

Don't they all look sooooo tired?! Tomorrow will be a big day of working on landscaping our front yard - finally!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Yesterday was Marc's birthday - he is now as old as I am! Well, at least until August 4th! To celebrate, he and Megan enjoyed a nice, long horseback ride in the mountains. The boys and I met them for lunch at Pizza Hut (Kellan's most favorite restaurant) and then it was home for naptime. All of the boys slept the afternoon away while Megan and I wrapped presents, cleaned, and watched a movie. Grandpa and Grandpa McCauley took the kids to dinner while we met up with Uncle Bill, Aunt Katy, Aunt Ami and Chris at The Marysville House. We had a great drinking adult beverages and enjoying uninterrupted conversation! We are having a little get-together tonight for cake and ice cream so I'm sure I'll have some great photos to post later.

T-Ball

Tonight was Kellan's first t-ball game! His team played pretty well for being quite inexperienced. But then, how much experience can 3 and 4-year-olds possible have, right? This is a photo of Kellan and a few of his teammates in the dugout prior to the start of their game:Don't they look so cute in their matching shirts?! Now if they can just figure out what to do with the ball when they get a hold of it....

Anyway, tomorrow is the last day of swimming lessons. And tomorrow is the last day Marc will be 34!

Father's Day

To celebrate Father's Day, we joined Grandpa and Grandma McCauley and Auntie Ann and Uncle John for some fishing, hiking, and a picnic at Kading Campground. It has been pretty rainy in this area for the last few days so there were lots of great mud puddles to wade through along the hiking trail!

The others drove up earlier to go on a long hike and they saw a moose down by the creek. We didn't see any real moose while we were there, but we did see some "McCauley Moose" along the way!

The McCauley kids got to try out their fishing poles for the very first time today. The creek was really full and running pretty fast. We didn't catch anything, but the kiddos were excited anyway. Here are Kellan and Jacksen checking out all of the cool treasures in Kellan's tackle box:

Just as were ready to eat our picnic dinner and light a fire to make smores, it started to thunder and rain. So we ended up driving back into town (only about 45 minutes away) to finish our dinner at Grandpa and Grandma's.

The McCauley kids are really lucky to have a great daddy who loves nothing better than spending time with his kids! Happy Father's Day, Marc!

McCauley Kids Tidbits

The kids have been busy this week. Yesterday was Kellan's last day at preschool for the summer. Marc brought Kellan's horse, Smoke, for show-and-tell. The kids were so excited! Kellan demonstrated how he cleans Smoke's feet and brushes his fur and shared some fun facts about his favorite pet.

Each kid got a chance to sit on Smoke and get their picture taken. Kellan was thrilled!

Today was a rainy day in Helena so we didn't do much. This evening the kids were outside helping their daddy with a little work and they caught a baby grasshopper. Well, Megan and Kellan named it Hoppy and, of course, brought it inside. I overheard Megan tell Kellan that she was going to check to see if it is a boy or a girl. I thought to myself "Oh NO! I am NOT ready for this!" However, I then heard her say "I can tell by its antennae." Whew! This story ends with Hoppy's tragic death - they gave him/her a bath with soap. Kellan said that Hoppy took a taste of the water and it killed him. For some reason, Kellan is fascinated with death right now. I hope it's just a phase.

I think I need a vacation

So...I just realized that I was humming one of the songs from Curious George and dancing around my kitchen while making tacos for dinner. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just think I probably need a vacation....or something.

Anyway, Kellan had his first t-ball practice last night. He had a great time! I have to say, I never really considered t-ball a difficult game....until I watched Kellan's coach attempt to teach twelve 3 and 4-year-olds how to play!

Megan and Kellan are also taking swim lessons right now. Megan is having the time of her life - she absolutely loves swimming! And Kellan has decided he wants to be a lifeguard when he grows up - just like Uncle Sean!

Not Me Monday!

Please tell me that I didn't just about kill myself working out and then polish off my workout with a big gooey piece of chocolate cake. Oh wait....I didn't...'cause it's Not Me Monday! Ha!

