Grandpa

Hey Everyone! We had a small family reunion last week and had so much fun! My grandpa's main goal was to get a picture with him and all 9 of his great-grandkids. It was CRAZY!! Here are a couple of the pics...

Zach graduated from Kindergarten tonight. I CAN'T believe. Eleanor is almost 2 and my world seems to be going way to fast right before my eyes. The graduation was precious. They sang Throne of God-- and then recited this monologue from Priscilla Shirer. The "told it! and it was UNbelievable that 5 and 6 year olds could not only remember this, but deliver it so beautifully! It rocked my world.

He is the First and Last,
The Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.
He always was,
He always is, and He always will be...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!

He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!

The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him,
and The leaders can't ignore Him.

Herod couldn't kill Him,
The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him,
and The people couldn't hold Him!

Nero couldn't crush Him,
Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him,
and Oprah can't explain Him away!
He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.

His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging,
and His mind is on me.

He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and
He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and
He rules my life!

I serve Him because
His bond is love,
His burden is light,
and His goal for me is abundant life.

I follow Him because
He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful,
the ancient of days,
the ruler of rulers,
the leader of leaders,
the overseer of the overcomers,
and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you,
try this on for size.

His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me,
never forsake me,
never mislead me,
never forget me,
never overlook me,
and never cancel my appointment in His
appointment book!

When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!

When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!

When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody everywhere, every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful.
I am His, and He is mine!
My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...

He said it and that settles it.
God is in control,
I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!

Eleanor's 1 year pictures

I took Eleanor's one year pictures this week. I took the inside shots a few days ago and took the outside shots last night. MANY thanks To Gram and Papa for all the faces, silly noises and dance moves that they did while trying desperately not to get in the picture. She really is a tough audience. She really smiles and laughs all the time, but when the lens comes out, she is stoic.

I am completely ignoring the fact that she is 14 months old, dressing her in the clothes she wore all summer. Some may call it ridiculous, or even denial. I just call it busy.
In the past few weeks, she has fallen in love with baby signs, she signs "please", "milk", cookie, apple, more, eat, new diaper, and her all time favorite, "book." She has started climbing on things and showing her "personality"...it is really cute.

I find it funny to think that when I do pictures for people, I can give them advice and tell them - hands down- which picture is the better one, or whatever. With my boys, I just close the few that looked ok... She has given me many favorites and I am stumped on the ones that are better and what to do with them!

GO HOGS!!

Go Hogs! TRY to not get killed by Texas.

Beach Pictures

Here are my favorite pics from our last trip to Gulf Shores---in June. :) We went with my sister Jamie and so Eleanor is in some pics with her cousin Eva...they are two weeks apart.

The Z's lost tooth

I love my Z. He is so loving, so tender-hearted, so kind. He is also very tenacious...maybe even competitive. Ever since C4 lost his first tooth, Z has wanted to do the same. A couple of weeks ago, he bit on a hard piece of plastic and said, "wow, I think I have a loose tooth." The hand entered the mouth and he proceeded to wiggle it. TEN hours later, the tooth was pulled.
I did not have time to prepare... I didn't get a pre-hole picture, I didn't get to make him a tooth-fairy pillow.
Ironically, he had the same response as Charlie. HORRIFIED at first, then he thought the blood was cool. He was proud.

the UH-OHHH game

Little E has learned this new game. She drops something...anything...and looks up at you with a very dramatic expression and says, "UH-ohhh." For instance, she throws her sippy across the kitchen after EVERY sip. It was so very cute---the first week.

The Z came running in last night with a horrified look on his face. He says, "Mom, I really didn't mean to, but I peed on her head." WWHHHAAAT?!
E's baby doll, she threw it into potty while I was going pee....I tried, but I couldn't stop and I peed on the baby's head.

uh-ooohhh.

so pretty!

My sweet baby is one year old. I can not even begin to express my emotions. Where did it go?

I will write on that soon, as I AM going to blog again. I also have to blog her bday party...which is already such a wonderful memory to me.

But until then, here is my beautiful, sweet mess!

I was doing some work in the kitchen and little Miss E disappeared and was VERY quiet. I heard the boys in our bathroom taking a shower and cutting up, so I figured she was in there hanging out with them. Was I wrong!
She came out looking like this:




She had"made up" her face...lips, eyes, nose, hair...along with our carpet, several diapers, and our bathroom rug. She ATE the evidence before she came to see me.
She was SO proud of herself.


...Oh so pleased!



Mobile kids...overrated.

1000

C4 had a project to do at school. He procrastinated starting it for a long time. While our ENTIRE family had the flu (LittleE had both flu and RSV) and were quarantined for two full weeks, I thought it was a perfect time to work on it. You see, little boys feel better WAY before they are better. Both boys had 105 fever for a couple days and were miserable, so once it dropped down to 101, they felt great and were bouncing off the walls. We played, did puzzles, legos and everything else. I finally called his teacher and begged for school work. This is the project she sent home...to START on. Well, once he got started, he LOVED it and finished in in about 4 hours over a 2 day period. On a long roll of addition tape, he wrote from 1 to 1000. He did it perfectly~except at first, he wrote his 2's backwards occasionally. Once he wrote his 200's, he had fixed his problem. He was excited because it went all the way through the house.

Meet my new friend...

This was the FUNNIEST thing. Little Miss E found herself in the mirror. She was amazed, humored, and VERY sociable. She checked herself out from head to toe, talked to herself, and then proceeded to give sugar. It was the sweetest moment to watch her. This was on February 28th, so she had just turned 7 months. At 7 months, she is sitting up, and standing while holding on to stuff. She shrieks and squeals and is very outgoing. I hope this is how she will always be because she is a joy.


