McGrath Moments

Last Friday was Brenna's Christmas concert for school. We decided to take her teacher's Christmas present to give to her. On Monday morning Brenna had a nice "thank you" note from her teacher. When she got home she was really excited for me to open it. I opened the envelop and handed her the card. She opened it, paused for a moment, then looked at me and said, "there is no money in this card!!"

On the way home Sunday evening, all four of us in the car...

Braeden: What does SEXY mean?

I looked at Ed. Sometimes I just don't feel like answering those questions and it had been a long weekend. I also just kind of wanted to hear his answer.

Ed: It means that you are attracted to that person...that you like how they look. You can only say it to the opposite sex, so you can only say that to a girl.

As Ed is explaining "SEXY" to Braeden, I am thinking "what if he wants to say that to a guy someday."

That is just a whole other conversation, though.

Me: Braeden, you cannot say that to ANYONE-girl or boy! You are too young to be saying that word. I don't mind that you know what it means, but I don't want to hear you say it to anyone until you are much older and married!

All I need is a call from his teacher saying that he is telling his female classmates that they are sexy!!

Whenever the kiddos have questions about God or religion, I get a little nervous. I don't feel like I have all of the answers and sometimes I have questions of my own.

Today I had my first visit at the perinatologist office and it went great! Talk about a huge sigh of relief! They said the baby and all of his/her organs look great and just as important, my cervix is staying closed and my body is doing everything right.

Yesterday was my first test on whether or not I can stick to not finding out the gender of the baby and I passed!! The Dr. asked, "are we finding out what this baby is today" and I said, "no"!! My Mom thinks that because the Dr. turned the ultrasound screen away from me, that it is probably a boy. With the other two kids, I had a feeling of what their sex was before we found out and I was right both times. This pregnancy, I have no idea! If it is related to morning sickness, this is definitely a girl. Deep down I hope it is a girl just because Brenna is extremely excited to have a baby sister and I don't want her to be disappointed. Braeden says he wants a brother, but I don't think he wants a brother the way Brenna wants a sister. But...to be perfectly honest, I am not sure our house can handle anymore female hormones. We already have our Diva. Either way, we are completely blessed and will LOVE he or she with all of our heart. So let the mystery continue.

Not sure how I feel about that. 32?? That just seems pretty crazy. I've been reminding myself of what I always tell my patients when they complain that they are getting old, "it is better than the alternative." That is really not a good way to think about your birthday. So on to more positive thoughts...

By the age of 32, I have graduated from college, gotten married, own a home(or at least continue paying for it!), have two healthy children, and one on the way. I have a GREAT family and amazing friends. I have a good job and I enjoy the people I work with. I have really been blessed during my 32 years. So no more focusing on how OLD I am getting, but rather all of the great experiences in life that come along with getting older.

On another note, the best Birthday present that I received today was Braeden's football team winning the "Superbowl" for the Kaw Valley League! Go Piper Pirates! They went undefeated this year and today was an exciting finish. More blogging and pictures on this to follow along with some pregnancy updates. I am feeling great now, so hopefully I can get back on track with this blog. No more nausea and slightly more energy!

I am a mess this pregnancy! First of all, I feel horrible all of the time. It is like having a hangover everyday, all day, without having all of the fun the night before. I'm 10 weeks, so I hope this will be going away soon. I am constantly eating just to feel half way normal, yet nothing sounds good to eat.

I am lazy. I have no motivation to do ANYTHING! On Thursdays and Fridays, since I don't work, I used to get up, get the kids ready and then take Braeden to school. Brenna and I would head off to Target and the grocery store. We'd come home, clean the house, and do the laundry. If the grass needed cut, I'd do that too! Now I'm lucky to get off the couch to do one small chore a day. Kind of a shock for Ed! Thank goodness my Aunt comes every other Tuesday to clean the upstairs...all of the bedrooms and bathrooms! At least that is getting done, just not by me.

