The McKinstry Family

Love This Family

2012-01-21T10:30:00.001-08:00

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My FINAL Macey Birthday Post!

2012-01-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

After eating dinner, opening gifts and singing happy birthday to baby Macey, we were off to the cirucs! (poor Landon is already surrounded by clowns!)
The kiddos got cool new toys

And clown noses...and they weren't even scared of the clown!

Sorry this video is super dark. You can still hear the giggles and see the craziness that was the birthday girl this night. Too fun!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday!

2012-01-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby girls getting ready to head to Aunt Brookie's (after Macey watched her "Macy's Thanksgiving Parade they put on for her birthday, of course)

Birthday girl fell asleep on the way there;

dang she's a cutie!

She went from pouting because everybody wasn't ready to sing yet, to slipping into her happy place just by smelling her special cake Aunt Brookie made for her.

Macey turns 4!

2012-01-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolution? Blog ALL the way to the end of 2012 and not stop right around the holidays due to the hustle and bustle!

I snapped a couple pictures of Macey's LAST bath as a 3 year old, and Macey's LAST time going to sleep as a 3 year old. She loved all the attention. :)

And on her birthday morning, she got a special breakfast smoothie and homemade strawberry waffles with 4 candles...and yet another "happy birthday" serenade (she got 3 all together)

Blast From The Past

2011-11-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

We're sitting at Papa's house and came across this video on his computer. I may have posted this a couple of years ago, but it brought us huge smiles watching it today so I thought I'd post it again. Where has the time gone?

School Days

2011-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a post of nothing but pictures of Addalyn before school. They uploaded in a ridiculous order so don't mind the summer attire and the winter attire being all mixed up. A few of them were "Spirit Week" days (school spirit day, western wear day, favorite book character day...). This little diva has too much fun posing for pictures to show off her cuteness. And the best part is, she's got looks AND an amazing desire to learn. She LOVES school.

Giggling Girlies

2011-11-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

These squirrels were being extra squirrely the other night. As always, my camera was near to capture their singing/giggling. :)

Future Tennis Star?

2011-11-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

Remember a few posts back when the girls had a shot at tennis during the Libery Fall Festival? And remember I said that Macey was really interested but missed every ball they tossed at her? My plan was to wait a while before investing in the sport for my little darling, but turns out, she WON an awesome gift package from that day! Tennis racket, balls, t-shirt and 13 weeks of lessons at a country club in Liberty. I cannot tell you how stoked this kid was about winning. I really think she would have been thrilled had she won a piece of gum, but this is her first chance to do something all by herself, without her big sis. Exciting day for all!

PS--as scripted as this video may seem, all I did was ask her to tell me all about what she won. You'd think she wsa reading off a teleprompter!

Precious Princess Pumpkins

2011-11-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

If you ask Mace though, they were "gorgeous pumpkins" for Halloween...
...and I have to agree :)

Preston is NOT impressed with his costume...especially since he doesn't get to reap the rewards the big kids get!

Macey Lee got tired so Uncle Steve came to her rescue! With a baby strapped to his chest and Mace on his shoulders, he gots lots of "awwwwww!'s" from fellow trick-or-treaters.

Time to head home and check out what all that hard work brought them this year!

Pumpkin Painting

2011-10-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well...the girls and I painted...Uncle Steve carved. :)

Addalyn Attempts To Ditch Her Training Wheels

2011-10-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

Helping Papa take of the training wheels

Papa tries helping...

...mommy tries helping

BEFORE VIDEO:

DURING VIDEO:

AFTER VIDEO:

We will keep working on it. :) She definitely has the desire to get out there everyday and give it a shot, but it doesn't help that her bike is too small. She's added a bigger bike to her birthday wish list for next year!

Soccer Star

2011-10-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

Weston Apple Fest

2011-10-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

WORLDS of Fun

2011-10-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, this was also part of our insanely action packed weekend. :) We got to spend the day at WOF as part of the Worth Harley Davidson staff appreciation day. Of course, the first hour or so was filled with tears and screams because of the "scary" guys in costumes doing such frightening things such as dancing to Cupid Shuffle and Single Ladies. Haha! After that though, the kiddos had a blast (well, mine did at least, I think Zan and Sterling got a little bored spending the entire day at Planet Snoopy!)

yes folks, this IS a picture of my daughters with a "mascot" SMILING! this is a huge deal that they are no longer scared (I should write it in their baby books!)

Liberty Fall Fest

2011-10-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

More awesome memories were made at the Liberty Fall Festival last weekend. (we went non-stop last weekend!) We enjoyed a parade, lots of strolling around downtown Liberty, some ice cream and then the little ones tried their hands at tennis. Macey told me a few weeks ago that she wants to start playing tennis (??), but after watching her miss the ball 4 times in a row, I decided I may give her another year or two before investing in that sport!

I can't remember why Macey was pouting here, but boy, can this kid pout! People even stopped to comment on the poor little girl which of course only encourages it. We just took this opportunity to sit with her and take a break from walking until she was done. :)

and here the goofball is thinking she's pretty funny by pretending to be asleep

Plaza Art Fair

2011-10-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

My GIANT babies sharing Preston's stroller

being silly, as usual

creating art of our own (Addalyn took FOREVER to work on her masterpiece!)

the crew enjoying live music, great food and tons of awesome art

The evening was too beautiful to pass up an opportunity to walk around the Plaza with Mel and baby Preston last Friday night, so we went ahead and packed up the crew and headed down to enjoy some art and some fabulous people watching. :)

P is for Preschool...

