Christmas Pictures!

On Sunday we went and had our Family Portraits taken for Christmas plus some more of Brennan who is now 10 monthes old! Wow time flies! This photo session wasn't as outstanding as previous for several reasons. First they only had one photographer working with us, before they have always had two. This would have been fine except Brennan is decidedly more mobile than before. He was crawling everywhere but where we wanted him. So halfway through he just got plain frustrated with the entire situation and spent the later half of the appointment dissolved into tears. My poor sweet little boy - he needed his nap a little early that day. Still the majority of the pictures turned out cute. I am only putting a couple on here right now - we are mailing out our main family picture to family with our Christmas cards and I don't want to spoil the reveal.

My New Endeavor

I'm very excited about a new opportunity I am just beginning to explore. I am in the process of becoming a Representative for Demarle at Home. They are the makers of Silpat, but they make much much more! What is great is you can choose how much you want to work. This is just going to be a side job for me as I love love love my "normal" job at W.B.! But I get to present their product at house parties they call a Rendez-Vous. And since I have started this I have been experimenting a lot in the kitchen! Scott & Jesse are not complaining! I put in a picture of a rice crispy wreath I made. Can you believe I didn't have to grease the pan at all! It just fell right out of the mold when I flipped it over! Anywho, there are so many things you can do and I'm a bit addicted. If anyone wants a first had look just let me know. Better yet, if you want to host a Rendez-Vous you can get stuff for free! At our Rendez-Vous we ended up ordering well over $200 in free products! My kitchen is very very happy! Well, now that I have shared my over enthusiasm with everyone, I'm going to go put Brennan to bed!

Just a little rant.

So I need to get a little peeve off my chest. It is completely random & not at all what I normally write about on this blog. Anywho, I was watching the Brandon Heath music video for "Give Me Your Eyes" - a song which I love! Good video. Well, on youtube (which is where I was watching it) there is the area below where people can write comments. I'm not a big public comment reader or writer but this one caught my eye. It was basically a short rant about how it is a great and meaningful song but the video sucks for one reason...



There is only one person of color in the video, the rest are spoiled upper middle class white people. They went on about they don't care about these people with their cell phones and ipods in an airport terminal. Why don't they make a video about something that mattered.



I got annoyed! Okay, hear me out. I think that the worst thing you can do is judge someone by the color of their skin! Trust me, I am very far from racist! The comment struck a nerve because in getting annoyed at all the "white people" they were in fact judging for color. Here is my beef. Don't descriminate due to color, class, speech, etc. It doesn't matter whether it is a minority or a majority. People are people, treat them as such! It doesn't matter whether they own an ipod and travel for pleasure or if they only have an AM radio and have never left their city limits. I am in a majority. My parents are both caucasion, I live in a suburb & I like meatloaf. This does not mean that I matter any less. Anywho, that is my little rant. I don't mean to offend anyone.

Here is the link if you want to watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OihvG607W-c

Halloween

Brennan experienced his 1st Halloween Friday night. I can't say it was a momentous occasion. We didn't trick or treat (he can't have candy!) and he was in bed by 8:30pm. Woo hoo! Late Night! We did dress him up in a pumkin sleeper and painted his cheeks and nose. After a round of pictures we went to see G.G. & Auntie Joey. I guess you could call it trick or treating - he did get treats (clothing, socks, & a singing dog!). That was the extent of our evening. We went home and helped Nana hand out candy. Brennan loves the front door, at least when it is open & it was open a lot!

Picture

There really is nothing new on the home front. All three of us have colds, horrible icky colds! Brennan is a boy & hates having his nose wiped. So everyone is tired & grumpy. Woohoo! I just thought I would share a recent photo. This is Brennan having a wonderful time with his G.G.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we took Brennan to his first pumpkin patch. We were so excited! We took his car to push him around in & there was going to be a free petting zoo. I bought disinfectant wipes just so Brennan could pet a goat!

Well when we got there it was more like a pumpkin yard rather than a pumpkin patch. They had brought all the pumpkins in to large grass area for you to peck through & find the perfect one. Not what I expected, but it did make for some great photos! They also had really good pumpkins. It didn't take long to pick a couple out. You could of just closed your eyes and pointed & found the perfect pumpkin.

They had many other things to do their - but you had to pay to do them. They had a hay ride (I could just see Brennan trying to eat the hay for the entire 20 minute ride.) They had a hay maze - which can be quite fun (my cousins made a small one in their hay loft when we were younger) - but once again not for a 9 month old. They also had a large corn maze. I'm just not into paying money to wander in a field - at least not at the moment. So we skipped those this year.

