Redneck?

Is this the definition of a RedNeck?

No! Just scratching my neck while I played with ink!

We worked on our Valentine's Day Cards for our families today!

And...last night we ate crab legs! Crab legs totally look normal on a Elmo plate with a sippy cup, right?

This is what happens when Daniel cooks :)

Best Buddies

Bax and Mack are still best buddies, even amongst the beating that Baxter inevitably endures. We do our best to keep Macklin off of him (tackling, eye-gouging, and hair pulling are unacceptable), they still enjoy each other very much! This is what I caught today after making breakfast...just snuggling!

Disney Night

On Saturday night, I had some of my high school friends over and we had a Disney movie night! The night was made complete with...

-Princess Cupcakes (crowns included)

-Dressing as Disney Characters

-A Basketful of Disney VHS Movies to choose from

-Watching the Lion King

-Reminiscing over how much we loved various Disney movies as young girls!

Below: Prince Eric (from The Little Mermaid), Pocahontas, Belle, a Dwarf, and a Pirate (from Peter Pan) Even though I was going for the Dwarf look, the girls said I looked more like Mr. Smeede from Peter Pan...the short, fat man, haha!

It was a blast! All of these girls are seniors and I am going to miss them like CRAZY next year (including a four that couldn't come too!).

My little Pirate :)

Second Attempt at XC Skiing

This morning we packed up the car and headed up to Maloit Park to try our cross country skiing skills (I am still horrible for the record)! Our friends had said the terrian was awesome last weekend and this was our first chance to give it a try. Last night it snowed over 8 inches in Minturn, providing for some very powdery conditions. It was a bit colder than expected (why haven't I learned this in my five years in the valley...crazy me) in Minturn but we still were able to have some fun adventures none the less! Mack did fall asleep in the Chariot (enabling us to actually continue skiing, but preventing a nap later in the day) and then had a blast playing in the snow in his cute little snow suit!

New Projects

I have tried two new things the past couple of days.

Project One = Success!!!

I wrapped butter boxes in left over fabric so we have more bins for Macklin's room! I really like how they turned out. I did it just like gift wrapping using hot glue!

Project Two - Huge Fail

I tried to use a Starbucks pre-made kit to make cake pops = horrible! They look silly, fell off the stick, and they didn't really taste good either. I took a bite and tossed them all. I will have to try again later or just stick to normal ole cupcakes!

Mack's New Hat

At the basketball game tonight, we picked up a new hat for Macklin! His Cardinals hat (size - toddler) is getting a bit tight and I was curious as to what size he would be in next. Well, we found out....kids XS fitted hat! I didn't even know they made that size. It is a bit big still, but it won't take long for him to grow into it! Go Devils!

29 Week Ultrasound

These pictures are not quite as good as the 19 week batch, but it is because Baby Cheese is taking up so much more room in my belly! At 19 weeks, she was 11oz. Now she is 2lb and 14oz! Everything looked good today as far as the choroid plexus cysts (you can read about this condition here). Macklin also showed signs of CPC but we never did a follow up ultrasound. Our doctor recommended that we go back in this time (I think the news last time just never got to our doc....weird but I think that is what happened). This morning we went in for our follow up appointment and the cysts on one side of the brain were totally gone and on the other side they had shrunk dramatically. So the conclusion is - nothing alarming and our baby is developing just perfectly!

We praise God for the healthy development of our baby girl and look forward to her arrival in just 11 weeks!

Her tongue and lower jaw area are the bright white in the picture.

She is looking right at you here.

Her hands are up by her face in this one.

Winter Fashions

Since we have been home, I have snuck two pictures of Macklin making some fashion statements...

1. Bath Time

Perfect time for a pirate patch right???? Thanks Daniel! :)

2. Skinny Jeans, Graphic Tee, and Tiny Toms

We will thank Mimi and Uncle Kevin for this combo. He just looked like such a little man today! Where are the model sessions when you need them?

Baby Cheese Inventory

Since we just had a shower, I had to do a little inventory of our little girl's waredrobe! I got all of the new clothes washed and ready for her little body to arrive.

As you can see below, we are aquiring quite a bit of pink gear! I sorted it all by size (nesting a bit am I?) and then put it back in the tub area until we can get her baby nook ready to go! The piles go from NB, 0-3 months, 6-9 months, 9 months, 12 months, and then a couple things for 18 months with all of the socks and accessories in the front right corner. The newborn stage always goes by so fast so you don't need too many clothes, but we will have to grab some sleepers. We seem to be all set for the 0-3 and 6-9 and then we will have to grab some more things after that! We are so blessed to have so much already!