2011-09-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a sassier 3 year old? I seriously forget that this little girl is only 3 sometimes. These are a few pictures taken on her first day of Preschool (which she loved at the time but now she can't stand it--cries every time I drop her off there, which is only 2 days a week). The video is her taking a phone call from Nana to find out how her first day went. I love how animated she is when she talks, even on the phone. And anybody that asked her about her first day heard the exact same stories about the super fast slide, the spider web and the bicycle. Too precious! :)

K is for Kindergarten...

2011-08-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

...which Addalyn is LOVING so far. She's had couple of rough patches (like a little boy flirting with her, a teacher getting onto her to sit down, not getting to play on the playground at recess because she had on flip flops, and not having enough time to finish her lunch--just a few things, haha!), but she really likes her teacher, and has made a new friend in class that she eats lunch with everyday named Alex (don't worry daddy, she's a girl). On Friday she got a little bit upset because it's mommy's day off work and she really wanted to spend the day with us, but I talked her into going to school to see her friends. These are some pictures of her first day. She wants me to do a slideshow with more pictures and videos, but for those that don't want to have to watch an entire video on the first week of kindergarten, here are a few shots to enjoy. :)

Happiness

2011-08-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing warms my heart more than hearing the giggles of these little friends from the back seat.

Awesome Day At The Pool

2011-08-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Radio Disney was there...which means contests and rockin' music

Look who can go under water now like an ol' pro! (that's Addalyn, hard to tell, huh?) :)

And now, for your viewing pleasure, my swimming, dancing, little cuties. :)

More Soccer Pics

2011-08-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Super. Hot. Practice.

even little tike got hot and had to cool herself off

Addalyn and Emma (Add was shaking the water off like a dog)

It's too hot for hugs, little sis!

Seriously, we do a lot of rehydrating during the hour of practice :)

Sweaty mess!

Baller.

Such hustle!

She shoots. She SCORES!

Soccer Star

2011-08-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

Addalyn was extremely excited to start soccer this week. 2 nights per week she'll have practice or a game and a practice. She did friggin' awesome at practice. She's not the best player yet (obviously), but man she makes me SO proud with her hustle every where she goes, and for paying attention to every single thing the coach says. Awesome job, Addy girl!

Kindergarten Enrollment *sigh

2011-08-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

Addalyn officially became enrolled in Kindergarten this past week. I'd like to pretend that it was a wonderful evening filled with smiles and big hugs, but instead, Addy girl threw another one of her massive fits (that only some of you have been lucky enough to experience). She didn't like the way I fixed her hair, so after ripping her ponytail holder out twice, I decided walking to the school to let off some steam would be a good idea. You can see below that she was just not happy with me in general and especially unhappy that I brought that camera to remember this big day. She opted to walk way ahead of Mace and I. The only thing on Macey's mind though was the fear of there being actual foxes at Fox Hill Elementary School. :)

My plan worked! She was much sweeter by the time we got to her school. :)

And she was suddenly thrilled that I brought the camera and made me take a dozen pictures similar to this one.

Peeking in a classroom to see what this school stuff is all about.

Let Mommy's homework begin too! (holy cow this is a lot of information to take in)

More Preston Pictures

2011-08-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

I have a plethora of random pictures that I wanted to post in case I ever get around to printing this blog. We had an amazing 19 days with Melanie and Preston which made them leaving extra difficult on us. Addalyn cried for Aunt Melmo the first 3 nights after she left, but luckily we've been able to Skype so we can continue to watch the little guy grow.

This sweet baby discovered his toes when he was here! It was so exciting. :)

An early morning cuddle session in my bed

Zan finally has another fella around! Aren't they just the cutest?!?

This is the starting line for backyard races. So entertaining. :)

Baby Preston loved the pool

Quality time with Nana

Quality time with Papa

Such a happy little guy

I love these little munchkins so darn much

I was happy to share my birthday balloons with Mr. Preston. He loved them!

Cousins

2011-08-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

We tried several times to get a good group shot of all the cousins (obviously by "good" I mean everybody looking and happy--clothing and fixed hair were the least of our worries!).

They all lost focus except for Zander who just wanted to get the darn pictures over with

This would be perfect, except that the 8 year old was distracted by the jingling car keys that were supposed to get the baby's attention
Zan sure looks happy with those eyes closed!

Final attempt at a group shot (way to sit like a lady, Mace)
This will have to do!

Macey reading a book to Preston, Sterling and Addalyn (love this!)
Family hug :)

Poor Preston only had PINK options while he was here

Dance-A-Holic

2011-07-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

When there's music playing, I guarantee you that Addalyn is dancing to it. She's a dancing machine! Here are a couple of funny videos (out of like, 30 to choose from) of the girls performing. Such entertainment!

Crown Center Fun

2011-07-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

I love these amazing kiddos so very much! Such great friends they are. And it's so great that as they were able to run and scream and jump through the Crown Center Fountains, I was able to sit with their mama's and enjoy some Panera coffee and discuss life. Could not feel more blessed than I do during evenings like these.

Addalyn's 5th Birthday!

2011-07-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

This beautiful little girl had a wonderful 5th birthday (a month and a half ago--whoops!). She woke up so happy, got to make pancakes and go to the pool at the sitter's that day and then off to Zona for her favorite dinner at Noodles and Company. Then she ran through the fountains and danced to music with her little sis and cousins which was followed by delicious dessert at Yogurtini. I love this amazing little lady more than life itself!

Our Florida Fun (Finally!)

