January Newsletter & Slideshow

Here's our monthly newsletter (to the right), slideshow (below), kids' antics (also below), and a bonus video! Enjoy!



This video cracks me up. It's McKinley trying to sing classic Jingle Bells, while her cousin Michael is determined to sing the "Batman Smells" version


Here’s some things McKinley has been doing:
-We went to the zoo for New Years Eve. The next day mommy asked McKinley if she had fun at the zoo. McKinley said “Yeah!.. But we forgot to see the dinosaurs! Let’s go back and see the dinosaurs!”
-McKinley has had a lot of difficulty this month, waking up in the middle of the night – usually to go to the bathroom, but one night, McKinley was crying & mommy went it. McKinley was pacing the floor saying “My room! It’s so messy!” another time, daddy went in and she was saying “I don’t’ want to grow big! I don’t want to grow too big yet!”
-One of McKinley’s themes for preschool this month was “growing big.” The teacher asked McKinley what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said “a mommy!” and, apparently, she’s going to marry Jack Matthews.
-McKinley was talking about Oscar the Grouch one day. Mommy asked her why she thought he was so grouchy. McKinley said “Because he doesn’t want to go in time out every time!”
-Mommy got Ireland out of her car seat and went back to get McKinley. She had fully opened a map and mommy started to reprimand her when McKinley said “But mom! I’m just trying to find the United States of America!”
-McKinley has been saying “Oh my Gosh!” a lot.
-McKinley is missing Christmas time and still likes to sing “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bells”
-McKinley has gotten really scared at night for some reason. So – we bought her a lava lamp & told her it’s a very special lamp and when it gets turned on, all the bad guys, monsters, and Swiper go away. That seems to have helped, but she still gets scared sometimes.
-McKinley had a bracelet on and told mommy that she wanted to give it to her fish, Dezi, for a necklace. Mommy told her it would be too big. So, McKinley asked if we could make a small necklace for Dezi.
-With all our driving this month, we stopped quite a bit at fast-food places. McKinley said “Mom – I want some chicken nuggets. Let’s go to Old McDonald’s!”
-We heard McKinley say to our dog Sydney “Back Off!”
-When mommy went to get McKinley in the morning, she said “Mom – I woke up the sun!”
-We decided to have McKinley give up her booster chair so Ireland could sit on it & we could get rid of the high chair. McKinley wasn’t too happy about it. Mommy sang the “You’re a big girl now!” song and McKinley sang back “No, I’m noooooot”
-McKinley has been doing “interesting” things and will sometimes call them “secrets.” She will say something like “don’t look in your room mom. It’s a secret” and then we find out she got into mom’s jewelry.
-We hear a noise going down the stairs “thump, thump, thump.” Mommy turns around and hears from McKinley “Was that fun baby?”
-McKinley’s pet fish, Dezi, died at the end of the month. McKinley cried and wanted her Dezi back. It was a hard day. She still talks about Dezi, the toilet, and Jesus.
- Ireland has started this thing where she fake cries when McKinley is really crying. Then McKinley gets really mad and says “Ireland stop crying. I’m crying!”

IRELAND: Ireland is so much fun. We can’t believe she’s already 18 months! We love her to pieces! Here’s some fun things she’s been doing:
-Ireland loves to say AMEN! And will say it at the end of a book or the end of a song.
-On the 9th, Ireland just refused to take a nap!
-Ireland has been more lovey with babies and will put blankets on them and tell everyone “shhhhh!Sleeping!” with her finger over her mouth. It’s so cute.
-Ireland has wanted to sit on the potty a lot this month. We haven’t really seen anything come of it, but she sure thinks she’s a big girl! It’s hard to get her off sometimes!
-We have figured out the secret of ketchup. Ireland won’t take a bite of dinner, but if we put some ketchup on the side, viola! She loves it!
-Ireland loves wipies. The bad thing is she will ask for a wipie while she’s getting her diaper changed & then try to wipe herself with it. And then she wants to keep it.
-Ireland has been screaming a lot lately. High pitched loud screams. We are working on trying to get her to use her inside voice.
-Some of Ireland’s favorite sayings this month: “What happened?” “Stop it!” “Sydney/McKinley/Daddy/Mommy Where are you?”
-Ireland has been pretty fanatical about her blanket this month. She always wants it in her sight and if it’s in her crib, she will pull and pull till she gets it out.
- Ireland has started this thing where she fake cries when McKinley is really crying. Then McKinley gets really mad and says “Ireland stop crying. I’m crying!”
-Ireland’s 18 month appt went well. She’s in about the 16th percentile for weight and 75th for height.