Hi...have you met my friend here?


Wow-she looks like me.


Boo! Want some sugar?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.





The boys decided that they wanted to make Valentine's like that for their friends, so I made a blank slate and taught them how to make a card. C4 made his own polka-dots, the Z filled in his own stripes. They picked their own pictures (I set that up) and then they typed their own message, requesting help with spelling. We made them 2"x4" and taped them to a box of candy hearts. They LOVED them. They could not wait to give them to each of their friends, they were so excited. I loved that they each chose pictures of himself laughing and that they also made it from little E, aka "big stuff."




We were all ready for the party, we had even gotten decorations for school, etc. We weren't even running around crazy! The Z starts to not feel well yesterday, he has a cough and so he stays home so he won't miss the party today. Not only does Z have to miss it, they sent C4 home sick before the party, too. They were so sick, they didn't even care about missing it. They were sad, however, about not being able to pass out their valentines. By the time we got to the doctor at 2 pm, BOTH boys had 105 fever (ok, C4 was 104.9) and were diagnosed with the flu. UNBELIEVABLE. Happy Valentine's Day.

By the way, I think the Z needs a haircut. Their was a lady from the DEEP country in the waiting room with us. Z looked really bad and was all nappy headed. He staggered by this lady to get a drink of water. The lady said, "wow, SHE looks really sick." I try to nicely correct her and say, "uummm, yes, HE is feeling bad." But she corrected me. She nodded over to C4 and said, "no, not HIM" and then nodded over to Z and said, "HER." I pulled Z into my lap and whispered "I think it's time for a haircut." Happy Valentine's Day.

I just read this and noticed errors all the way through--I'm too tired, too frazzled, and WAY too over it to care. Truly, I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day.

(Let the record show that along with our motrin and soup that we had for dinner, we DID fondue with chocolate and strawberries. I tried to make it special.)

WOW!

Look who captivated me last night! I was playing with my new white backdrop and asked them to be models. These guys are my favorite subject in the whole world. Could they love her any more??

I am going to HAVE to frame this one. You tell me, which is your fav?


My boys are getting so big... it is so surreal at how long the days are, but how quickly the years pass by.




I could REALLY eat her up. Have I mentioned that I IMMENSELY enjoy having a girl?



Side note-- Speaking of swear: at school the other day, C4 solemnly had a prayer request. He wanted all his friends to pray for his mom, because she SWEARS. (when I say, "I swear.") Love it!

You're never too old. . .

. . . to do something estupido. This is C3. Last Saturday I got a chance to do some odd jobs around the house. Number one was repairing a Razor scooter that got backed over and was damaged, presumed dead. By the time I had transformed into handyman fixit mode, we had already replaced it (not unreasonable since it was Yukon vs. Razor), but after closer inspection, I had a feeling that maybe I could still make it work. So I got out me hammer and started swinging away. In no time at all, I had straightened out the front wheel and it worked! No wobble or anything!

So then I started scooting with the boys. I used my "new" scooter since it was resurrected and could ignore the fact that I exceed the weight limit by about 40 pounds. I always feel bad for taking a few turns with their scooters and running the risk of breaking it but now I have one that was previously deceased. Just a little bit of scooting, up and down our driveway which has a fair slope but is not too steep. I began playing chase and race and even handed out a few reckless driving tickets during traffic stops with the boys, "I'll need to see your license sir." We graduated to different leg positions during the downhill runs: leg forward, backward, sideways, even hooked up front around the post for 'leg across'. So I'm feeling kinda full of myself and decide to head down the steeper side drive and do a little jump. Not a big one off the 2 and 1/2 foot drop-that would be crazy-but just about 6 inches or so with a bunnyhop so I can clear the back wheel. Witness the results:




It's MUCH worse than it looks. What you can't see is the 2nd scrape above my kneecap. During the crash, I remember thinking "I hope I make it to the grass." After 2 concrete hits, I made it to the grass. I tore my jeans over the left knee, at the left pocket near the grine, and scraped my belt in 4 places-metal and leather. No other trauma except the 2 sets of deep gouges at the palm and 2 scrapes on my knee. And pain, no scrapes, to the right knee that made it hard to stand and walk. Oh yeah, and the severe bruising to my pride, made worse by my neighbor witnessing the whole thing and (classically) calling out, "are you ok? Looks like that hurt." or something like that. He at least had the decency not to laugh out loud.

So, inspired by Ralphie and my own boys, I worked up a few tears and went in to see Momma. Ok, actually she is my wife but she makes some great hot chocolate and is great at comforting. And I was needing some comfort (if you know what I mean.) Her response, "did you forget that you're almost 40?" was followed soon after with laughter and a reminder to "buck up" as we had a birthday party to attend that afternoon, a kiddie birthday party at a roller skating rink. A ROLLER SKATING RINK. Very high chance of falling down trauma which might make crash #3 where #1 was a slip on the ice the day before. Fortuantely no falls at the rink but I did discover some severely degraded balance. Or maybe it was the skates. As an added bonus the next day scab juice oozed through my church pants, but just a little bit.

Here is a bonus pic of those in the house who enjoy sweet potatoes or possibly carrots followed with a club cracker. 1st tooth has now come through at the bottom.

Zach and I played in the snow

this is charlie. me and zach played in the snow. we had fun. we playd with doc, we playd with snow bolls, we slid down the slide, and we drunk hot choklit. it was cold owt side.