2011-07-02T19:57:00.001-07:00

Addalyn asked me to make a video out of our Florida pictures...little did she know, it would take me a month and a half! Haha! Sorry about that. The first minute and a half is all airplane pictures and videos. You can see that there were tons of ear ache and tummy ache complaints. It was miserable at the time, but the pictures are funny to look back on. We had an amazing week away with my awesome sister, her brand new baby boy and her wonderful husband. 1 week just wasn't long enough!

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My Wonderful Mother's Day

2011-05-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

beautiful little ladies

swinging at the park

My sis and our kiddos

Michael making us dinner...as the poor cows in the background have to watch him grill their relatives!

it was WAY too windy to eat outside...

...so we moved our picnic to the back of the Durango!

Happy Easter, Family and Friends!

2011-04-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to leave for church

Playing with the pup next door to Papa

And a Happy Easter message to Preston Henry Toth, the girls newest cousin!

Easter Egg Fun

2011-04-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Mace was concentrating so hard

She didn't really care for the waiting portion of Easter Egg coloring...

...you'd think this was a form of punishment!

Hard to believe that little one has an ear infection here and the big one has pink eye (not so hard to believe the pink eye thing, Add's left eye is pretty puffy!)

Random Pictures

2011-04-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Macey curled up on Addalyn's lap and fell asleep like this. Sisterly love. Melts my heart!

Testing out a Harley at Nana's work

Poor Mace patiently waiting for mommy to get her hair done at LeAnn's work (she wears those snow boots even when it's 70 degress out!)

This would be the work of Addalyn

And so is this...she figured out the self timer apparently

I can't figure out who took this one...?

This is a picture Addalyn took of a picture she drew of Mommy, Addalyn, Macey, Aunt Melanie and Oliver (the dog) on the beach (that's Aunt Melanie's round pregnant belly with the belly button)

She took this one too. Camera theif.

Random Pics

2011-04-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hanging With The Sash Family

2011-04-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks. I ran away for 4 weeks and haven't updated the blog! I desperately need to buy a cord to I can upload my pictures, but here are the last ones I uploaded. Josh and Analeigh came to town a few weeks ago and we went shopping for baby items and out to dinner together. As always, we had a great time!

Mace wanted a baby in her belly to match the baby in Analeigh's belly (except Analeigh had a 9 pound 5 ounce bundle of joy in there!)

And of course, some entertainment courtesy of the McKinstry girls. :)

Happy First Day Of Spring!

2011-03-21T16:21:00.001-07:00

Look at these babies! This was the first day of spring, 2008.

And here is the first day of spring, 2011. They were so excited--our first flowers of the year!

Addy girl being silly during our "spring cleaning"

Mace helping clean the yard

Pine cones and those annoying dead, flat banana looking things used to cover the lawn...until the McKinstry girls and Papa came to the rescue!

This side of the garage was needing some SERIOUS spring cleaning...

...here's a start! I just need to donate half of that crap (not the bikes, of course!) and it will be good as new. :-)

Snake Saturday Parade

2011-03-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the parade with the Cruce family (and the Storey family shortly thereafter)

Waving at the clowns :0)

Sweet baby Hannah and Janet

Sharing Goldfish with Hannah

McKinstry Sisters!

"them motorcycles are tooooooooo loud!"

The Big Performance

2011-03-14T04:24:00.000-07:00

Here they are, all ready for show time! Aside from the newly ripped lining from Addalyn's skirt hanging down, and Mace hollering between dances "mama, my foots are getting sweaty!!!", the evening went pretty smooth. :-)

So Talented

2011-03-14T04:20:00.000-07:00

The things this girl comes up with! Although, my laughing sure doesn't encourage her to stop.

Chatting With My Mace

2011-03-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

After showering the other night, I was laying on my bed with Mace snuggled up on my chest, and that kid told more stories than she's ever told before. I had Addalyn grab my camera which sometimes slows her down, but not this night. A lot of her stories are about kids at daycare and even though she's hard to understand and her stories carry on about nothing, it's this darn voice of hers that makes me want to record each and every thing she ever says. Too precious.

Tiny Dancers

2011-03-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

Ready to dance

Hands on the hips!

My friend Anna's niece (Lily) was trying to help Mace with her form :-)

Mace was missing her mama so she clung to her sis instead (against her sister's wishes)

Macey actually did the first part of one of her dances with her hands in her pockets...I think I see why 3 is too young for this kind of thing!

Addalyn told me today that when she grows us, she wants to be a dancer, if she loses that job, she wants to be a hair fixer, and if she loses that job, she wants to make bracelets for "you know, like, grown ups, for little girls, and for Barbies and stuff"

I couldn't pick just 1 video, they're all so entertaining. Macey cracks me up! I don't know that she did a single correct dance move at the correct time. And when they were performing for the parents, she ran over to me after each dance for a congratulatory hug and kiss. I think she had a good time, but she certainly doesn't have the love for it like Addalyn does.

First Baskin Robbins Clown Cone

2011-03-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

What kind of a mom would I be if I didn't blog about the girls very first Baskin Robbins Clown Cone?! Oh yeah...a normal one. ;) If you know how much I love ice cream, you know why this was an exciting evening. They loved them!

How many "mommy and the baby" pictures will I have like this? Addalyn loves to nurture and take care of her little sister and Macey loves to be taken care of and babied. They're perfect together!

Macey Sings Her ABC's

2011-03-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

This isn't a milestone or anything, she's known her ABC's for over a year now, but I wanted to share this precious voice with you all. I wish I could bottle her up and keep her like this forever!