There are a lot of things that I didn't do today - things I might have done any other day, though. For instance, I didn't practically inhale my Raisin Bran this morning so I could leave before my littlest got out of bed....so I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of getting him dressed and dropping him off at daycare before work today. That would be so totally inconsiderate of my husband! Furthermore, would I EVER just drop in on my sister right at dinner time without calling first and then let her feed Kellan and I dinner before T-ball practice (which was cancelled anyway due to rainy weather) without even helping? No way...not me! And I most definitly would never mutter under my breath "F*&^ing cat!" as our annoying cat tripped me while walking down the stairs to work out this evening. How innappropriate and rude would that be?! Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy Not Me Mondays?!

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Anywho, as I previously might have mentioned, Kellan was supposed to start T-ball tonight but it was too rainy....so we get to start tomorrow night instead. Are you up for another dinner, Auntie Ami? After enjoying the best meal we have ever eaten, Kellan and I met up with his soccer teammates. Because their last game was snowed out and the kiddos didn't get a change to get their medals and team pictures, their coach arranged for an evening at the Carousel. Kellan had a great time and did not want to leave when it was over.

Kellan and J.D. conversing over ice cream

I took the sweetest picture of our littlest yesterday at the soccer field, but I forgot to add it to my post last night so I'm adding tonight instead. Jacksen loved blowing the dandelions yesterday!

End of Soccer Season

Today was Megan's last soccer game for the spring season. The girls had a great season, but they were obviously ready to be done today! Let's just say it more of a social hour than a game for most of the team...except Jaymee...she rocked!
Coach McCauley was very glad to be finished with season also! Swimming lessons start tomorrow morning for Megan and Kellan. AND, Mr. Kellan starts T-ball tomorrow evening...I'm thinking we must be crazy!

Auntie Ami and Chris came over for dinner and dessert tonight. We had a great time bbqing in the rain! Kellan really enjoyed his chocolate ice cream cone for dessert:

What a guy! I don't know how he did it, but he even had ice cream in his nose!

The Great Outdoors

Today was sunny and warm and we spent a lot of time outside. Marc and I rode our horses in the hills this morning while the kids rode their bicycles to the playground with Grandma Linda. We actually had an entire conversation with no interruptions!

We all enjoyed a nice nap and then we celebrated Megan and Kellan's successful soccer season with a trip to Tons of Fun with Megan's friend, Andrea. Tons of Fun was actually tons of fun!

Jacksen on a Big Bird ride

We all got hungry so picked up dinner at McDonald's and went to Memorial Park with the Fields family and Grandma and Grandpa McCauley. Here are some photos of our evening at the park:

Friday Evening

What a week! As I type this post, the McCauley kids are eating ice cream sandwiches and Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies while watching The Parent Trap. I realize the nutritional value of their bedtime snack is quite impressive, but they are so blissfully happy that it's worth the sacrifice!

Anyway, it's been an interesting week for the McCauley family. The end of the school year brings lots of changes - both good and bad. The kiddos get to stay up later and sleep in, which is fun for Megan and Kellan but kind of challenging for Jacksen. You see, Jacksen is very schedule-oriented and has a difficult time with anything outside of his daily routine. He has not gotten nearly enough sleep all week so he has been a little monster to live with. Last night he did not fall asleep until 9:30 (mostly because it was still light outside) and then he was up before 6:30 this morning! Thankfully, it was a quiet day at his daycare and he took a 3-hour nap. Let's just say we are really enjoying having our happy Jacksen back this evening!

Last Day of School

It's official. Megan is now a first-grader. Today was unexpectedly emotional for me. It seems like just yesterday I was walking Megan into her kindergarten class on her very first day of school. I remember it well because I started crying right in front of her teacher, who I really did not know at the time. Very embarassing. I hope every school year doesn't go this fast - if it does, she'll be all grown up in no time at all. Good reminder to enjoy every day with my babies!

Anyway, we had planned on going to lunch and a movie with Megan's good buddy, Shayna; however, it turns out there were no matinees today. So instead we enjoyed a fun lunch at Pizza Hut and then the girls had a grand time playing at a park with Megan's cousins. We actually saw a few kids from their kindergarten class. This is good because they were both in tears on the playground when I picked them up from school. You see, they had the most wonderful kindergarten teacher, Ms. Brothers, and they had just realized she wasn't going to be their teacher anymore. They felt much better when I explained that Ms. Brothers would still be at their school and they could stop by and give her a hug even when they are in first grade. So sweet! Anyway, when the girls got tired we went downtown to The Parrot for ice cream. Here is a picture of the girls toasting each other on their kindergarten graduation:

After The Parrot, we walked to Kellan's preschool, which is only 3-4 blocks away, and picked up Kellan. On the way back to our vehicle, the kids spent some time climbing on the trolley, which rests on the walking mall in downtown Helena.