Me and My Dad

Hi--guess who?! Thanks to all the faithful readers out there who daily check this to see if there are new posts. C3 came home from work and told me he was being harassed and that I HAD to post today. Life is so busy, boys are great, I am doing some pictures still (look at www.stacymcclainphotography.com in "sessions" to prove I have stayed busy! :) Most importantly, little Miss E is SIX MONTHS OLD! (in 3 days) I plan to do a big photo shoot of her this week, but last week C3 was off and I had the studio set up for a shoot so we did a quick "me and my dad" shoot since he won't be around this week. It was very fun. He is her favorite thing in the WHOLE world. Their worlds revolve around each other...it is so amazing to see. so--here it is, a few pics with dad.

She is up on her hands trying hard to get places. She usually just rolls over, but surprises herself sometimes and scoots. The other day, she was on a shaggy rug and by grabbing pieces, pulled herself about 18 inches to her Daddy. She was very proud.


The famous boody shot...I have never gotten one on any of my kids, and have taken many for others. I forgot for her newborn shots, so I was glad to remember.


She loves being in her Daddy's arms...and could stay here all day.


See my feet?? This is a favorite, she loves her feet. They are often in her mouth, but she was really interested in all the lights.


lots of kisses...back and forth


Playing footsies...(her hands are ALWAYS in her mouth)



She is fearless! She loves to rough-house with C3 and the boys. She sits up in his hands, loves to "fly" and hang upside down. This would freak me out, but C3 did the same with the boys and they turned out fine. (I think)



I PROMISE to post again very soon--I am hoping to get some really cool shots for her 6 month shoot. Again, thanks for reading!

First Friends, Best Friends

I got to see A, one of my dearest friends, yesterday. These are pics of Awith E and K, and her three kids, A, S, and K.

We were friends when we lived in Little Rock--there were three of us who were very close (A, J and myself). Through God's grace and a LOT of crazy things that life has thrown each of us in the past 7 years, we have become closer and closer. The three of us became even closer (via daily phone conversations) when C and I moved to Nashville and then on to B'ville. A's now lives in Texas, J's family is north of LR, and it seems no matter where we move, life draws us closer together. A's little girl, A and C were born 3 weeks apart, so we experienced everything together- from nausea to post-partum. Z and S are 8 months apart, J's baby, M, came along soon after them and we were able to experience pregnancy again with her. Then our third babies, E and K, were born 6 weeks apart.
Since we still talk all the time, it feels like there is really no need to get together to catch up--we stay caught up. BUT, J had never met K and A and I had never met each other's babies. A's family was in LR for the weekend and my precious friend, J, tried and tried to get everyone together. With three families and so many busy schedules, it didn't look so easy. In the end, we were able to meet up, but then J couldn't come! I really missed all three of us being together. However, as I said earlier, it doesn't take a lunch date to keep friends close. It takes being there for one another during the junk that life throws at you from day to day. SSOOO, this post is dedicated to two of the best friends that I have ever had. It is not often that God gives you a forever friend, drawing you closer with each day. I thank God for each of you. I love you!

little boy jokes

C4 and the Z have learned new jokes...how long has it been since you have heard kindergarten jokes? we can't help but crack up at them cracking up!

Who is Peter Pans worst-smelling friend?
Stinkerbell

Why did Tigger have his head in toilet?
He was looking for Pooh. (get it, poo?)

Why does Batman have his legs crossed?
He had to go to the batroom. (get it, bathroom?)

What does lighting wear under his clothes?
Thunderpants (get it, underpants?) --this is what they say everytime.

here are some pics just for kicks... These are my favorite polka-dotted tights for E.

random thoughts...

This is my favorite outfit of E's. It is her "rhumba" outfit...very fun. See her standing?! She is getting very strong. She is proud of being upright.


During her 3rd month, this is what she is doing (I am documenting this for her scrapbook)...
sleeping 10 hours every night
rolling over occasionally
suck her thumb, religiously
standing up with help
when on her belly, propping herself with her elbows.
laughing out loud
following us with her eyes
initiating games (usually the tongue sticking out game)
making BUBBLES! She is so proud of this.


OK--here is another thought...I went in for a haircut. It had been SEVERAL months and my hair was out of control and stayed in a ponytail. I told Crystal that I needed a new do--one that took off 40 pounds and was sassy and easy. I told her I wanted it right below my shoulders. She said ok--and the for kicks, measured it. She told me it was over 8 inches, so we kicked it up a little bit more to a 10 inch cut and I donated my hair to locks of love. I am really excited about it. I like my haircut, although I have decided that I am not a short hair person. I just don't think it is me...BUT it went to a good cause and I am glad I did it. Funny thing, the next day on Oprah, Hillary Swank cut her hair. She only needed 8 inches! On well, such is life.

Going Going Gone, part 2

E rolled over last night...BOTH WAYS. She was laying on her back and we looked over at her and she had rolled to her tummy and had her arm stuck. So we fixed her upright on her tummy and she immediately rolled over to her back--3 times! I remember watching C4 for HOURS to catch him and she found it fun! Of course she had four other people cheering her on. It was so fun.




She was 3 months , 1 day...I think she is brilliant. BUT I am biased and I realize this. But according to babycenter.com, she shouldn't do it for another 4 weeks. OK, no more boasting. (sshhh, but I am proud of her...)

Going going GONE

C4 lost his first tooth 2 weeks ago today.

He was SO funny about it. He was determined that the dentist was going to pull it, not him. Soooo, we went to the dentist who said that HE needed to keep wiggling it and if it was not out by the next full moon, he would pull it.


He bit into a chip and BAM, it fell out.

It freaked him out for a minute, with all the blood and then he thought it was really cool.

His smile looks SO different. He looks so grown up. I had to hurry up and finish the tooth fairy pillow that I had started making him. It is VERY homegrown, but hey, his mom made it.