Divas

2011-03-04T06:23:00.000-08:00

This is the work of Miss Addy Renee. She picked out these outfits the other night before bed for her and her sis to wear to daycare the next day. She dressed herself and Mace from head to toe.
I've been meaning to do an entire post on Addalyn and some of our conversations, but I keep getting sidetracked, and wouldn't you know it, I've forgotten half of the things I wanted to say! There are a few that I remember and want to remember forever:
Driving to daycare at 7 am the other morning, we passed the middle school that Joey and I went to (as we do every single day) and something dawns on Addalyn. "Hey, mama, if you and daddy went to that school when you were kids, it was a long time ago...so why is it called NEW Mark? Shouldn't it be called OLD Mark?" :-)
A few nights ago Addalyn was helping me make Belgium Waffles for dinner. As she is stirring the batter she turns to me and says, "well, did you have a good day at work today, mom?". She's 4! What 4 year old cares whether or not their mom had a good day at work?!? So sweet.
Last month my dad was over for dinner and we were trying to have a conversation in code so the girls wouldn't know what was being said. It was driving Addalyn crazy not knowing what we were spelling, so Papa and I continued our conversation like this and Addalyn LOVED it! Me: "did you watch the news and see that picture of the F-O-X?" Addalyn: FOX!!! Papa "I missed that, but I saw the C-A-T story." Addalyn: CAT STORY! Me: "Did M-A-C-E-Y finish eating yet?" Addalyn: MACEY! (I think you get the picture, but she thought it was so cool that she could crack our conversation codes. It went on for quite a while. So entertaining!
At the grocery store, Addalyn sees Mountain Dew and says "Mom, you better get some of that before daddy FREAKS out." I can't even describe that grown up tone of voice and body language she uses. It's hysterical. Where's my BABY?!?

Such A Good Sport

2011-02-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

After listening to his cousin beg and plead for 30 minutes, Zander finally caved and allowed Addalyn to polish his finernails. He picked yellow since it wasn't so girly and was finally able to watch his show in peace while Add concentrated on his nails. ;) What a trooper!

Croup Strikes Again

2011-02-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

This sweet girl had the nastiest cough, was crabby and had a fever last week but the doc said it was just viral, nothing we could do. After 3 days of a cough that did nothing but worsen, Mace went back to the doc and was diagnosed with croup again. Poor baby! The doc prescribed 4 days of steroids to help with the inflammation in her throat. Let me just say that she never got that 4th dose. She became a BEAST. Head butted her big sister because she "sceemed at me". She became defiant and argued with everything.
Nana was able to watch her one day last week. Addalyn and I were sitting on the couch when the doorbell rang. Add runs down, opens the door and this was sitting on our front porch. A giant sleeping baby still buckled into her carseat! Addalyn looked around for Nana and shouts "Really, Nana? Really???" Ha!
Side note: She's as healthy and happy as can be now. Thank goodness. No more germs!

American Idol Audition

2011-02-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...American Idol! Addalyn, Macey and I lay in my bed together and watch this show almost every night. (I record it so we only watch it small portions at a time) Add and I always give our "yes" or "no" votes after every performance. So, today she decided to audition while I judged her. She sure has her dramatic reaction down pat! My gosh, I love this girl!

Macey's 3 Year Check Up

2011-02-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

Baby Macey is measuring in the 75% percentile for weight and 90th% for height. What a big girl! And she's right on track with knowing her ABC's, counting to 10 and knowing her colors. The doctor said she was a PERFECT patient. That's my girl! Poor baby had to get 1 shot in her thigh that she obviously cried about. But she did awesome right up until she got it. She laid down willingly and was still smiling and chatting as the nurse wiped her thigh with alcohol. It was hard to watch, but she earned a free ice cream cone for doing so well. And she was cracking me up dancing around and singing "tick tock party rock" while waiting for the doc so she could be "doctored".

Macey Reading/Singing

2011-02-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

I'm bummed that this is so dark, but you can still hear this sweet girls precious voice. I love it so much!

A Weekend of Parties

2011-02-05T14:52:00.001-08:00

Macey and Addalyn at Emma's 5th Birthday PartyJen cutting the adorable Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Emma opening her gifts!

The cousins at Hannah's 2nd birthday party

I can't believe this baby girl is 2!

I guess it takes 3 kiddos to open 1 gift (poor Hannah!)

Macey, Addalyn, Mommy and darling Hannah

My Little Star

2011-02-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Addy Renee before her half-time performance

Best Buds

So proud of this little lady

A surprise visit from Daddy!

Nana and Addalyn

A hug and a rose from the sweet Landon Robert

The Best Way To Make Snowmen

2011-02-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago when I wasn't feeling so hot I was feeling pretty sorry for the girls for being cooped up and not being able to enjoy the snow. So, I decided to bring the snow in to them! They ate some, played some and Addalyn did a "school project" by letting the snow melt overnight to see that snow turns to water. She was pretty proud of herself.

Goofy Girls

2011-02-05T13:57:00.000-08:00

The girls got to enjoy some Naked Juice the other day...and they wore it on their upper lips for the next hour! It was a new flavor with some crazy ingredients (purple carrots, red beets, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, chick peas, cherries and a few other things). It was different...but they liked it and it seems healthy. But next time, I'll probably have them drink it with a straw. ;)

Oh My...

