Jacksen Marc McCauley

It seems like I always have lots to say about Megan and Kellan, but not much to share about Jacksen. SO, tonight's post is all about Mr. Jacksen! These days, Jacksen is a sweet, stubborn, cute, ornery, and loveable little 2 1/2 year-old. He loves workin' with his daddy, watching Bob the Builder and the Baby Einstein San Diego Zoo movie, playing cowboys with Kellan, saying the word "stupid" (because he's not supposed to say that word - remember this post http://mccauleykids.blogspot.com/2009/08/words-we-dont-say.html!), drinking sippy cup after sippy cup of milk, and eating lots of fruit snacks! When I ask him if he's tired, hungry, happy, etc., his reply is "NO! I'm Jacksen Marc!" He was our surprise baby...and he continues to surprise us everyday!

I couldn't write an entire post all about Jacksen without including a funny picture of our Littlest. Here he is with a mouthFULL of fruit snacks...did I mention that he would live on fruit snacks if we let him?!

Lots to Do!

Wow - we found a lot to do this weekend! On Friday evening we went to the Capital High football game. Not only did the Bruins have a great game, but we also saw lots of good friends! Saturday was spent cleaning and grocery shopping. Megan went to a birthday party while Marc and I and the boys went to Burger King for dinner. Afterward, we stayed up late watching Cars. This morning we washed our van and all three children got haircuts. THEN, this afternoon we went to the Jefferson County rodeo in Boulder with Grandpa McCauley. Can you believe, with all of this activity, I didn't even take one stinkin' picture?! I'll do better....I promise!

The Boys

I don't think I've mentioned that we have a new routine for our boys. Though Kellan really enjoyed his preschool and learned a lot there, we struggled with some behavior issues that progressed through last school year. We were seriously thinking about other options when our wonderful daycare lady, Arlene, let us know that she had an opening for another kid. At the same time we received notice that the preschool was implementing a rather substantial rate increase....and that pretty made up our minds for us! So, now the boys are back to going to daycare together and they LOVE it! Jacksen and Kellan have suddenly become great buddies and Kellan is taking his role of "big brother" very seriously! He seems to be growing up so much these days - and he's outgrowing those unsavory behaviors we experienced during the last school year...THANK GOD!!!

Lately the boys have become very interested in riding their horse. In fact, Kellan insists on having his own "rodeo" every night after dinner. He and Jacksen make a big production of changing into their jeans and boots and heading out to the corral together. Here are some photos of tonight's "rodeo":

Jacksen

Kellan

I remember that when each of our babies were born, I felt a little guilty about having less time for the other kiddo(s). But now I know that they are such a gift to each other!

Best Buddies

First Grade

Today was Megan's first day of first grade and she loved it! It's hard to believe how fast these years are flying by. Here is a picture of Miss Megan as we were heading off to school this morning:

I can't remember the last time I took a picture of Megan and she didn't strike a pose for me! What a girl! The boys saw me taking Megan's picture and they wanted in on the action:

Yep, these kids are morning people - they pretty much wake up happy every day!

A Little Breather

To say we had a great time in Vermont would be an understatement! Marc and I flew out early Thursday morning and, after a short layover in Minneapolis, landed in Hartford, CT around 5 pm. We picked up a rental car, checked into our motel room, and enjoyed dinner at a nice little resteraunt. The next morning we drove north through Massachusetts to a little village in Vermont called Grafton. You can check out this quaint little place at http://www.graftonvermont.org. Though it was very rainy, it was still warm and very beautiful! Friday evening we enjoyed a bbq and great conversation....and lots of entertainment by Chad Fero, one of Marc's high school buddies. The next morning we ate a delicious breakfast at the Old Tavern Inn and then Marc and Chad went golfing while I read a book and relaxed. The wedding was that evening and it was amazing - the most fun wedding I've attended in a long time! Stephen and Helena are a great couple and we are really excited for them! By Sunday morning we were ready to get back to our Helena life....and, most importantly, our children!

So...what were the McCauley kids up to while we were away? Well, Megan enjoyed her own little get-away in Bozeman with Auntie Ann and Uncle John. They saw waterfalls, went to the waterpark, and rode bicycles! Kellan spent his time with Grandpa and Grandma McCauley and Uncle Ryan. He said he had a fun time playing on the Slip 'n Slide with Uncle Ryan and helped Grandpa mow the lawn. And Mr. Jacksen spent the long weekend at Uncle Bill and Aunt Katy's house with his best buddy, Drew. They played at the park and rode their tricycles together!