I am constantly in a bad mood. I can't snap out of it. I really don't want to leave the house unless I have to. It is weird, but it is not really depression. It is like I'm always on edge. Don't make me mad because I have no tolerance for anything and unfortunately, it is our kids' job to make life complicated and right now, that is not something I can deal with. I truly feel bad for them!

Last Thursday before dropping Brenna off at dance class, I stopped at the gas station and went inside TO GET FOOD! I hardly ever go into gas stations and if I do, it is only to get a coffee. I came out with Grape pop, Jalapeno potato chips, and Gummie Bears. What a mess I am!!

The way I am acting, you'd think this is the first pregnancy for me. Not the first, but definitely the worst so far. I hope I snap out of this soon. I wish I could say this is the last blog where I'm going to complain about being pregnant, but somehow I don't think I'd be telling the truth.

...and so am I! I am 9 weeks pregnant and we are expecting a baby at the end of April. We are very excited, but we'll never forget how Braeden's pregnancy and arrival into this world went, so I will be on pins and needles until April.

At my first OB visit I was told that this will be the most uncomfortable pregnancy since it is my third. I can expect things to happen faster and the pain/discomfort to be more intense. I have already experienced that. The muscles in my abdomen have been quite achy. The morning sickness has been bad. My mood is all over the place...mostly in a bad place! She told me to plan to be in maternity clothes by 12 weeks. That is just around the corner. I didn't need new clothes until 5 to 6 months with Braeden and Brenna. We'll see what happens!

We waited to tell the kids until last week and they are pretty excited. Brenna keeps telling me what dresses she is going to put on the baby and how she is going to fix her hair. Braeden wants a brother. Someone is going to be disappointed! We aren't going to find out what it is, so it will be a big surprise to everyone on delivery day.

I have been waiting to post that I am pregnant because it puts it out there for everyone and I am always so scared something will happen, but here we go...publish post!

Every evening I lay out the kiddos clothes for the next day. Anything you can do at night to save time the next morning is the way to go!! Anyways, as soon as Brenna got out of the bath Tuesday evening she was asking me what I was going to pick out for her to wear tomorrow. This is how the conversation went...

Brenna: I am SO excited to see what I am going to wear tomorrow!

I picked out a matching skirt and t-shirt outfit that my parents bought her.

Brenna: Oh, Mama! I love it! I will look so beautiful and the kids will want to play with me!

Me: What do you mean the kids will want to play with you?

Brenna: They will say, "oh you look so beautiful, where did you get that outfit?" Where did I get this outfit, Mama?

Me: You got it from Grammy and Papa.

Brenna: Ok, I will tell them I got it from Grammy and Papa.

Me: Um Brenna, don't you think the kids will want to play with you because you are a nice girl and friend and not because of what you are wearing?

Brenna: (absolutely did not care what I had just said to her)I can't wait to show Daddy what I am wearing!

Too young for this!!! I found it all very disturbing and sad. I think it is sad that she thinks this way. I'm sure none of the kids at school care what she wears and I wish she didn't care as much. The next morning we had this conversation/fight...

Me: How do you want me to fix your hair today?

Brenna: All up.

As I am putting her hair in a pony tail, she changes her mind.

Brenna: Never mind, I want pig tails.

Me: I don't have time to change it now. You can pick pig tails for tomorrow if you want.

Brenna(with her teenage attitude): That's fine!! I will just change it when I get to school anyways!!

I just ignored the comment, but then I started thinking about it later. Am I going to have that child/teenager who packs her "prostitute wear" in her book bag and slips it on along with a ton of make-up once she gets to school. Absolutely not! Little does she know that she is training me now to be a mother who watches her like a hawk. I am learning what she is capable of while she is young, so I will be prepared for the "Future Brenna"!!!

I am thankful for great neighbors. I didn't have a babysitter to watch Braeden last week for his final week of summer vacation and I had a great neighbor step up and volunteer to watch him Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday while I worked. Thank you so much, Jill!!