2011-01-25T07:02:00.000-08:00

After several days of feeling like crap, I finally went to the doctor yesterday to find out I have bronchitis. Since the girls have been fighting coughs for a week, I decided to take them in too, just to be sure they didn't have the same thing. The doc said that their chests sounded crystal clear and they just had head colds, but since I can't give them anything to suppress their coughs, the doctor suggested 1 tsp of Benadryl before bed to help with the other symptoms and maybe help them sleep better through the coughing. So, I did just that. 1 tsp before bed...and 20 minutes later, this was the scene in my living room. Macey sound asleep standing up, and Addalyn sound asleep straddling a pillow! At first I panicked and double checked the dosage making sure I didn't accidentally give them 1 TBSP. Nope, 1 tsp is all it took to wipe out these exhausted little gals. How funny! Poor angels.

Pom Clinic

2011-01-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning Addalyn went to her first Pom Clinic. She was so super excited about it, it's all she talked about all week. It was weird leaving my "baby" at a high school by herself for 4 hours (actually Brooke took her and Camryn because I was still feeling sickly...so she actually left them there...haha!). I wasn't sure how she would do when it was time to perform for all the parents, but from what I could see, she did awesome! She was front and center until a bigger kid stood right in front of her. :-( I was trying to get Camryn on film too, but she kept dancing further and further away (she's on the left in the front with the light blue shirt on). Now, Addalyn is REALLY looking forward to her big performance during half time of the Staley High School and Oak Park High School boys basketball game Friday night. Don't worry, I told her to push her way to the front this time so mommy can see her dance. ;)

Sleepover!

2011-01-23T13:11:00.000-08:00

Addalyn, Emma and Macey started their "sleepover party" off downstairs making pictures and cards

Then they got to make their very own shirts!

Emma said "I'll put my name on it but I can't use the iron until I'm REALLY big. Like when I'm 6." :-)

Emma and Addalyn showing off their adorable shirts

Macey's didn't turn out half bad considering her "M" is a "W" and her "Y" is an "X". Haha!
Then the girls got to pick out their nail polish for a little manicure...
...followed by a manicure for ME! Emma actually did pretty good (left hand). Addalyn used half of the bottle. She didn't like my cuticles to be bare. ;)
Washing up so we could make cupcakes!
This was a very messy task (putting the batter into the cupcake tins)

And now it's time to decorate!

More works of art!

And I snapped this to remember what my clean living room looked like......because a short time later it looked like this!

Sweet dreams, pretty girls. We had such a great time!

*Laughter is the best medicine*

Addalyn's Great Idea

2011-01-17T17:36:00.000-08:00

For any of you that have ever been out to eat with Macey or served her a meal, you'll know what I'm talking about here. She has the shortest attention span known to man and can't even finish a meal in under a hour! There are too many other exciting things going on to actually sit and just eat (her baby doll needs to be burped, or she NEEDS to drive her remote control car, or she even sometimes needs to brush her teeth...mid meal!). The other night I told the girls they could have dessert after they both finished eating. Well, 20 minutes after Addalyn finished and patiently waited for Macey to finish so they could have dessert, she had a bright idea. She went and got her jump rope and decided to tie Macey to the chair, forcing her to sit and finish her darn dinner. I snuck around the corner to video their interaction (something that I don't do enough...they talk to each other like little grown ups sometimes, I love it!).

Hannah and AddyMacey

2011-01-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

*3 darling cousins*

dinner with the Storey family

Addalyn holding precious baby Alex

dance party!

Addalyn snapped this action shot of Alex raising his tiny hand :)

Uncle Teve and Aunt Melnie's Visit

2011-01-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

Aunt Mel with a few of her favorite kiddos (her very favorite one is in her belly!

I love Mel and her belly so much! Mom and Brook are jealous of my love. :)

xoxo Love is in the air xoxo

Game night with the girlies

Macey Mouse hangin' with Uncle Teve and Oliver

Christmas Morning

2011-01-17T16:41:00.001-08:00

Putting the reindeer food out so Santa can find our house

"And the stockings were hung by the window with care..."
(I'll have to put nails in the mantel next year!)

Santa ate most of his cookies!

new winter coat :)

still opening presents

And later in the morning...Light Bright's at Gigi's house!

McKinstry Christmas

2011-01-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

Snow Much Fun!

2011-01-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

It took us longer to get bundled up than it took to get too cold and have to come back inside! They sure had fun and looked cute playing in the snow though. A little hot cocoa made it all worth it. ;)

The Reason We Can't Live In An Apartment

2011-01-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

How long do you think it would take before our landlord would evict us with screams like this coming from our place?!? At least they're screams of laughter. ;)

Christmas Party!

2010-12-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Mace wasn't so sure about the upcoming encounter with Santa

So she made Mrs. Claus get up and sat in her chair and managed a fake smile for a picture :-)

Gigi helping Mace with her crafts

Addalyn showing off her donut snowman

And Macey showing off hers!

Mace asked the balloon lady to make her a balloon wagon

Addalyn asked for a candy cane

Cotton Candy!Giant Candy Cane game

Mace was much happier when we left. I love these little angels so much!

Macey Lee is Three!

2010-12-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

A cupcake for my cupcake!

Fancy girls

Macer loved her "Fancy Mancy" party

I'm so crazy about this sweet girl!

Opening her wonderful gifts

Silly girl!

The "fab four"

For Grammy and Papa Mac

2010-12-19T19:08:00.000-08:00

Since they were in Hawaii for Macey's birthday, they had Macey's gift shipped here and I recorded this for them. She loves her stool like her sissy's...even if she doesn't know what it says!

And The Winner Is...USHER!