While these pictures are okay, they are not very clear because I forgot my camera today and used my cell phone instead. (Thank you Katy for showing me how to email pictures from my phone to my computer!)

This evening Megan and I joined our good friends, KayCee and Jessica, at Alive @ Five in downtown Helena. Whew! All in all, it was a great day. The McCauley kids are now sleeping soundly and I am going to join them....except in my own bed where I'll actually (hopefully) get some sleep!

Country Boys

Beautiful spring weather has returned to the Helena valley. As the boys and I were driving up the road to our house, Megan and her daddy were riding our horses down the road to meet us. Kellan and Jacksen decided they wanted in on the action so they "horsed around" while I made dinner.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for Megan and Marc. Our plan is for the McCauley kids to stay home with their daddy this summer. They will have a lot of fun with their summer activities and we will save lots of money not paying for daycare and preschool! Megan and I are going to kick off her summer vacation by going to lunch and a movie with her little kindergarten girlfriend. Then, starting next week, Megan and Kellan will be taking swimming lessons for two weeks. The following week Megan is taking a horseback riding class. At the same time Kellan will be participating in t-ball and then in July Megan will be attending a three-day basketball camp. Whew - I have a feeling Marc will be happy to go back to work in August!

Thankful

I was just reading a blog about a couple who have trying to conceive for over three years and it took me back to my days of struggling with infertility. Those were some hard days, but remembering them really makes me appreciate my three beautiful children. Seven years ago I wasn't so sure Marc and I would be blessed with one child, much less three!




The McCauley kids were kind of tired this evening, and they were having a difficult time channeling the little bit of energy they had left toward anything constructive, so we baked a chocolate cake (yes, from scratch!). At the beginning of this school year Megan went through a phase during which she would only check out cookbooks from the school library on library day. One week she checked out a cookbook filled with wonderful and easy recipes. This is one of our favorites:

Extra Special Celebration Cake

3 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. cocoa

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2/3 c. oil

2 t. vinegar

1 t. vanilla

2 c. water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two round 9 x 1 cake pans.

Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, mix oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir oil mixture and water into flour mixture realy hard until well-blended, about 1 minute. Immediately pour batter into pans, dividing evenly.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pans. Cool completely and frost/decorate.

The phase of checking out cookbooks came to an end when she came home with a Betty Crockers cookbook that must've weighed 30 lbs! Her backpack was waaaaay too heavy!

Like their daddy, Megan and Kellan absolutely love to clean out the bowl.

This photo is funny for two reasons. The first is how messy they are and the second is that Megan kind of looks like Gene Simmons from KISS. Dontcha think?

One more tiny tidbit. On the way home today Kellan asked if we needed to pick up Megan, too. I told him no and that she was at the doctor with Marc because her eyes seem to be infected (refer to my earlier post about pink eye). He then very seriously asked "Are they gonna take 'em out?". Too funny!

Brrrrrrr!

Only in Montana would it happen to snow (yes, that white stuff that floats from the sky in winter) on June 6th! Marc ran the 10K and I very quickly walked the 5K in the Governor's Cup yesterday. I wish I could say it was fun, but it mostly very wet and very cold!

After our races, we rested for a bit and then hauled the McCauley kids to Bozeman for Marc's cousin's (Sara) graduation party. It was colder in Bozeman than it was in Helena, but we all did our best to enjoy a summer bbq in a beautiful park. The kiddos had a great time, but they sure got wet and cold! Due to the distraction of the weather (good excuse) I forgot my camera so I have no pictures to post - darn it!

Our little sweeties are a bit tired and their parents are tired and sore (remember, we both participated in the Gov Cup yesterday) so we have had a slow-moving day! The coming week is sure to be busy with school and work. Best of all, Megan graduates from kindergarten on Wednesday! Can you believe that?!

Pink Aye Yi Yi

Yep, our sweet little Megan woke up with pink eye, otherwise known as conjunctivitis, this morning. So....she enjoyed an unexpected day off from kindergarten. She and I had a nice time running errands and eating donuts at the Donut Hole before I dropped her off at school with her daddy. She spent the afternoon helping (I use that term loosely) her daddy at work. After school, they both took a long nap!