I will have to say that there are a few neighbors that have been kind enough to watch Braeden and Brenna in a pinch and I appreciate it so much. I love that we live in a neighborhood full of families and we trust each other with our children. It really is a comfort to know that there are other people looking out for your children and that these people have become friends.

We spent a couple of days last weekend at the lake. I love boating and swimming and the kiddos were very excited to go. My sister and her husband, my parents, my Aunt Terry, Ed and I and the kids all spent the day on the lake. We had a great time!

And then we decided to spend the night. IN A TENT! I am NOT an outdoor kinda girl. I pretty much bathed in bug spray. I hate bugs. All bugs. Bugs that fly. Bugs that crawl. Bugs that make noise. I don't discriminate.

I only agreed to do this because Braeden has been begging us to go camping. I finally gave in and seeing how much fun he had made it all worth it. It's not that I haven't been camping before. I have gone camping so many times that I cannot count them all. We went all of the time when I was a child, but with one big difference, my Grandpa sold RV's. We went camping in style. We had a kitchen, bathroom, beds, and best of all air-condition.

This was different. This was roughin' it. We cooked hot dogs by the campfire and made smores. All the time being attacked by bugs and butterflies. Yes, I said butterflies! They dive-bombed our heads, clung to our clothes, and swarmed all around us. I have never seen anything like it. We even had to move from the campfire to a grill to make the smores because they were such a problem.

We were home the next morning by 7:15am. I made it as long as I could, and then it was Home Sweet Home!! I'd do it all over again to see how much the kids enjoyed themselves. They even enjoyed my ghost stories! But, I can only handle the outdoors in small doses. It might be a couple of years before they convince me to do this again!

This summer Brenna turned 4 years old!! June 28th, 2011, the same day that Ed and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary! She decided she wanted her birthday at the movies because the new Cars movie came out the Saturday before her birthday. I think she also had some encouragement from her brother. A win, win situation for him...a party and Cars 2!



For some reason Brenna has become quite a fan of Superman. She loves to watch the movies and play with the action figures. To make it a little more "girly" I got her a Super girl cake and she LOVED it!!

I think this is our 3rd or 4th birthday party we have had at the movies and every time we do it, I get so stressed out. I get stressed taking just our two kids to the movies because I always worry if they are going to stay quiet, or who will need to go to the bathroom and how many times they will need to go, and who will spill their drink or popcorn. What if there is a bad word in the movie? On and on, just worrying. So explain to me why I keep having their birthday parties there where I get to worry about it times 15 other children??

Happy Birthday, Sis! I'm glad you and your friends had a good time!

Byrds Dance Recital June 26, 2011

Brenna had her first dance recital this summer. She looked absolutely fabulous!! I have never seen a cuter bunny!

I was the room mother for the recital. We had all of the girls all dolled up. Make-up, curling irons, hair and body glitter, the whole nine yards and they had such fun!

They danced to Benny the Magic Bunny and if I never have to hear that song again, that would be fine with me!!

This is a picture of Brenna dancing at the rehearsal. Since I was back stage for the actual show, I was able to watch the rehearsal to take video and pictures. She surprised me so much for the rehearsal. If you remember back to when I tried to get her to first start her dance class, she was screaming and crying and refused to go and we had to do the Mommy/toddler class, well that is how she acted when they had to take her from me to go to the dressing room. SCREAMING and CRYING!! But as soon as she got on stage to do her dance, she did GREAT!! She did even better at the actual show. I was so proud of her!



I didn't even think that she was going to get to participate in the actual show, because on the way home from the rehearsal, which was in Lawrence, she threw-up all over her costume. Apparently, and I am NOT judging, but the mothers who were back stage with them for the rehearsal fed them snacks the whole time to keep them quiet and occupied. Well, Brenna's tummy did not like it and she threw-up about half way home from Lawrence. It was all down the front of the costume...matted in the fur collar, stained, everything! My sister was in the car with me and she just looked at me while I was driving and said, "You are going to cry when you see her costume." She was right. I was convinced that I was never going to get it clean enough for her to participate in the show. Luckily I did and the show went on!! But seriously, why does stuff like this have to happen to me? I don't think Brenna has ever thrown-up in the car, but the one time she has on this expensive costume that she needs to wear again, it happens!! Good times!!

