2 Months Old!

Maclin is growing up so fast! In one month he gained three pounds and two inches! He is now a solid 12.4 lbs (75%) and 23" (50%) long. Mac is really starting to talk too. He coos and smiles more everyday. Nothing brings us more joy than to speak to him and have him smile in return-melts. your. heart.

Maclin's first Halloween

For Maclin's first Halloween, he went as a Moose. Unfortunately, his moose head was way too big.......he still looked cute :o)

Mac's stylish outfit

Mappie and Maclin

Getting his nap on before the parties

So big and strong



Our Moose!



Return of The Mac!

Our little peanut has turned into our little nugget! Maclin is already 7 weeks old. He is sleeping  between 5-7 hours per night, he is starting to smile and he is truly a joy! Here are some pictures of our little nugget.

Maclin Robert Strahan

On September 22, 2010, our son Maclin was born. He was 8 lb 2 oz, 19 inches long and born at 9:34 am. Here are some pictures of when he was just a peanut.....

Our Perfect Day

Here are some pictures from our wedding. The torrential down pour we had earlier that day ended up bringing the perfect breeze for our ceremony. The afternoon ended up being pretty cool (especially since the forecast was calling for 94 degree temps!). We had so much fun and are so grateful for our friends and family that made it. Needless to say, we are very blessed. The pictures were taken by my friend Amy. Great shots girl!

The Rose garden at Loose Park. It was a little too wet to have the ceremony down there so we ended up under the pavillion instead.

Some of the grub to munch on.

Sweet Nikki

Erica and Jana, two of my oldest, dearest friends. Erica and I used to compete against each other in track until High School (then we were on the same team) and Jana and I met in 7th grade core.

Cupcakes from Cupcakes a la mode. Delicious! nom nom nom

Friends

The smooch!

There will be more pictures to come!

Our Moose

A son! Here's the proof!!

This is our son. He is healthy, BIG, and I'm finally starting to feel him. I'm convinced he likes the song "Kung Foo Fighting" because that's what it feels like when he is "dancing" in my belly, usually around 3 am. Today I am 22 weeks and 4 days. So far he is above average in size (two weeks ago he was measuring at 15 ounces when the average is about 10 1/2) and we are excited (and nervous) to see how big he gets before the special day we get to meet him. Because of his size, I have to have a monthly sonogram-at least we get to see him every month :o)

                                            His sweet little profile.

It's amazing how much my body has changed, both physically and chemically. Obviously, I'm showing and have been showing since about nine weeks. I probably popped around 18 weeks. Chemically, I'm on a giant roller coaster. I can cry very easily (even easier than before!), be angry, laugh and that's all in 3 minutes. Also, the dreams are crazy! That's one thing no one ever mentioned but W-O-W. I think sometimes Ward is nervous to hear some of my dreams because they are boderline crazy. It must be the testosterone......

The cats love to jump and/or walk across my belly. Thomas particularly likes to walk up my mountain of a stomach and lay across my boobs-not fun for me at all. He's such a richard! It will be interesting to see how our family of fur take to their new brother. I'm already preparing myself for the day Guinness and Rowdy decide to "mark" the baby carrier as their own. That is also the day they will be taken to Zarda and turned into BBQ........just kidding.

This is his foot-one to kick me with over the next four months. I'm sure he will be a size 15 like his daddy.

Life is so good right now, I can't imagine what the next year is going to bring. This weekend we will be celebrating our niece's first birthday and I'm so excited. I love watching Ward with his nieces-he is so good with them. It tugs my heart strings everytime I see them together because it makes me so excited to see what he will be like as a father. I know he will be a good one.

Sorry for the mushy blog.......damn hormones!  Also, sorry for the crappy scan job of the pictures...the next ones will be better.

Love this quote......

                   This came from a blog called "makeundermylife"  :o)

One of my favorite "StoryPeople"

Agreed.

Summer Shave!

Is it The Three Amigos or The Three Stooges???????

Here I go again......

Jack and Thomas love to hang out in the garage, especially since they are not allowed outside (without supervision). They really like it when Daddy's car is in the garage, fresh from his drive home. With the hood nice and warm, these two monkeys could stay out there for a long time. I'm not sure if Ward likes it as much as they do-especially when there are dirty little cat footprints on his windshield.

Jack doing his best "Tawny Kitaen" across the hood.

Tommy, always ready for his close up.

Another good use for the Boppy

It's snuggle time.

Our Moose

This picture was taken at 14 weeks, 3 days. We are now quickly approaching 16 weeks. Ward came up with the nickname "Moose" since we met at the Blue Moose. It's crazy to think in 4 weeks we will know if in fact we are having a "Moose" or "Moosette". Stay Tuned.........

Here's a picture of Moose waving the wheat!

I Miss Beer!

I realize when you are pregnant, you have to give up certain things, i.e. alcohol, sushi, unpasturized cheeses, caffiene. I get it. I know the end result is worth it. It's just hard watching March Madness sober, especially when my Hawks loose in the second round! Then spring arrives and it has been so beautiful here. Perfect for a cold one after work, doing yard work, having dinner with friends. But not here-nada. This weekend Ward made the most DELICIOUS drink. It was a Moscow Mule meets a Brazillian Caipirinha-A-M-A-Z-I-N-G ( I may have snuck a teeny weeny taste).  I guess for the last 15 weeks, I have been able to satisfy most cravings, minus having a cold one. I know I can wait a few more months :o)

I miss you my friend (sniff, sniff)

Jack gets a bath!

Giving a cat a bath is by far one of the most unplesant experiences I've had. Jack, who will be 10 in September has never had a bath.....until recently. He in Thomas decided to get into a little "fight" while in the garage. Sadly for Jack, Thomas won by forcing Jack on his back and into a "puddle" of grease from the car. Jack smelled so bad and we were worried about him trying to clean motor oil off of himself so we gave him a bath. By we I mean I bathed him while Ward gave lots of moral support and positive encouragement.

Holding onto Jack with one hand, I scrubbed him down with the other one. He meowed the ENTIRE duration of his bath. It was so traumatic for him he also went to the bathroom in the tub (another object I got to clean that night). I'm hoping for my sanity and the sanity of others, this doesn't happen again.

For the record, Jack is fat and happy and no longer suffering from PTSD.

Sleepy Time

Wisconsin Summer '09

I can't help but wish for warmer weather these days. As I walked outside in 20 degree weather this morning, I started thinking about being at the cabin this summer. Now, it's not always hot up there (especially this past summer) but it's usually hot enough for shorts during the day and a jacket at night. Here are some pictures from warmer times.

Me with Ward and my mom

My Uncle Rick, 82 going on 22

Ward on his first Schwartzburg cocktail cruise

North Turtle Lake

A Bear! Where?!?! (At the Bear Bar)

A tree by our house. Ward took this picture.

Turtle Lake in the morning.

Dad, Ward and Dodge.

Mom, my nephew Parker, Dad and Ward.

This is the coveted Tiger Muskey Ward caught. It is tradition to try and catch a muskey while at the cabin. Ward put all the men to SHAME!

Warmth and Cheer!

Here's to warmer weather!