2010-12-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

Addalyn gets SO nervous/excited when we watch awards shows or Idol or pretty much any show where a winner is announced. I video taped her reaction to Usher winning and just about lost it. I don't even remember what award show this was. She was completely star struck by the people in the audience (Justin Bieber) and was thrilled that Usher brought home the winning 'trophy'.

So Sorry!

2010-12-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

These little "angels" have lost my cord to upload pictures and videos so I'm so sorry for not updating for this long. I finally got some uploaded at my dad's house and I've added these pictures to let you know that we're still around, but I feel like crap and don't have the energy to put more up. I still need to add Macey's party!

Sterling's 8th Birthday

2010-11-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

Our in-home skating parties just didn't help Macey feel any more comfortable at the skating rink. She was screaming and shaking but refused to take her "skate shoes" off until we were leaving. She eventually came around...as long as she was on carpet. Addalyn did 1 45 minute lap around the rink with Aunt Brookie and loved it. I can't believe my precious niece is 8!

Sunday Funday

2010-11-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

Nana took Sterling and Macey shopping for Sterling's birthday present last Sunday (she took Zander and Addalyn to shop for his birthday gift in September). While they went out to have their special time, me, aunt Brookie, Addalyn and Zander made dinner and put up the Christmas tree. At first, Mace didn't want to go without her big sister, but when big sister offered to go in her place, Macey quickly got over going without her!

And this little diva shopped til she dropped!

Introducing...Harper Elizabeth

2010-11-20T13:44:00.001-08:00

This is what I woke up and saw a few weeks ago. 2 calico cats in our backyard! I think Harper is the one laying down. She seems pretty scared of the other kitty. The girls were excited to go to bed with no pets and think they woke up to TWO pets!

In an attempt to share our house with FEWER than half a dozen mice this winter, we've managed to keep a stray around the yard to help us out. Addalyn picked her name (before we knew the gender...but I'm pretty sure it's a g irl). She's so sweet and I can't help but wonder if her mom wasn't the corpse in my back yard this spring that the giant buzzard was snacking on...
Anywho, after a couple of cat food donations from friends, we've been able to keep her full. It's just a matter of keeping the 2 other strays and the darn raccoon away now! The girls love her and every once in a while she'll sneak inside, sniff around and go back out within a minute. She hasn't made me sneeze once!

A Few Recent Macey Pictures

2010-11-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Sweetest little smile.

Do they know how to have fun or what?

Here's Mace, all ready to go to the sitter. Warming up in front of the heater and drinking her yogurt while Mommy and Addy get ready. :-)

I LOVE it when she sleeps like this. She used to sleep like this as a baby.

A Few Recent Addalyn Pictures

2010-11-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

A serious karaoke session.

Could she be any sassier?

Yes, she's making a phone call while mixing the waffle batter.

Silly girl. Beautiful eyes!

Remembering Reggie

2010-11-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very rough day for us. My family dog and truly one of the girls best friends, Reggie, had to be put down. Reggie has been the most amazing, loyal and patient dog I've ever come in contact with. Even non-dog lovers love Reg. I don't know that the girls really realize that he's gone for good yet, but no doubt, there will be tears shed once they know. Addalyn took care of her crying mommy yesterday by wiping my tears, Macey made her crying mommy laugh by jabbing my crying eyes with soaking wet pieces of toilet paper.

We have so many amazing memories with Reggie. May he Rest In Peace.

"Happy Birthday, Dear Poochie"

2010-11-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

Addalyn has asked me more times than I can count when Poochie's birthday is. I always tell her that it's right before Macey's birthday (for those who don't know where she came from...a few weeks before Macey was due, my dad took me to the hospital because I was having lots of contractions. Addalyn was only a year and a half old at the time so dad walked her around the hospital to keep her entertained. They went into the gift shop and Addy picked Poochie up and wouldn't put her down, despite Papa's efforts to guide her towards a cheaper stuffed animal--haha!) Anyway, over the past few weeks, I can't seem to talk to Macey about her upcoming birthday party without Addalyn reminding me that Poochie's birthday is first. Sooooooo...yesterday we celebrated Poochie's 3rd birthday! Addalyn put bows in her hair, brought all of her stuffed animal friends out and took SO many pictures (over 30!). We ate pizza, made cookies and sang happy birthday. Pretty silly, huh? The funny thing is, I did everything I could to make Addalyn (and Poochie) feel special on this big day and Addalyn loved it...up until she apparently got concerned and felt the need to remind me that Poochie is NOT a real dog, but just a stuffed animal. Hahahaha!
*side note--this is actually Poochie the 2nd. The original Poochie started falling apart a few months ago so Gigi somehow found her twin online and ordered it and told Addy that she took Poochie to the groomer and they made her like new! We saved the original to show her when she's a little older.
Sheesh...this is a really long post about a stuffed animal! Sorry!

Fall Crafts

2010-11-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

As it's started to get colder outside, we've had to get creative with our indoor activities (hence the indoor skating party last weekend). One thing that the kiddos love to do is make crafts. Macey is kind of squirrely during craft time, but she has fun nonetheless. We've made Halloween wreaths, a jack-o-lantern and a lovely haunted house (the girls clearly haven't heard the saying "less is more"!).

TOO MUCH SUGAR!

2010-11-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to say here...the title says it all.

Fabulous Fairies!

2010-11-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, Everybody!

Trick-Or-Treat!