It was good for all of us to have a little space and fun for a few days! I am so much more calm and relaxed now that I have had a little breather - I highly recommend this for all parents and plan on doing it again...hopefully I won't wait another SEVEN YEARS, though! Though I feel it's important to spend as much time as possible with our children, I am realizing that it's also important to spend time with Marc and take a little time for myself sometimes - I think it makes me a better wife and mom!

ANYWHO, after our great weekend and a birthday celebration for Grandpa McCauley tonight, I am going to bed. One thing I didn't mention about my weekend was the fact that I caught Mr. Kellan's seemingly minor cold the night before we flew out. WELL, I spent an hour and a half at Urgent Care this morning to find out that I am suffering from a severe double ear infection (you can imagine how much fun it was flying with very sore ears!)...so I think I better get some rest! (I'll post pictures from our trip as soon as I figure out where I put my camera when I unpacked it last night!)

We're Outta Here!

So, the other day I mentioned that Marc and I are taking a trip. We are going to a wedding in Vermont....with NO kids! Nope, not even one! Marc's good friend from high school is getting married in a little Vermont town called Grafton. It will be nice to enjoy some uninterrupted time together - we might even get to finish an entire conversation. We haven't had that opportunity in...oh...about seven years! Megan and Kellan have slept away from us before, but this will be Jacksen's first time...I hope he isn't traumatized for life. I just keep telling myself that his Aunt Katy and Uncle Bill will take good care of him!

Though you will not be blessed with one of my uplifting and entertaining blog posts until Sunday (or probably Monday), rest assured the next one will be worth the wait!

Playground Time

Though the weather was chilly and rainy most of the weekend, we took advantage of a rain break and spent some time at the Rossiter School playground yesterday. Miss Megan wowed us all with her monkey bar skills and Kellan and Jacksen had a great time going down the slides.

The forecast calls for summer weather to return this week - just in time for Marc and I to fly away on a little trip....more on that later....

Birthday Fun

Megan has enjoyed two days of birthday fun! Yesterday we took her and her best buddy, Jaymee, to lunch at McDonald's and then to Tons of Fun for the afternoon. Then we had a family birthday dinner at Applebee's and cake and ice cream at our house. Auntie Katy and Miss Megan being silly

Today we threw a pool party for Megan and her friends to celebrate her birthday. Despite the unusually chilly weather, we had a great time!

Jay, Colton, and Jaret


Little Mister Jacksen

Isa B. giving Kellan a ride

Marc and Jaymee

Megan's Story

I always knew that I wanted to be a mom and as soon as Marc and I said "I do", I was ready to have a baby! It turned out that having a baby would be quite a challenge for us. After trying to conceive for a year, I visited with my doctor. She ran several tests, including a very painful endometrial biopsy and a hysterosalpingogram, and came to the conclusion that I had "unexplained infertility." I was referred to Helen'a best OB/Gyn, who immediately prescribed Progesterone and Clomid. After only two months, I became pregnant! Unfortunately, that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. I will never forget the devastation I felt the day the nurse called to tell me the sad results of my HCG test - Marc was out of town and I cried for two days. I was on Clomid another six months (!) before I finally became pregnant with Miss Megan. It was our last cycle before we were to begin IUI and we were both emotionally exhausted. I took the home test the morning of my cousin's baby shower, January 20, 2002, and I sobbed when I saw the positive result. My pregnancy was pretty uneventful except for the horrendous morning sickness - which really could've been called "afternoon and all evening sickness". By my fourth month, I was feeling great, though. I didn't really even look pregnant until I was about 7 months along. On August 12th, I woke up seeing spots and not feeling quite right. I spent the morning at the hospital undergoing an MRI and fetal monitoring. While having an ultrasound, the ultrasound technician pushed pretty hard on my abdomen, which caused contractions to begin. I was given a shot of breathine (?) which made my contractions subside and I went home to bed. The next day, I felt great and worked for 10 hours. That evening we attended our first birthing class. At 4 am I got up to the use the bathroom and shortly after I went back to sleep, I woke up to a wierd feeling - I thought my water broke, but when I turned on a light I realized I was hemorraging - A LOT! I called my doctor who advised me to get to the hospital as fast as I could. Within 45 minutes of our arrival, our Megan was delivered via c-section. I was only in my 34th week so she was quite small, weighing in at 4 lb 2.3 oz. Her little lungs were not quite ready to breath air and she struggled for two days before one lung collapsed. At 4 am on August 16th, a nurse woke us to tell us about her lung and to make arrangements for her to be flown to Great Falls. We were so scared. Marc flew to Great Falls with our baby while I went home to change into regular clothes and pack our bags. Let's just say that wasn't so easy merely 48 hours after a c-section! My dad drove me to Great Falls where we spent the next two weeks. Megan was a little fighter and was off the ventilator after only two days. It was an absolute joy to watch her get better and grow, and we were thrilled to bring her home on August 30, 2002. Even though our little girl is definitely not perfect, she is an amazing gift from God and we are so blessed to have her!