Now the petting zoo wasn't really a petting zoo, it was a gawking zoo. They had the animals in thier pens behind a fence so you stand and look at the farm animals. Not really what I expected. They did have pony rides, but I wouldn't let Brennan near that. Ponies are EVIL! I know from experience. My pony, Susie, was quite heinous & I refuse to expose Brennan.

All in all it was a good outing, a lot shorter than I intended it to be, but still good. We got 2 pumpkins, one to carve & one to paint (it's Brennan sized!). I got my photos & Brennan enjoyed rolling around in his car. In fact the only time he got upset was when we stopped moving - he wanted to drive!

Unwanted House Guest...

I believe that is the best way to describe it - an unwanted house guest. We finally got them to vacate yesterday afternoon and it only took a sheetrock knife, a drill, some tin snips and a hired expert named Jim. The damage has been repaired and we are none the worse for wear. Curious yet?

We had a bird stuck in the exhaust vent for our stove. And it was a pretty big bird. Apparently they did not put bird screen on our exterior vents when they built our house. So the bird thought it found a nice warm place to nest until it fell into the deep, dark, and narrow pit that is our vent. It was involuntarily taking up residence in the wall behind our microwave. They couldn't get to it from the outside and the hole into the vent behind the microwave was way to small to get at it as well. They ended up having to cut a hole through our wall and vent duct to remove him. But after a couple hours of work he came out shaken up but alive. We then had a bird screen put in over the exterior exhaust & they will be back this week to further bird proof our other exterior vents.

What made this all the more "exciting" is that my mother is terrified of birds. She refused to go in the kitchen for the day and half it was stuck in there. She almost had a heartattack when a dish in the microwave popped!

Just thought I would share our little adventure. Word of advice - check to make sure your house has the simple mesh bird screens on your exterior vents, it is worth the trouble!

Video

As promised, here is a very short video of Brennan's very first attempts at crawling. Enjoy!

I know, I know, I know.

I haven't posted in a while - I've been really busy. I can't really say what I've been busy with, life in general is the best way to put it. Brennan was sick for bit - that was no fun! We did some routine deep cleaning of the house which can eat up a lot of time. We got a few more plants in the side yard, our attempt to make sure half of our dirt doesn't wash down the hill this winter. We've been trying to take advantage of the last few nice days to take walks and work outside. My sister came into town, so we got to see the kids. Brennan was Jackson's shadow! Yeah, so life, it's busy, figure that!

I do still intend to post the video of Brennan's first crawls. I find it highly adorable. He crawls so much better now however he just chooses not to most of the time. He has picked up a lot of speed on his one arm army crawl so when he wants to get somewhere he reverts to that. He has begun pulling himself up, mainly to his knees unless he is real determined to make it to his feet. Last week his fave thing to say was "dadadadadada" and just this week he has moved on to saying "mamamamama", needless to say we are all very happy!

Crawling

I meant to post this last week but I never took the time to sit down and do it. So now, I will share he exciting news - late but still happy! Last Monday - Sept. 15 - was Brennan's 8 month old birthday. If you can remember back a week, it was really hot for this time of year and of course we had packed up the air conditioner. Needless to say, Brennan spent most of the day "nakey" - for those who don't speak baby, that would be nothing but diaper! : ) Well, he has been creeping around the house with great speed for about 3 weeks now a change was triggered on Monday. We think it was because he doesn't like his bare belly rubbing on the carpet, but whatever the trigger the end results are what we care about - he started crawling! He is still pretty slow and you can see the concentration on his face as he goes - but it is so adorable. Since that day he still attempts crawling when he is patient but when he really wants to get somewhere he reverts back to his one armed army crawl! I was able to catch the first crawls on camera but haven't had the oppportunity to upload the video. I will try to get it up sometime today or tomorrow for everyone's viewing pleasure. Wow, my little boy is growing up! So happy and so sad all at the same time.

On All Fours!

Yesterday was Brennan's 8 month old birthday. So to celebrate the occasion he started crawling!!! He had been scooching around on his belly for a couple weeks now and has become very fast. we were actually thinking he may not "crawl" since he was already so good at getting around - he may just skip that step and go on to pulling himself up and then move on to walking. But yesterday he proved us wrong. We don't know what prompted it. He was a "nakey" boy most of the day because it was sooo hot. Maybe he didn't like his belly rubbing on the carpet. The cause really does not matter however.; all that does matter is that my little boy is growing up.