This evening Mr. McCauley thought it would be a great idea to take the McCauley kids to the Spring Artwalk in downtown Helena. It would've been an excellent idea had it not been windy and raining. However, because I'm a supportive wife and mother, we went anyway. After the kids were quite wet and a little muddy, we took them to a graduation party for Marc's good buddy, Matt Watson's, nephew. It was great to see the Watson family - we had a very good time!

So Sad

This blog is supposed to be about the McCauley kids, and I do plan on sharing some tidbits about their day, but I thought I would comment on something so sad that has happened in our community. Last night a Helena teenager shot and killed a fellow student and wounded two others. What precipitated this event was an altercation between two boys (ages 15 and 16) via text messaging about a girl who they were both apparantly dating. Sadly, the kid who committed the crime was not involved in this triangle but decided to intervene on behalf of one of the boys. He was somebody who was evidently struggling in his life. I pray for the families of these kids and hope they feel the grace of God as they work through this horrible tragedy. This is a good reminder to teach our kids about making good choices and how their actions effect others.

Anyway, on to the McCauley kiddos. It was an interesting day for our children. Megan got to wear her pajamas to school today because her class had an all-day pajama party. She was so excited! I have to say, it did seem a little wierd to put her on the school bus this morning in her pajamas!

When I picked up Kellan from preschool today, he had been in a little trouble for being disruptive during rest time. This was kind of discouraging because he was in trouble yesterday for yelling in another kid's ear. However, I am proud of him for taking responsibility for his actions and accepting his consequence of going to bed early tonight without crying about it. He sure is growing up!

Jacksen....well, he had an incident today also. He bit his cousin, Andrew, who also goes to our daycare. Our wonderful daycare lady assured me that, based on his reaction to getting in trouble for this, she doesn't think it'll happen again. I sure hope she's right! Here is a cute picture of our little dinosaur after his bath tonight:

I am going to give my kids an extra hug tonight and make sure they know they are loved.

One of Those Days

Today was one of those days. It's the last full week of school before summer vacation so Megan and Marc are feeling kind of antsy. Miss Megan has been living on the edge this week....on the edge of getting into big trouble! She is being just a little sassy, having just a little bit of a hard time following directions, spending an usually large amount of her time bugging her brothers...well, you know what I mean!

And Mr. Jacksen....well, it is still very light and sunny at bedtime so he wants to stay up and play. We put him to bed at 8:00-ish, but he is still up and playing in his room until the sun finally goes down around 9:30. Let's just say he is not a bundle of laughs when we are on the way to daycare at 7:15 in the morning!

It seems as though I always have something funny to report about Mr. Kellan. Not to say that Kellan hasn't contributed to my tension headache this evening, because he definitely had his part, but he is just so happy about being naughty that's it's a little easier to swallow when he isn't exactly behaving well. As usual, I have a funny photo of Kellan to add to my post this evening. When I picked up Kellan from preschool today, all of the kiddos were out on the playground enjoying the nice Spring weather. Kellan decided to be silly and pull his shirt over his head and run around the playground....giggling hysterically, of course!
Though I can't say that I enjoyed every minute spent with my little sweeties today, I can say that I loved them every minute today! Only 4 1/2 school days until summer vacation...woohoo!

"K" for Kellan

While Kellan, as our middlest child, can often be....well, a handful....he is also the McCauley kid who has something kind to say to his mommy everyday. Whether it's "You're the best mom in the entire world!" or "You make the greatest dinners ever!", I can always count on my little Kellan to make me smile. It is such a honor to be the parent of such a great kiddo! It's hard to believe he'll be off to kindergarten in just a year!

Marc was showing me a slideshow reflecting the activities enjoyed by the kids who participate in the Cub Companion group. (Cub Companion is program in which 8th graders at CR Anderson Middle School spend one hour per week during the school day volunteering in kindergarten classrooms.) Anyway, Marc sometimes takes the McCauley kids (well, either Megan or Kellan) along with him during some these activities. Each year the kindergarteners and 8th graders visit Sieben Ranch during lambing and Kellan got to tag along this year. Here is a darling photo of our middlest:

If only he could be this sweet and innocent all of the time!