I'm addicted...

My name is Christy and I am addicted to my computer. I would've never realized this addiction if we hadn't ended up with a nasty virus on our computer. We just, and I mean 10 minutes ago, got our computer back from a computer fixer guy. It was a very long 26 hours without my computer!

Anywho, it has been another event-filled week for the McCauleys. Aunt Ami, Cody, and Morgan joined us for dinner Monday evening. Last night we celebrated Cody's 12th (hard to believe!) birthday over dinner at Chili's. While Jacksen very carefully picked off each individual sprinkle from his cupcake, Andrew just dove right in!

And Cody is a very silly 7th grader!

And tomorrow? Well, tomorrow is our sweet Megan's 7th birthday! Stay tuned for coverage of her birthday celebration!

Words we don't say...

While having a daddy who is an elementary PE teacher and a school counselor is fun for our kids, it is also a bit...challenging. Marc hears so much "naughty talk" at school that he is very sensitive about what our kids say. For instance, we don't say things like "shut up", "butt", and "stupid"....to name a few. Well, the McCauley kids have found interesting, and very amusing, ways around this rule. Today on the way to our usual Sunday afternoon swimming adventure, Kellan made up a funny song...about his "buttocks". It is very funny to hear the kiddos use the word "buttocks"- especially little Jacksen. He may very well be the only 2-year-old around who uses that word! And it's not like I could really bawl them out for using that word....if only they didn't get so much joy out of say it....over and over and over! I guess I'll just be glad for their excellent vocabulary....

Holey Underwear, Batman!

While I was doing a little cleaning this morning, I left the kiddos in my room watching Saturday morning cartoons:

Well, I guess they got a little bored with the movie. SO....they decided to visit their father's underwear drawer:
Marc is not going to be happy with me for posting this picture of our children wearing his undies, but I just couldn't resist - it was so funny!

Exciting Week

This has been an exciting week for me! Tuesday was my 36th (!) birthday and I spent the afternoon shopping for school clothes with my sisters and mom in Great Falls. I LOVE shopping for my children at Old Navy!!! They have such cute clothes at great prices! Anyway, after my afternoon of shopping, my sweet husband took me out to dinner while his parents watched the McCauley kids. And then he threw Ami and I a birthday party yesterday!

Today was another day of fun - my most wonderful Grandma Miller took Ami, Katy, and Brigit (my YOUNGER aunt) to lunch and shopping for the afternoon! My Grandma is the world's greatest shopper and she has excellent taste! We had a great time together!

The rest of my week will be spent preparing for Miss Megan's birthday next week - I can hardly believe our little girl is going to be 7 already! It seems like just yesterday that we were welcoming our little preemie into this crazy world!

Oh, and one more thing....I discovered a couple very cool blogs today! The first is http://aquapoppydesigns2.blogspot.com. This site offers very cool blog backgrounds for free - it might be my new favorite...well along with http://mammaliciousfinds.blogspot.com. Check these out when you get a minute!

Fabulous!

We had a fabulous time at Swan Lake! We spent our days basking in the sun on the dock, paddleboating, splashing in the water, strolling through Bigfork, smelling flowers, fishing, bouncing on the watertramp, making s'mores, wrestling, and enjoying time with the other McCauleys. Here are some fun photos from our vacation:

By the way, thank you to Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle John, Auntie Ann, and Uncle Sean for showing the McCauley kids a great time at the lake and making our vacation extra fun!

Here are a few pictures of Swan Lake - isn't it beautiful?!