Bye Bye Baby Girl!

We have come to conclusion with our on going cat problem. She is leaving town on Sunday to go live with Scott's parents or another relative down there. They all love cats so we know she will have a good home. We came to this decision after her behavior escalated to an extreme. She started using the corner of my brother's bathroom as a litter box as well as areas of his bedroom. We do not know if she jsut doesn't like Jesse - I think it is something else. Ivy hates Brennan - she disdains him. When you look back at when her problems started showing up, it wasn't when we moved, it was when Brennan started creeping forward. He is really picking up speed now and tries to follow Ivy all over the house. It seems like as he gets more mobile, Ivy gets more "evil." To top it all off - my mother witnessed Ivy hissing at Brennan yesterday. I am very scared to see what she will do once Brennan catches her. She has never been fond of any young children, friends, family, whatever. I was hoping she would adjust to Brennan but I see now that that will never happen. So away she goes to another home with NO KIDS! I must admit I really won't miss her. Now I don't mean to sound callus, I already miss the perfect playful cat she used to be but I haven't seen that cat for many monthes. Priscilla the Hun, a.k.a. Souless Void, I won't miss at all!

Connection!

Everyone in our household is getting very excited! We are getting internet tomorrow!!! We will finally be connected to the outside world and let me tell you, it couldn't happen soon enough. Scott has been going stark raving mad. He doesn't like not being able to find the answers. If something is bugging him and just won't leave his thoughts he likes to pop on-line and find the answer & the sooner the better for everyone involved!

Another aspect to our excitement... we just got a new iMac. Yes we have converted over - finally! But now we have a system that can do everything I want it to do, not just kinda sorta what I want it to do. I am just starting to compile all of our pics & video of Brennan to make a dvd out of. I have Malia to thank for my computer enlightenment. Thank You!!! The downside to having a Mac right now - I have worked with PCs for so long that I feel completely out of my element. We will get used to it though - most of us in our household *wink wink* have a quick learning curve.

Stupid Cat!!!

I just need to vent - so this post will not be very eloquent. Our cat Ivy, who I have renamed Souless Void, has started leaving us "presents" of the litterbox variety. She started in Brennan's room - which made me see 27 different shades of red. Then today she started in Jesse's room. We have no clue why she is doing this now of all times. I have an e-mail into our vet for advice. But is she doesn't change her behavior, and change it soon, we will have to persue another course of action - a petless household if need be. I'm sorry - but I REFUSE to let Brennan creep/crawl around and inadvertently come across another "present." Know him, he would think it was edible. ICK! ICK! ICK!

Routine

So there are no new developments in our lives. It seems to just be the same old routine. That may sound like a negative comment but it really is not meant to be. It can be absolutely wonderful not doing anything big and exciting, not having any new developments. I greatly enjoy living the routine and relaxing in it. There is something utterly soothing about knowing exactly what the next day will bring. So, we, the McAtees, are busy sleeping, eating, working, playing on the floor, reading, changing diapers, and discovering the joys of Brennan's addiction to YoBaby. Here is hoping every is blessed with such fulfilling agenda!

Red Knees!

I know, I know, odd title. But in this case I do believe it fits. Last night Brennan decided he wanted to be more mobile. August 26, 2008 marks his first attempts at crawling. He only got a little way before he did a belly flop on the floor and creeped - but the effort was there. What was he trying to get to you ask, not me, not a toy, not even the cat, but my cell phone. He loves it. We even removed the battery & sanitized one of our old cell phones and gave it him to play with but it was a no go. He loves my cell phone! Anywho, we kept trying to get him to do it over and over again until he was just plain tuckered out. ("Tuckered out something fierce" as Scott would say in Firefly-ese.) Okay, I'm rambling. Back to the topic. By the end of the night we had tried for so many repeat performances that Brennan refused to be on the floor for another second & was only happy being held. So Brennan Boo went to bed with very red knees - from the carpet of course!

Bleh.

Life has not been too exciting lately. I mean, it is hard to be all perky and what not when you are literally melting from crazy heat. Next year air conditioning!!! Yay! Anywho, we have gone from barely moving as to not exert any energy leading to heat to getting sick. Ick! My Mother isn't feeling to hot, Brennan is a bit cranky with a dribbly nose, and I am aching all over. Time to go home and crawl in bed... if Brennan allows. So the only ones not suffering are Scott & Jesse. Now if they could figure out how to cook dinner & keep house... at the same time. : )

Ocean View!