Precious little fairies needed a break

Macey walking like a "grown up" according to Addalyn

The ninjas and the fairies

Trunk-or-Treat with Camryn, Addalyn, Emma (the fabulous sitters' daughter) and Macey (a.k.a. Hollywood with those sunglasses on!)

This was our 1st year actually trick-or-treating door to door and not just doing trunk or treat. It was actually pretty perfect because we only had to go about a block and a half around the neighborhood before they wore out. Macey was so funny around the bigger "scary" costumed kids. She wasn't shy about hollering down to me from the front porch "mama, him is scary!". She also walked 3/4 of the way with her arms crossed for some reason. Silly girl. Addalyn later asked her, "Mace, why were you walking like a grown-up the whole time with your arms like that?" Macey's response was the usual "MOOOOOOM, Addy said a bad word at me." Little stinker didn't realize I was within earshot and heard what her sister asked.

Playing In A Danger Zone

2010-11-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

Our sidewalk finally got repaired! Hooray! Buuuuuuut, on both sides of the sidewalk there's a gaping hole that's over a foot deep that believe it or not, Macey managed to fall into. All of the leaves have filled it up so it's easy to forget it's there, but as Addalyn and Mace were raking up leaves and jumping into the piles, Mace went right down into the hole and hit her little face on the ground. She busted up her lip a little and had a good portion of the front yard stuck in her front teeth, but a little TLC from mommy is all it took and then she was all better.

Table For 7, Please!

2010-11-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Macey, Me, Jetta, Addalyn, Gentry, Hannah and Harlow

A dear friend of mine from middle school and part of high school drove all the way from Colorado to KC with her 3 little girls, just to have lunch with us! Okay, okay, that's not entirely true, but she did in fact make the drive with a 3 year old, 1 1/2 year old and 12 week old and we were lucky enough to get to see them. The girls ran around and played while Hannah and I caught up on the past 14 years and reminisced about being the last 2 chairs (that means we were really bad!) in our orchestra class and using the bows to our violins to scratch each others backs instead of practicing. :-) I am so grateful for our visit and our pretty hectic lunch (imagine that!).

Macey, Gentry, Addy

Macey and sweet baby Jetta (both of the girls sweetly/naively asked me for a baby sister after our visit)

But clearly I need some practice on how to hold a 12 week old baby! :-) The girls all took turns taking pictures.

Me, Hannah and Jetta (poor girl was dressed so cute but had a major accident--luckily her Mama had a spare onesie to put on her!)

Roller Girls

2010-11-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

The girlies decided to have a skate party inside the other day. Addalyn was pretty thrilled that she can do it by herself now but Macey made it very clear that "I tan't do it by my own, mama!" so I held her hand as she slowly picked up her little feet and carefully walked around in her skates. Which to her, was apparently skating!

Sponge Rollers Rock!

2010-11-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

So maybe the sleeping part didn't "rock" so much, but waking up to curly hair sure did. I did this last Tuesday night so the ladies could have curly hair for their Halloween party at the sitter's on Wednesday. I just thought they looked so stinkin' cute so I had to share.
PS--I had an AFTER photo, but my laptop died so I lost many pictures. I'm so heartbroken over it...thank goodness I have this blog and Shutterfly to store so many wonderful photos, videos and memories though!

Punkin' Patch

2010-10-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

We just didn't bundle up enough for the pumpkin patch today. I think we (Papa and I--the girls weren't so bothered by the chill) only lasted 45 minutes with that cold wind. In that short time we fed some goats, slid down a few slides and saw lots and lots of pumpkins!

Bittersweet 8-)

2010-10-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was washing a few pots and pans and darling little Macey in her darling little relentless way, repeatedly asked for a drink. My answer of "give me a minute, Mace, mommy's washing dishes" was not good enough so she started to throw a fit. As I was rinsing a pot, I asked if she wanted a squirt of water in her mouth. She said yes, so I gave her a spray from the faucet. She got angry and screamed at me and ran off to her big sister for condolence. Which Addalyn was happy to provide. It's so sweet that her big sister took care of her, but I may be in trouble if they gang up on me!

What's On Macey's Mind?

2010-10-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

The answer is, a little of everything! I have so many videos of conversations like this that I love to watch over and over. She has the sweetest little voice in the whole wide world, and quite the imagination!

She's Got Moves

2010-10-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

This girl has so many talents. I'm sure she's woken up the neighbors by now with her concert she's been putting on for nearly an hour now. She's a huge Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood fan. Here she is rocking out to Carrie's "Cowboy Cassanova". I had a hard time keeping a straight face. She's so passionate during her performances! The darn sun kept slipping behind the clouds so it kept getting dark, but I think you can see what she's doing.

WORLDS OF FUN

2010-10-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

This is right before Macey got stuck going around and around in circles

Addalyn got around great in her pink go-cart!

Macey loved this ride

Addalyn had to sit it out the first time to make sure it wasn't scary, but she rode the second time and loved it too!

I LOVE this picture!

The miniature Detonator

Whacky Worm! First roller coaster ride for my babies!

Pretty sure she gave it 2 Thumbs Up, you just can't see the other thumb. :-)

The Snoopy statue wasn't as scary as the real Snoopy, according to Addalyn.

I love these 4 kids so stinkin' much!

Thanks, Nana, for the face painting! (for paying for it, not doing it--haha!)

Poor girl passed out in line for funnel cakes. She missed out!

A relaxing train ride. And my favorite Addalyn quote of the day, "Mama, I bet I know why they call thisWorlds of Fun...because it is SO SO FUN!".

