Dad's Birthday

Poppy's new hat that Ristow got him

The boys doing some air banjo to the new bluegrass cd

Poppy and Jessica


Here are a few pictures from celebrating my Dad's birthday this past weekend.
Happy Birthday Dad! Love you tons

The Older Sibling

Yesterday, Ristow and Jessica and I were all laying on my bed playing around and being silly. I look over and Ristow is purposefully putting his head right down next to Jessica's feet. Well, babies kick, so the next thing I hear is "Moooooooom, Jessica kicked me!"

"has is really started already?" I think to myself

"Ristow, you put your head there and are trying to get her in trouble." I say as I snicker to myself remembering all the many times of getting my little brother in trouble.

So I tell him, "Ristow I am an older sibling too. I know all the little tricks about getting your little brother or sister in trouble" I say this to him so he knows that he won't be getting away with much since I can see right through him.

But what Ristow hears is an opportunity....."Can you show me some?" he says.

I bust out laughing and say No.

So now at it has come full circle and all of the manipulating blame that I placed on my little brother is going to be thrown right into my face as I watch my son do it to his little sister ;)

Now, don't get me wrong, my little brother could torment with the best of them. He knew exactly how to push my buttons and get me into tears. But after seeing Ristow start this with his 4 month old sister and know that this will continue for years and years to come, I felt a bit of remorse for all of the trouble I got Jimmy into.

Thank goodness we have grown up and are past all of those shenanigans. ;) Love you Jim.

A Week of Firsts

Well, these past few days actually have held quite a number of "firsts" for our family.
This past Wednesday we took a roadtrip to Chattanooga and Jessica got to see the Aquarium for the first time.Friday, Ristow packed his suitcase, came downstairs and said "I'm sorry to tell you I am leaving the family." He obviously had had enough of Jessica getting the attention and her getting things in the mail and decided he couldn't take it anymore. He said he was leaving at 2pm and taking a plane far far away.
Well, after much reassurance of how much he was loved, I am happy to report that he decided to stay. Whew!
Later that night Christopher, his Dad and Ristow went to the Sounds baseball game and Ristow got to run the bases after the game for the first time. Lots of fun!

Then last night Christopher and I got a great first night of full sleep since Jessica was born, unfortunately she didn't sleep through the night, but she did sleep at my parent's house. Thanks Mom and Dad for keeping both the kids!

Today, Ristow lost his first tooth! He says "I'm on my way to being a grown-up" and Jessica also had a first as she sat in her bumbo seat and ate her first bowl of rice cereal.
Like I said, a big week of "firsts" in the McClintock household

McClintocks and McFarrens

Christopher and Zach

Keller and Ristow

We had a wonderful visit last week with one of Christopher's dearest friends that he has known since he was little. Zach McFarren and his family came down for a visit and we all had a great time. Christopher's family and the McFarrens have known each other for many years and he and Zach have loved growing up together.

Zach and Shelly have three wonderful kids and Ristow was super excited to have them come and play with him. It was so neat to watch our kids play together and think that Zach and Christopher played together the same way. We visited the zoo, played lots and celebrated Zach's birthday while they were here. Such a special time together and to watch the next generation of McClintocks and McFarrens have fun together.

Our Newest Addition

Well, after a beautiful week of no arguing or whining, Ristow has earned his "pet".
Here is the newest McClintock - Spidey


Yes, he is a Hermit Crab and I had the brilliant idea that this would be a cheap and easy answer to the whole pet dilemma. Ristow has wanted a pet for a long time, so this seemed like the perfect solution.
At the Pet store, our cheap purchase turned not-so-cheap as we were informed that we needed the hermit crab kit, the food, the coconut shell hut and of course the crab himself. $5 turned into $29 really quick.
Then came the "Easy" part, the instructions on taking care of our hermit crab:
He has to be misted everyday, bathed weekly, the humidity sponge in his tank kept moist, food changed and when you feed him you have to moisten the food and then place the crab on top of it. WHAT?! It is just a hermit crab, this was supposed to be a no brainer.
To top it all off, the sales lady says "You know hermit crabs can live for 20 years!"
So there it is, our new wonderful pet.
Oh, and did I mention that hermit crabs are nocturnal? Great if your kid's idea of a fun pet is watching a shell all day.
This should be good.......

(Though I have to admit, he is pretty cool to watch come 9pm.)

"Babies are hard work, you know?!"

Sometimes being awakened at 6am, after being up twice throughout the night with the wee one, with a 5yr old ready to play play play, can be a little overwhelming. Ristow questioned my bit of crankiness this morning and I explained to him that I had been up with Jess quite a bit throughout the night and that I was tired.
To which he replies
"Babies are hard work, you know?!"
Yes, I do know that, and thank you for reminding me Ristow.

Then he said "pets are hard work too. and I am ready for it!"
We are in the middle of a deal where if he can go a week without arguing with us, he gets a pet hermit crab. A good compromise since our family is definitely not ready for a dog or anything big.
So far, so good. We are on day 4 of the deal. Will post a pic of the new "pet" if Ristow makes it through the week.

Pretty in Pink

My sweet Jessica at almost 4 months old.