He wanted to write the tooth fairy a note. Here is what it said, "Wirs yor casle?" She wrote back on the same piece of paper in teeny tiny writing...My castle is located at the top of tooth mountain at the end of Enamel Lane. Thank you for your tooth, it will be a glorious addition to my castle. Love, tooth fairy. He got a dollar--he was so excited. He found the note a 1:30 am and we had to read it and talk about it.


He has a friend whose family doesn't believe in the tooth fairy or Santa. It makes me sad because if he tells his friends then there is no magic. I have been really thinking hard about what to say and here is what I came up with...I am sad for him because when you DON'T believe, Santa (or TF) can't come to your house anymore and your parents have to do it...but as long as you believe, he will keep coming. What do you think? Does this sound good? I would love input, as I haven't yet had to share it with him.

Eva and Jacob

My sister's family visited this weekend and I got to meet my PRECIOUS new neice Eva. She is 2 weeks younger than Eleanor and without planning it, they have the exact same initials, EBM. We had the most wonderful weekend. Eva is such a beautiful baby and my 2 year old nephew, Jacob, is adorable. He loves his Charlie and Zach and they had a gerat time together. We celebrated Zach's birthday (which is a whole different blog) and also did a photo shoot because I already had my stuff set up. For a Christmas present, we got the girls matching dresses monogrammed with their matching initials. OH MY GOODNESS. Here are my favs...


This is my all time favorite. Look at how much fun Jacob is having! His Daddy was being silly.


Which do you like better? I can't decide.



Jamie thinks they look conjoined inthis one.


I think Eleanor looks scared in this one.


Look at these BEAUTIFUL eyes!



I also took some of my own kids for Christmas, probably for our card...It's DONE!


My FAVORITE is Eleanor up on her elbows. I could eat her up. She is my precious bundle of sweetness.


Merry Christmas early!

Little Miss E at 3 months

Tell me, isn't she sweet?


My favorite pic--I had to play with it.








She smiles, she giggles, she'll steal your heart away! She sleeps well, she's got VERY blue eyes, she still has her hair...for now...she has the boys SO wrapped around her finger...all three of them! she sucks her thumb WHILE she twirls her hair, ALREADY. She LOVES her Daddy...and oh the bows, how we enjoy the bows. ...Did I mention she loves to wear boots?! ok, maybe I love it.

Speedboat to Asia

We took our first family trip this past week (times 2, actually) We went to Branson for 3 days and then on to San Diego for 5 days. Everyone did great and this will be my next blog, I promise. But in the wee hours of the night on the trip to Branson, I heard this from my Charlie:

Mom, we need to go to the Barnes' house. (Why?) We need to borrow their speedboat and drive it down to Florida. We need to put it in the water and drive it to Asia. (That's right, a speedboat to Asia.)
Once we get there I want to find the Garden of Eden. I am going to take a hatchet and chop down the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then, I am gonna hunt for Satan. He's going to be hiding in a snakehole. I am going to shoot him dead with my BB gun. I am going to take 3,000 BBs so that I can be sure to kill him and I am going to kill him. Then there will be no evil and no sin in the world and everyone can go to heaven. Then I can go tell Brother Gary that he doesn't have to preach anymore because everyone is going to heaven.
Z, you need to call Buddy and ask him for a BB gun for your birthday. You also need to ask him for 3000 BBs. (To which Z replied, "I'll only need one.")

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Charlie isn't playing soccer this year, but Zach is. When one of Charlie's friends on the 5 year old team invited him over to kick the ball, he replied, "No thanks, I retired last year.""

A girl named Ellen at the kid's school was praying as they do every morning...Dear Lord, thank you for Charlie and Zach's mom and please help them grow to respect her.

Charlie: "I farfed" (giggle giggle) I farfed again (giggle giggle)
Me: ok, the word is "farted" f-a-r-t-e-d "farted" it's not a nice word and now you know what the real word is, I don't want you saying it. You can say poot, pass gas, toot, whatever...but you can not say fart OR farf.

Zach: "I pooped the 'big kahuna'".

Today when I checked on Charlie in the shower (like I ALWAYS do) to see if he was getting clean he actually told me that he was doing fine and to "go mind your own business." I couldn't believe it. He would have been in SO much trouble if I hadn't been so stunned.

Charlie was in big church with the youth--WE WEREN'T THERE--(our small group meets and there is no child care for kids older than kindergarten.) So, the youth takes care of them in Sunday night church. In the MIDDLE of Brother Gary's sermon (where he had asked a question about losing your passion) Charlie raises him hand to add a comment. Zach Smith, the teenager responsible for Charlie repeatedly had him put him hand down. Mason and Wesley (two other youth) said "Man, don't squelch the spirit!" "Yeah man, don't be a jerk." So Charlie's hand stayed up and Brother Gary called on him..."God made me and all my body parts."

Every day I ask the boys to tell me their 3 favorite things about school and Zach always says, "My favorite part of school was when you picked me up because you are beautiful." LOVE IT.

We were learning about how Jesus healed the sick. We talked about how Charlie used to be very sick. He asked, "Oh yeah. Did I have the coxsackievirus?" "...uuuummmm...no."

For Christmas, Charlie has requested full scuba gear, size 5 slim. If anyone know where Santa could find this, Santa would be most appreciative.

Dedicated to God

Tomorrow is Eleanor's dedication. I am so excited because to Chuck and me, it is a time where we give her to the Lord...to commit to raise her with the Lord's guidance, tons of prayer, in church. My grandmother, Eleanor Fletcher was one of the most Godly women I have ever known...and I pray our little Eleanor grows to have her character and her faith. I hope and pray that she grow to have a tender heart and a loving spirit. I hope she finds Jesus at an early age and allows the Holy Spirit to guide her through her life...