I attempted to video her first roller coaster ride. (as I said before, when Sterling's around, Addalyn wants nothing to do with me, otherwise I'd have video taped her first ride too!) She seemed to like it but you can tell at the end where the ride gets pretty fast and turns a sharp corner, she wasn't so sure. Didn't stop her from riding again and again!

Weston Apple Fest

2010-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Macey's first ride on a school bus! (yes, it was Addalyn's first too, but when Sterling's around she's much too cool for Mommy so they had to go find their own seat to sit in)

Macey the bug!

Addalyn, Sydney, Lauren and Macey :-)

Homemade Apple Pie!

Macey painting pumpkins

Addalyn's work of art (poor kids got mommy's artistic skills, not daddy's)

such happy little girls

before...

...and after!

We Love To Swing

2010-10-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

S'Mores!

2010-10-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Papa had some old wood to burn and an old grill to burn them in...guess what that means? The girls loved roasting their marshmallows and I only got hit in the face with those super long sticks half a dozen times. I love fall!

Where's My Landlord?!

2010-10-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not totally sold on this whole homeowning thing. I think it's a tad overrated! That or I just have really crappy luck. After months of dealing with water backing up in my basement, I finally contacted the city (which was darn near impossible). They came out and fixed the break in the pipe under my sidewalk. We had been staying at my dad's house so after a week of that, we "moved home" again and within 2 hours the basement was flooded again. Turns out, there was ANOTHER break in the pipe right under the front of my house. The bill for that was going to be outrageous but luckily Patty knew someone that was able to get it repaired for half the price. Anywho, this is why I haven't updated the blog recently. It's been nothing but chaos and I haven't been home to upload pictures. Let's all hope and pray that this house holds up...at least til the girls go to college and take their Mommy with them to be their roomy. :-)

Liberty Fall Fest

2010-10-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

We went to the Liberty Fall Festival with Gigi a couple weeks ago. We walked there from her house (3 miles round trip with NO stroller--the girls were troopers!). Their favorite part was the candy from the parade and then the carnival. It was a perfect morning/afternoon!

They really are starting to look alike! (and it's not just because their
hair is fixed the same and their outfits are identical) :-P

Running to get to the parade (the walk home was much, much slower)

The cousins posing for a picture...and Macey sitting like such a little lady
Haha!

Seriously, the candy was the best part

With my little loves after the parade (and please note that their undershirts are different colors so people can tell them apart) :-)

Big enough to ride? YES Brave enough to ride? NO

Addalyn is concentrating so hard! They both won a giant inflatable hammer. Those were fun on the walk home...

They got a slushie to share...but neither one of them came up for air...

...in fear that one may get more than the other...

...they really walked like this. So cute though!

Macey Being Macey

2010-10-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

I asked this kid to go brush her teeth before bed and 30 seconds later she came out like this! Such a good listener. :-)
PS--I swear I always have my camera close...I'd hate for anybody to think I was digging around looking for it while she was screaming like this. And she wasn't in pain, she was just really ticked off.

Dinosaur Exhibit at Union Station

2010-10-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

Addalyn looks so tiny next to this fella

Her best dinosaur impression :-)

Macey finally warmed up to the dinosaurs once she realized they weren't real

Digging for footprints

This scared her more than I thought it would!

Macer was being brave with Gigi

Mace being scary...and Addalyn being scared!

Singin' Sisters

2010-09-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

The McKinstry Family

Love This Family

My FINAL Macey Birthday Post!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday!

Macey turns 4!

Blast From The Past

School Days

Giggling Girlies

Future Tennis Star?

Precious Princess Pumpkins

Pumpkin Painting

Addalyn *Attempts* To Ditch Her Training Wheels

Soccer *Star*

Weston Apple Fest

WORLDS of Fun

Liberty Fall Fest

Plaza Art Fair

P is for Preschool...

K is for Kindergarten...

Happiness

Awesome Day At The Pool

More Soccer Pics

Soccer Star

Kindergarten Enrollment *sigh

More Preston Pictures

Cousins

Dance-A-Holic

Crown Center Fun

Addalyn's 5th Birthday!

Our Florida Fun (Finally!)

My Wonderful Mother's Day

Happy Easter, Family and Friends!

Easter Egg Fun

Random Pictures

Random Pics

Hanging With The Sash Family

Happy First Day Of Spring!

Snake Saturday Parade

The Big Performance

So Talented

Chatting With My Mace

Tiny Dancers

First Baskin Robbins Clown Cone

Macey Sings Her ABC's

Divas

Such A Good Sport

Croup Strikes Again

American Idol Audition

Macey's 3 Year Check Up

Macey Reading/Singing

A Weekend of Parties

My Little *Star*

The Best Way To Make Snowmen

Goofy Girls

Oh My...

Pom Clinic

Sleepover!

Addalyn's Great Idea

Hannah and AddyMacey

Uncle Teve and Aunt Melnie's Visit

Christmas Morning

McKinstry Christmas

Snow Much Fun!

The Reason We Can't Live In An Apartment

Christmas Party!

Macey Lee is Three!

For Grammy and Papa Mac

And The Winner Is...USHER!

So Sorry!

Sterling's 8th Birthday

Sunday Funday

Introducing...Harper Elizabeth

A Few Recent Macey Pictures

A Few Recent Addalyn Pictures

Remembering Reggie

"Happy Birthday, Dear Poochie"

Fall Crafts

TOO MUCH SUGAR!

Fabulous Fairies!

Playing In A Danger Zone

Addalyn Attempts To Ditch Her Training Wheels

Soccer Star

My Little Star