I need to get some of Braeden and Brenna's activities documented. I have been pretty bad about keeping up with their milestones, interests, and activities. Braeden first!!

At the end of May, we were invited to Braeden's class Kindergarten Celebration. Each student was given their Kindergarten completion diploma. We looked over their school work for the year and had cookies and juice. It was a fun time to celebrate a successful year with his class.

Each grade level at Delaware Ridge Elementary does an "Investigation". It is part of the Expeditionary Learning program at DRE. The Kindergartners did an investigation of frogs. They presented all that they had learned about frogs in a program at the end of the year. Braeden was a cattail. I still remember the lines he had to recite: I am a cattail. Mommy frogs lay their eggs in us. Frogs use us to hide from their predators. In order for Braeden to memorize it, I, of course, had to memorize it too!

Summer fun in the backyard with friends and family!

And then there was Tball! Same team as last year! It is amazing how much difference a year will make. Last year we were playing in the dirt and running the wrong way. This year we can catch balls and make outs. Pretty impressive progress!

On another note, I grew up with a girl named Meghan. We were best friends ever since I can remember. Our Moms are best friends to this day. We always knew that our children would be friends too. I just don't think it ever entered our mind that they would be BOYS!!

Braeden and Chase played each other in Tball this summer. Here is a cute picture of them!

I was very thankful that my office sponsored our team this year! Thank you Dr. Roberts! Best boss ever!

I has been a fun summer and Braeden says he is not ready for school, but ready or not, it is coming soon! Same teacher, same class! At least it won't be a big change for him. At DRE, they keep the same teacher for two years. Good luck in first grade Braeds!!

I knew this day would come. Today was the first "I don't like you" day. I'm sure soon to be followed by the "I hate you" day. Brenna was in rare form today. Even my sister couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth. To top it all off, Ed is out of town. We will be having a long discussion when he gets home because there is no way this behavior is going to continue.

On a side note...Braeden is 6 1/2 yrs old and has still not had his "I don't like you" day. It is amazing how different siblings' personalities can be, even raised by the same parents, the same way.

This post was intended to be done from my new phone. I actually got a new phone last Friday. I was so sick of Ed saying how embarrassed he was by my OLD, OLD phone. I knew how to work it and it was just fine for me. Now I have the new HTC 4G AT&T phone. I have to admit it is pretty fabulous and I wanted to type my blog from it, but surprise of surprises...I can't work it, so I am back to the laptop.

This weekend I was thinking to myself, okay I have a new phone. What's next for me? Joining Facebook? No, there's no way I am ready for that yet. One step at a time!

Braeden: (whispering, of course)
"Brenna, will you ask Mommy to..."(fill in the blank)
"Brenna, will you ask Mommy if we can have..."(fill in the blank)
"Brenna, will you ask Mommy if we can go to..."(fill in the blank)


Does he think that I am more likely to say "yes" if Brenna asks?
Does he think that I can't hear him ask her to ask me?
Does he realize that it drives me crazy?????

EPCOT is my favorite park!! I love looking at all of the different "countries" and their architecture, food, and shopping. Shopping at EPCOT is what I was looking forward to the most, but this trip I really didn't have any time to shop. When you take little kids with you, that is not something that they want to take time to do, but I was still able to admire all of the beautiful buildings.



We rode all of the rides at EPCOT and this is a picture outside the Nemo and Friends ride.



This is a picture of the Eiffel Tower. This is my favorite area. I love the pastries here, although I wasn't able to get any this time, but I was able to indulge in a glass of champagne!! Yummy!



We had dinner in "Japan" at the hibachi restaurant. The kids love STIX here in KC, so we knew they would have a great time!! Here we are just waiting for our table.

Braeden was very impressive at this meal. He actually ate his entire meal with chopsticks. As you can see they assemble the chopsticks with paper and a rubber band for easy use.