The most special part of it will definitely be when Charles, her Papa, sings a song to her. Here are the lyrics...

Little hands, may they reach
to help the hurting
Little eyes, may they see
only the good in all
Little heart, may it beat
for Your will and no other
Little ears, may they hear
the still small voice of the Lord

CHORUS
Lord keep Your hands upon our little Eleanor
love and guide her, Jesus walk beside her
Lord keep Your hands upon our little baby
Our precious gift from above.

Little feet, may they walk
on the straight and narrow path
Little mouth, may it proclaim,
the goodness of the Lord (to chorus)

BRIDGE
And when she's grown, and we are gone,
we pray Your name she carries on
And by Your will, Oh Lord let it be
that she'll live with us for eternity.

Baby Song
From the album "Zion Sing!"
Words and music by: Melissa Champlion
©1998 All rights reserved

www.soulkeepermusic.com (go to this website to ehar the song if you want)

By the way, I had a lot of fun picking a gown for her to wear. I wanted something long and elegant, Chuck wanted something very simple. I think this dress is both...almost 3 ft long, silk, with only the braid across the front. I am hoping to pass it down to her children. I also love the headband that a lady made to match it (warmingtheheart.com to give credit where it is due...) She made it like she did when her own baby was dedicated...she called it a "crown of flowers" around her head. My special friend Wendy is making her a beautiful pearl bracelet for tomorrow. I will post pictures of it with the pics of the day.

Me and My Girl

Sweet Eleanor...


First Captured Smile (She just started smiling this past weekend--5 1/2 weeks)
It lights up a room!

Charlie in the Spotlight

Talent...



Me and my sis...


So, do you think she looks like me?


Wrestling with Uncle J.



My favorite picture that I took of Zach


Charlie has been a mess since Eleanor was born. He ADORES her. He is sweet, gentle, kind...and if you ask him, above the law. The other day at church, he left the potluck dinner in the fellowship hall BY HIMSELF (HUGE rule broken) and walked accoss the street to the church. He caught my friend Melissa and asked if he could sit with her. No, he didn't know where his mom was. His mom was FRANTIC, that's where she was. I took him into the bathroom and the conversation went like this...

Me: Charlie, I was so worried. You could have been hit by a car, kidnapped, or lost. If any of those happen, I would cry forever. I was so worried about you. You CANNOT go across the street by yourself...

Him: But Mom, GOD was with me...

Me: ...(silence) ... ... ...

In My Daddy's Arms

My favorite place to be...

World's Sleepiest Hog Fan

I'm tired of pre-season hype. Let the games begin.

I'm Big Stuff!

I'm two weeks old!

I went to see my favorite friend--Dr. Moody--today and she told me tht I have gotten BIG! I weigh 8 pounds 4 oz (I was 6 lb 8 oz 2 weeks ago today--that's almost 2 pounds in 2 weeks!) and I have grown 1 1/2 inches! See my chins?

Well, I've been awake for 2 minutes, I'm done.

I LOVE taking a bath--see all my hair? It gets curly when it's wet. Daddy calls it "Papaw hair"

I have been working on holding my head up. I think I'm really big when I do this...

...but hate it when this happens. Hey! Someone help a sister out! My head is out of control!

OK-interview over. Get the camera out of my face!

The Arrival of Eleanor...

Hey everyone!
She's here and following is her story!!


Eleanor was two weeks old yesterday and I can NOT believe it has gone that quickly. I have been intending to write the story of her arrival, but am having a hard time sitting upright in a hard chair for any period of time to do so. BUT Chuck goes back to work tomorrow and who knows what the days will hold after that. SO...I am forcing myself to sit and write. It has been a GODSEND that Chuck has had two weeks off...I have truly needed EVERY day of it, physically and emotionally. He has been King-Daddy with the boys, taking them places and making them feel included and important, especially when I didn't have the strength or energy to do so. I think it would have been really hard on them both if he wasn't at home.

I got a phone call yesterday from my friend named Kim from when I worked (6 years ago) claiming that they were all keeping up through my blog and were wanting to hear the rest of the story and see more pics. Thanks, Kim, for the motivation! Love to everyone at JP!!

So here's the story...Eleanor was scheduled to be induced on Thursday, July 27th and I was going to deliver her VBAC...I had a C-section with Charlie and then delivered Zach without a hitch and Eleanor was supposed to be the same. But my OB had mentioned that he wanted me to come in on Monday, July 23rd instead of Thursday to "strip my membranes"...so I obsessivey packed and got ready for Monday. From what I read, it worked pretty well and I was really excited. However, when I got to the doctor, he told me she was still too high and he couldn't strip my membranes...just to go back to Batesville and wait till Thursday. I was heartbroken. The boys and I were packed for the week, my house was spotless, my mom could keep them, and I was geared for Monday. I was NOT going home. Those of you who know me know that I am a little hard-headed...

So I spent the night with my mom...we went walking over the Arkansas River on the new walking bridge and I jogged a little...ok, about 1/2 mile. I looked ridiculous...my mom's biking shorts, Chuck's hanes t-shirt (skin tight with a hole in the belly) and a little too much bounce in my step.

My water broke at midnight and contractions started immediately--two mintures apart. I called Chuck in Batesville and told him to drive on down, quickly. He hit the road at about 90+ and after being pulled over, made it to LR in a little over an hour. My mom was keeping the boys, my dad came and picked me up and took me to the hospital. I was at a 4 (cm) when I got to the hospital. They got me in a room and started working toward getting me an epidural...I had to have blood drawn to check platelet and liver levels before I got my epidural. Soooo, as soon as that came back, I could get it. At 3 am, they got results and started putting in the epidural. The first one hit a vein, so I got TWO epidurals. At this point, I was READY for an epidural. they wouldn't check me until after I got my epidural...it was a good thing because as soon as I got it, they checked and I was at a 10 and she was right there.