This Sunday we had a little mini vacation. We went to the beach for the whole day. When I say we went to the beach - it means - we went to JUST the beach & spent all the day there. There was no browsing in nonsensical knick knack shops and eating at random restaurants just because they are there. We packed a cooler, blankets, extra clothing, the Frisbees, kites, and a shovel and made a day of it. We chose to go to Tierra Del Mar (just north of Pacific City) so we could drive out on to the beach and not have to haul our gear down from the parking lot. We also had the added advantage of using the truck as a wind break and putting Brennan down for his nap in his car seat.
Yes, so this was Brennan's first trip to the beach... first view of the ocean. By the end of the day we had come to several conclusions. 1) It is only infants and toddlers who find sand to be a delicacy. Brennan was a fan of the grit! 2) The ocean must be God's lullaby! Brennan spent most of the day in a relaxed daze. We were walking with our feet in the water for hours (it was a beautiful day at the beach!) and he was in limp noodle land. 3) The most exhausting day is the day in which you do nothing but relax and take in the scene. By yesterday evening we were all bumps on a log! Now can I have a weekend to recover from our weekend?

I'm Too Young for a Heart Attack!

So my sweet and adorable son tried to give me heart palipitions yesterday and he didn't feel too good either! Keep in mind that I am ALWAYS very careful. The one time I let my guard down this happens. What is "this" you ask? Well, Brennan fell off of our bed yesterday. I was getting ready for dinner last night and Brennan was on our bed. I was right there watching him the entire time. BUT - there is always a "but" - I turned around for one second, less than a second -a fraction of a second, to hang up a dress when I hear and feel a loud thud. My first thought is Jesse got home and as always has no clue how to shut a door like a normal person - love ya Brother! But I whip around anyway and there is no more Brennan on the bed - he is no where and there is no noise. This is where my heart stopped beating! He had rolled off the opposite side of the bed and landed on his belly. He didn't begin screaming bloody murder until he saw me. Then he was unconsolable for 5-10 minutes. I checked him everywhere and everything seemed to be fine. I don't think he bonked his head hard enough for a concussion because he was focusing okay. However, we did keep an extra close eye on him the rest of the night. Needless to say, I will now die 10 years earlier than scheduled, those years have been shaved off my life. Brennan seems to have recovered fully and is once again without fear. I, however, still hold him a little to tight and will probably continue as such for quite awhile.

Da, Da, Da-Dum

So for the multitude of people who do not know this (and odds are for them not actually reading this blog anyway!) it is our 3rd Anniversary. It does not seem like it has been 3 years - but it has - the numbers don't lie! I always scoffed at people when they told me that time flys by - "don't blink" as Kenney Chesney so aptly puts it. I mean come on, everyone remembers when summers seemed like years in themselves and a single snowy day was a long vacation. Time is slow... not fast. Well I admit when I am wrong (it doesn't happen very often because lets face it - I like being right!) but time flys! 3 years ago Scott & I were barefoot in the sand exchanging vows. Now it is all religated to memory. I mean we do celeberate each year but it will never be anything as simply elegant as that day. This year we will be going to dinner sans Brennan. Where would we choose to spend such a auspicous occasion? Gustaf's. Why? Because we like the food but more importantly - we have a gift card. So we will eat Speatzl (did I spell that right???) Schnitzel, fondo, and drink white wine and toast another year of not going mentally insane! Salute!

Oh! one funny thing about my wedding day just popped into my head. I did not walk to the alter to the Bridal Chorus like most. We didn't have music - we were outside. So my dad started humming the Bridal Chorus - wait let me rephrase - tried humming the Bridal Chorus. He just couldn't quite get it right. On my wedding day I walked up to the alter to my dad humming - Hail To The Chief!

Welcome...

Welcome to the McAtee Blog! Just a quick forewarning to everyone - I am very very new at this. I do not even know how long I will be able to keep this up. This may be just one of those great ideas of mine that sounds flawless and fun but just ends up being time consuming and on the back burner. Our wonderful new family blog may end up on my to do list that includes, but is not limited to, washing the exterior or our windows, cleaning the dryer vent, and color coordinating our clothes hangers - all good things but I must admit will never actually happen anytime this year or next or next, etc.

But for now I will be trying to keep ya'll up to date on our - shall I say predictable? - lives. Welcome & wish me luck!