These next few pictures represent one of my very favorite memories of the entire trip. First, let me say that I have noticed that these Disney blogs have a lot more pictures and stories about Brenna. It is NOT because I am playing favorites. There were a few times where our large group split up and did different things. Braeden always went with Ed to do the rides and I always had Brenna and the camera with me, therefore I just have more pictures of Brenna. I just felt the need to explain that!

Okay, back to my initial story. Lindsey and I decided to wait in line to see all of the characters at EPCOT while everyone else went on a roller coaster. We had to wait in line for close to an hour...in a small room...where the line zig zagged back and forth...with a four year old...and a 19 month old...who has no patience whatsoever!! IT WAS A NIGHTMARE!!!! Carson would not stop screaming and wiggling out of my sister's arms. Brenna wanted to be held constantly because she is scared of everything and everyone. Lindsey and I would pass them back and forth because our arms were dead tired. We would give them candy to keep them quiet because EVERYONE WAS STARING AT US!! Carson choked on a chewy piece of candy and Lindsey freaked out and handed him to me...not the first time I've had to do the heimlich on him! I kept telling all of the people staring at us that if they would let us cut in line, they would not have to listen to our children anymore...there were no takers on that, of course! Pretty much all Lindsey and I could do was laugh our heads off because we felt like we were on some sort of hidden camera show.

It didn't get any better once it was our turn with the characters. Brenna didn't want anything to do with them, but WE WERE GETTING THOSE PICTURES!!! And we had a plan!! Our plan was to run up with our kid in our arms while the other one snapped a picture. My pictures turned out so blurry because Lindsey had to take them while trying to contain Carson in her arms. Again, it was just hilarious. I didn't even mind that the pictures were so crappy because the story is so funny!!

We stayed at the park until midnight. If you stay on the Disney resort, you can take advantage of late park hours. We had a great day and were definitely exhausted. The whole trip was just amazing and I am so thankful that we were able to do it!! Until the next Disney trip...

I will have to say that I was most excited about taking the kiddos to the Magic Kingdom. I definitely think the Magic Kingdom is what everyone pictures when they think about Disney World.


Seeing Cinderella's Castle right when you walk into Disney is quite a sight. The kids see this castle at the beginning of every Disney movie they watch, so they were very excited to see it in person.






As soon as we arrived at the park, there was a parade going on and we were able to see so many characters. It was the perfect way to start out the day.





Next we started making our way to all of the rides. It's A Small World was one of the first rides we went on. Braeden looked at me and said, "this is boring." I will have to admit, that song sure sticks in your head after this ride...over and over and over again!! It is quite beautiful though.





Brenna on the carousel!!

Aunt T and Brenna on the Tea Cups.

Brenna was EXTREMELY excited to meet the Princesses, that is until it was actually time to meet them. She looks like she is kind of smiling in this picture, but she is actually crying and this is a forced smile. After waiting in line, we were going to meet the Princesses, like it or not! I know that sounds harsh, but any parents who have taken their children to Disney and waited in the lines, will understand.

She absolutely refused to take a picture with Sleeping Beauty, but I still had her sign her autograph book. After Sleeping Beauty signed her book, she kissed it. Once Brenna got herself together, she absolutely LOVED the kiss. She was so proud to show it off to her brother and Daddy later on.

Belle was the Princess that Brenna was most excited to see. Here they are discussing that Brenna was Belle for Halloween. Belle asked Brenna if she had as much fun in her dress as she does. It was fun to see that they stay so much in character.

Here is Braeden and Aunt T on the Dumbo ride. Braeden LOVED the rides. The rides were his favorite part of the entire trip. He especially loved Space Mountain. He rode it twice and had to be in the front car each time.

The Magic Kingdom was great and the kids had a wonderful time. Next time, I would spend more than one day there, just so we don't have to rush everything so much. It is a lot to do and see all in one day and not only were the kids completely exhausted, but so were all of the adults.