So at this point there was a baby to be delivered next door and they wanted me to wait about 1/2 an hour. This was fine, because I was feeling no pain for the first time all night. I never thought that I could go from a 2 to a 10 with no drugs whatsoever in 3 hours. But I did...I attribute it to my half-marathon training...NOT that I was in shape, but I had previously had to make myself do hard things, focus, and just push through pain...so I really think it helped.

OK--so when it was time to push, things were going great...at about the 7th contraction, the baby's heart rate dropped to 80...so they didn't fool around. They had her out in less than 4 minutes. It was a good thing because when they cut me open, they saw her umbilical cord and lots of blood...my uterus had ruptured from my c-section scar with Charlie. That could be a really bad thing--mortality rates high, rates for a compromised baby higher, rates for hysterectomy really high...none of that happened. They were able to get her out in time, and stop my bleeding in time and everything was fine.

One who knows the Chuck McClain's know that we never do anything without an adventure...

Eleanor Brooks fits right into our family because she came into the world with her own wild adventure.
July 24th, 4:52 am, 6 lb, 12 oz, 19 3/4 inches and a full head of hair!!

Following are pics from the hospital...she is so precious...the boys ADORE her. We do too.


The boys got to be the very first to meet her.

I got to hold her THREE HOURS after she was born. I was fit to be tied and could NOT wait to count toes. By the way, right after she was born, the anesthesiologist claimed, "It's the prettiest boy I have ever seen!" I about came off the table! Those who have seen her room know that we would have been HOSED!


Chuck is smitten by her...he is a so different around her compared to when the boys were born. It melts my heart to see this big man so gentle with her...he can't get enough of her either.

Three of my favorite pics...




A pic of the boys in the "big brother" and "bigger brother" shirts. They were great!...I refused to buy Zach the t-shirt that said "I'm in the middle"...hopefully this gives everyone a very important role!


Zach and "Ellie" (That is his name for her) He is the "big" brother.






Charlie and Eleanor-his name for her...Charlie is the "bigger" brother and he take his job very seriously.




Tomorrow my intentions are posting pics of friends and family that visited...a pic of Aunt Jennie changing her diaper, and pics of coming home...Those are my INTENTIONS...stay tuned.

Welcome, Eleanor Brooks

My sweet sweet baby girl..

Welcome to our home, welcome to our family. We adore you already! You've captured our hearts and rocked our world. We love you so much!



Born Tuesday morning, July 24th...4:52 am
Weighing in at 6 lbs, 12 oz and 19 3/4 inches long...
She is a bundle of preciousness.



I will write and post the ENTIRE story from the hospital in the next day or so...but for now, we are LOVING being at home with her...and for now, pictures in the fruit bowl are fun...



I am having so much fun with her full head of hair!!

Almost here!

My due date for baby Eleanor is August 8th. Because I am delivering her after having a c-section with C4 (I delivered Z, too) they want to induce me around 10 days early...that will be this Thursday. BUT, the dr wants to "strip my membranes" on Monday...so that if she is ready, she will come on her own...If not, it should make Thursday that much easier...hopefully. I am a little nervous because Chuck is working until Thursday...unless she is on her way, but it is up to me to determine if she is...scary!

I am SO much bigger than I was with both boys---it seems my belly sticks out all the way to Egypt! I feel ready...so ready. Yet, I keep having the feeling of "jsut one more day." I have completely cleaned out my closet, the office, pantry, utility closet and under the kitchen sink...since yesterday. I have inputed over 200 addresses in a new address book on my apple AND printed envelopes for announcements...that was a few days ago. This was in addtition to being at VBS 3 hours a day, helping throw a surprise party for over 100, driving to LR on Monday, having meetings and Chuck work the busiest week ever.
I have sewn around 15 burpclothes and a couple blankets, last weekend. I have cooked 13 meals and 2 loaves of banana bread that are organized and frozen...that took only 2 hours (with Chuck's help)...I guess I can't count all the sewing and repainting of rooms that was done back at 20 weeks. I lay down in bed to rest because I am exhausted...but my mind won't stop. My bags have been packed for 3 weeks, in the car since last Sunday. Yet tomorrow, I must get them out, recheck, repack, and reload...just to make sure. I also must clean and make sure everything is spotless...

I feel crazy...do I sound it? So yes, I guess I am ready.

The boys are so ready...but nervous. C asked me if he would still be able to cuddle. Z told me that, "Mom, you are my favorite place to be..." Z also toldme he was praying for pink eyes, since she was a girl...blue OR green would be nice. C wants her to have one of each. Yikes!

I will miss it being just the 2 boys, I will miss chasing her feet around my belly at night or in church, I will miss 6 am zerberts given by the boys while I am still asleep. I can NOT wait to see my feet again...OR touch my feet...or sleep on my belly...or have some resemblance of a lap in which to hold boys on ...but she is the last and I am a bit sad.

So crazy?? yes.

Wish us luck!

In Passing...

Pun intended. We were passing a church marquee late last night. I have always thought they were a little redneck, but can't help but reading them and even enjoy them sometimes.

This one took the cake:

Rest in Peace
Sister Ida

We loved you.

Early Morning News

Chuck came out from the bedroom the other morning before 7:00--he was getting ready for work. This is what he found at the table...Zach, reading the newspaper aloud (funnies section, of course). He was engrossed in his story. He looks up and asks his dad, "Can I have a cup of cappucino?"
Chuck melted. Of COURSE he can have a cappucino. It goes perfectly with Beetle Bailey.