In the back you can see our sweet bassinet that I scored from our local consignment ($40 for a Pottery Barn bassinet with mattress, pad, 2 sheets and a bumper, what a deal!). I also grabbed a double jogging stroller (chariot) which is clearly not in the bedroom.

Baby Cheese we can't wait to meet you! We pray for you daily!

Final Days in STL

Our time in St. Louis came to a close on Wednesday. We had a great day Tuesday shopping for some necessary items (baby nook goods, a shower I am helping plan, and Macklin's birthday party) and then took a trip to The Magic House with Mimi. Macklin had a blast playing but he still had energy to see his Uncle John, Aunt Jackie, Uncle Kevin, and cousin Liv one more time Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning was full of cramming in twice as much stuff as I came with into two bags and keeping the weight under 100lbs! I was successful and we headed back to CO. On both flights we were able to have a seat open next to us which made the ride very smooth. Mack even feel asleep during the layover giving me some time to rest too! He was so much better than I could have ever hoped for (bring on the 8 hour Hawaii flight!).

Thanks to my mom and dad for such a great visit! We really appreciate everything, but most of all just the time we get to spend with you!

Zoo & Dinner

Today was another day of fun...this time with Justin's family!

We headed over to Grandmas house in the morning for breakfast and a little play before heading out to the St. Louis Zoo (still one of the best things about STL). We were able to stop by the Olivastros to say hey on the way and play with Luca a bit. Once we got to the Zoo, it was so much fun until we left. Since today was MLK Day and 59 degrees in STL, the Zoo was a happening place to be. We hit everything except the elephant area and Macklin loved every minute. He did great with Grandma and mixed his time between running and riding in the stroller. Thanks to Grandma for a great day together!

Look who we ran into at the Zoo.....

After a long nap for both of us, Grandpa and Mema came into town to take us to dinner! We got to shoot some hoops in the driveway before heading out. Macklin did well at dinner and the Ipad is becoming a necessity for restuarant nights. It just helps so much and makes everything some much more carefree. Now, to get him to eat his dinner before wanting to mess with the Ipad.....Thanks Don and Kathy for coming into town to see us and spend time with Macklin!

Busy Sunday in STL

We had a great day today in St. Louis. Here was the first 5 minutes of Macklin's day....

We headed off to church after our morning jump session. Mom and dad told me their early service was different from the regular service (kinda shorten version), but they didn't really tell me there were no kids there! They did not have a nursery going, so Macklin got to sit in church with us! Good thing it was only like 45 minutes and they did have sweet bags for little kids to take into church with all kinds of quite toys in them. He did excellent, only making noise one time as he roared like a lion in the middle of a congressional prayer (oops).

After lunch, Macklin went home to play while I ran to Target and JoAnn's (to start looking for fabrics for the baby nook). Then, we headed out the TGIFridays for lunch with all of the Spragues. It was a fun to have the whole family out for lunch (including Molly, Jackie's niece). Macklin held up well as he colored, played with cars, and other toys. The girls brought him their old Little People Nativity scene (forgotten at Christmas time), so that was a big hit as well. Towards the end, we did bust out the Ipad so the adults could talk about Hawaii some more (I think we determined where we are staying!!!). It is amazing how an Ipad can keep four kids entertained for so long!

What it looks like for the whole fam to be at a restaurant together...

good thing we had the corner table!

Trying to take a good pic of the kids while they all looked into the sun and almost got blown away by some crazy wind!

We headed back to Mom and Dads house so Macklin could take a nap before the shower tonight. I also laid down as yesterday wore me out! We spent the evening at Emily's house for my Baby Sprinkle thrown by Emily and Justin's mom. Macklin came with my dad as soon as he woke up and did a great job helping me open the gifts. He made sure to give Baby Cheese's new "lovey" some attention so that it is well loved before she arrives. He also really liked any of the stuffed animals in the house or in the gifts! He was pretty funny!

The Baby Sprinkle Scene

(notice the awesome cake!)

The Awesome People

(notice Mack teaching Grandma how to use the Ipad!)

Macklin's Life at the Sprinkle

He got a new Mater car, built towers with Lena, was intrigued by the new dolls and babies, and still did his normal thing of swan diving on anything soft!

Fun Gifts to Show Off

Baby Cheese was given some new cloth diapers, a tutu!, a "Colorado outfit," two running outfits including the Under Armor one above, precious overalls, a flannel and skinny pants, and much more! You gotta admit that pink stuff IS cute!

It was such a blessing to be given so many cute outfits for Baby Cheese! She is almost set to go. Kathy has many friends in the neighborhood and family members that care so much about her and are willing to "sprinkle" us with that love. Thanks to everyone that came out. We are overwhelmed with your gifts!