Contentment

Today during naptime, Zach and I were cuddled up. He suddenly got choked up and asked, "Mom, can I keep on having birthdays and adding numbers, but never grow up? I want to be a kid forever." I couldn't believe he was emotional about it, I think I said, "But Zach, by the time you are a grown up, I think you will be ready to be one." He starts to cry and he says, "But I don't ever want to grow up." When I probed deeper, this is what he said: "I really like me just the way I am and I don't want to change. I don't want to get older or bigger, I want to be just like I am forever."

THAT is true contentment.

I remember always wanting to be older than I was--or bigger--or something...until I was a certain age, then I wanted to be younger. (I think it might have been 25??) We still strive to be better than we are, in a different place in life, or just different somehow.

THIS boy is content. He loves his little simple 4 year old life life so much, he does not want to ever change. Why can't we all have the presence of mind to be like that? Today, he is my hero. He taught me more in one sentence than I have learned for quite a long time.

Belly Pics...on black

You may not want to see these...if not, that is fine. But it was very fun to be on the other end of the camera. That NEVER happens, and will not happen again for a long, long time. BUT, I have always wanted pics of my baby-filled belly and have never gotten them. This is my last, so I wanted to try to do it. Chuck was so resistant until it was time to take the pics and then he really had a good time. I LOVED it that he acted so natural and this sweet child will know how much her mom, dad and brothers adored her before she was born. My dear friend Monica took the pictures and did a really good job. She was sweet, fun and I loved how the pictures turned out. Tomorrow I will put up the outside pictures. I have NO idea what I will do with them.

While I long to see my feet again, I will miss feeling her feet kick and move. It is this little secret that I share with just her...the most special part of carrying a child. I know I only have six more weeks of feeling her...and then never again. The thought makes me sad. While I can not wait to meet this sweet baby, I now have to share her with the world.

Baby's Room

Her room is almost finished! I have worked and worked on the baby's room and I am so excited because it is so different than BOY stuff. It is pink and brown...brown walls, a pink ceiling with one wall that is striped. There are 2 chandeliers and 2 sconces and fun little rugs and pillows.


You see that the shelf needs to be hung and she has 18" letters coming that will hang over the dresser, under the shelf. See the little sitting room on the right?



Here is the little room...Chuck and our friend Tim Pitts made her the white shelves in the closet. He is going to sign his name and date it under one of the shelves. I just love the stripes and polka dots on the walls...and the chandelier matches the bigger one in the room...


I made the pad for the seat...it is reversible! one side elegant, one side fun. This took a week because I didn't know what I was doing.




I am so excited. A week ago, the bedding came in and it is just what I wanted--which is good because I decorated this whole room around it.



I sewed the drapes, shower curtain, and seat on the chest. Here is the shower curtain. You'll have to turn your head to the left :)


This is where the chair will sit. It should be ready next week. It is a brown chair with toile piping and the cushion is toile with brown piping...my sister in law Carey gave me that idea. I think it will turn out really fun.



My friend Anna Martin painted her the beauiful painting that I LOVE. I love it that it says "bless this child" on it. It is such an amazing gift and one I will always cherish.


So--here it is. This is what has consumed me for so many weeks...But I am SO glad that I am almost done. I can notimagine sewing that stuff now. Now all we need is a baby. We'll wait a little longer for her.

Last day of School

OK...just 3 blogs and 9 months ago, Zach started school. Here is a picture of his LAST day of school. It makes me want to cry. They grow up so fast. By the way. He is into muscles. He would like for you to notice them.

HOMERUN!!

Charlie is playing tee-ball and it is HILARIOUS! He LOVES playing, loves his outfit, loves his bat, glove, and helmet...he loves all of it. He even likes to play...sort of. He has really good intentions. The first game, he made snow angels...correction: DIRTangels at 2nd base. We have worked through that. He loves to run and slide in the dirt aNYTIME the ball is hit, just to have something to do. He was running from 1st to 2nd the other day and stopped to hug his friend who was playing 2nd. Needless to say, he missed his opportunity to make it to 3rd.

His coach has tried and tried, even said, "Here is an X, stand here" He bent over, fixed it, and said, "NOW it is a star."

This last game was different. (a little)
Charlie hit a home run! It went like this. He hit a good solid hit off the T. It went somewhere past the short stop...he quickly threw it to first and Charlie would have been out, but he over-threw it. Charlie ran to 2nd, just slow enough that they thought that they could FOR SURE get him out. They over threw at 2nd (BADLY) and Charlie made it home. He slid into home plate and stood up, looked at the crowd and gave everyone a double thumbs-up for a LONG TIME. It was precious. It will NEVER happen again quite like that.

He also had a great hit from a pitch AND got to play pitcher, which means that he worked VERY hard to keep the mound clean. We haven't gotten the idea that it is SO important because you field most of the slow balls AND have to know where to throw it. It was short lived, and we were also winning 18-5.

Here is the best part...Charlie got the game ball which means he was MVP for that game. Again, it was priceless.

Excuses...

Hello...

I have taken a vacation from posting and got then got stuck coming back to it. Embarrassing. Actually, the last post was the first day of school...the LAST day of school is in a couple of weeks and I was tempted not to write until then...


I know that there is ABSOLUTELY no excuse for not posting for EIGHT MONTHS. But allow me to try...



>
Her name is Eleanor...she will be born around the first week in August. She is 27 weeks, 2 pounds, over 14 inches long and already she's so loved!

Does that fly?

First day of school...

Here are pics from Zach's first day at school. Where it seemed that Charlie was never quite ready to go, Zach has been ready for a year.

School is uneventful, easy, and fun. He really likes making new friends and has fun with the little projects and songs that they do.

I LOVE the time that we get to spend together. Every moment is precious. It is imperative that we "cuddle up" every day until he falls asleep. He didn't get a nap today, so he was SO tired tonight. He ask that I cuddle him up, since I didn't during the day. I did...then after a while I told him 2 more minutes...to which he replied. "Please cuddle me up forever." You got it little man. How can I EVER say no to that?

He too is learning piano. He now has a lesson of his OWN and has learned around 10 songs. He is most excited about "Old McDonald

This is the funniest pic. He had to go poop and an hour later, we couldn't find him. You see where he was. Priceless.
"

Redneck tooth

One more pic. Know why I took it? Look closely at the front tooth...it was (and still is) turning black. I HAD to take a picture before his smile as I have always known it is gone FOREVER. Once their teeth start falling out, they will never have the same sweet smile. Their sweet little teeth will be replaced with MONSTER chunks of ivory.

HOW in the WORLD did he turn his tooth black? Check this out. Box in the mail--10 inches by 10 inches and 4 ft tall. They are having a BALL crawling in and out of it. Somehow Charlie got it over his head while he was standing up. Hands are pinned by his side, it's dark, and he can hardly breathe. His brother decides to knock him down.

Face down he falls...like a tree in the forest. NOTHING to break his fall to hard wood floors except a thin piece of cardboard. Then he is stuck face down when we hear the muffled cries. We come running and his eyes are rolling back, he can tell us his name, he is sweating all over and the BACK of his head hurts (he hit the front)...we thank the good Lord that he didn't have a brain bleed. But we DO have this nice, redneck tooth.

He is VERY proud of his tooth because how, it is MUCH darker. He can NOT wait for it to fall out. Unfortunately, it's not very loose.

My little poser

See my big muscles?? Their HUGE--because I eat my PROTEIN. (I hear this DAILY! Isn't he cute??)

Kindergarten

ok ok--it has been a week since Charlie started school...and I am JUST now able to talk about it (sniffsniff). He was SO excited that he could NOT stand it! Armed with a big boy backpack (camo, of course) and a Batman alarm clock, he has been quite the student!

Every morning, they get up fill their sticker chart. They make their beds (recommended by Pat), eat breakfast, clear the table, get dressed, brush teeth, wet hair, put on socks and shoes and get backpacks. For each of these, they get a sticker and if they get all their stickers, they get a quarter for the day. This allows for 6 quarters a week (if you do it on Sunday too)...they tithe one and save one and get to spend the rest. It has been great.

Zach exclaimed on the first day at school...CHARLIE--I will miss you, but I WON'T be sad! Then they embraced. It was really sweet.

Charlie loved school SO much that he got up at 5:05 for THREE days! We finally told him he wasn't allowed to get up until the first number said 6.

Charlie is stubborn, but has an incredible teacher. He is really doing well. (This does a worried mama's heart a LOT of good) The 2nd day during story time, he rolled over onto his back and threw his legs up in the air over his head. He said, "I'm an armadillo and I've been hit by a truck. You can call me roadkill."

He has learned to eat with one hand in his lap (WOW!) He has filled out a calendar to 31 and a bunch of other stuff. His friend Ellen LOVES him and pretends to make him salmon at recess every day because it is his favorite. He has the sweetest friends.

He is in a class of THREE! Actually he is in a SCHOOL of THREE! It is amazing...perfect for him. Hmmm...Zach starts tomorrow. I will have to write again soon...

New Website

OK, it's up...

After DAYS of working on it, I have a very primitive, and somewhat finished website up. There are pages not finished, BUT you Can go to "sessions" and see all those pics of jake!

stacymcclainphotography.com

May I present??...

...the latest and greatest of Jake!!

I had the honor of taking pics of Jake last week and LOVED it! He is so precious. I am working of setting up a website, but until then...I will share here!

Piano Man

Charlie has started taking piano lessons. He has taken for about a month...and loves it. He definitely has a gift...same as his dad and sweet aunt Jennie, well really, all the McClains. It was incredible to watch him with his teacher...she says, "Wow...does he come from a family that plays?" Yes, on his DAD's side. "I can tell" she says...Charlie beams with pride.

He LOVES it and is learning so much so fast. This week he learned to play Mary Had a Little Lamb. He learned it with 4 other songs. He learned 2 more than he was supposed to because he really wanted to learn "Old MacDonald" for this next week.

It is exciting to see your kid in something that he was meant to do. We have done soccer, kindermusic, gymnastics...he has does them, even likes them. But had not yet excelled. But this...THIS he loves, THIS he craves, THIS he keeps coming back to so he can play again and again....

Wow.



His wonderful loyal brother spends hours listening to him play, sings along with him, AND counts all the notes. It is precious to hear Zach tap out and say "quarter quarter half-note, whole-note-hold-it."

Little Rock (1/4) marathon

OKOK...another post from MARCH.

The McClains and the Stanfields ran the Little Rock marathon together. We each ran 1/4 of it...and it was a blast.

Here we are at the beginning...


Wendy ran into Mike Huckabee...he used to be her pastor.




Bright eyed at the beginning of the race...


Running hard, going strong...



We ran as fast as we could. You could take a bus from each point to the other, but we thought it would be MUCH more fun if we drove the truck to each point and cheered for each other...and took pics. Each of us has the post-run "I think I am REALLY gonna DIE right now" look.




The finish line. Our time is WAY off because our plan to drive to each check point was blown when they blocked the roads (so we thought) to the 3rd point. Chuck had to run 2 extra miles to reach Brian to tag...Brian had to wait 30 + minutes. It was a mess. NEXT YEAR, we will do it.