Windows to Life

The Art of Play

2012-01-27T14:13:00.003-06:00

Jessica is wonderful at playing. I know kids play all the time, but I love watching Jessica create story lines and scenes out of her fabulous little imagination and suddenly the trains are introducing themselves to mickey mouse and Ernie is riding Scoop from Bob the Builder.
Today's activity involved Jess finding my old Cabbage Patch kids (found in Mom and Dad's move this past weekend). We put diapers on them, fed them, rocked them to sleep, took them to the Doctor and even let them watch a little Frosty the Snowman ;) She was wonderful to them, she talked sweetly and sang songs and all the little special things that I normally do for her, and it made me feel like a pretty good Mom, at least for today ;)
She is so fun to watch as she creates, explores and builds, though she loves an audience and wants you to sit and watch and maybe play a little too.
I am so grateful for my sweet little girl and all the joy she brings!
(We've got to something about that crazy "CHEESE" smile!)

A Crab's Revenge

2011-12-28T21:46:00.003-06:00

The saga continues with our favorite pets...ok our only pets.
About 2 months ago one of the crabs was molting and was buried down in the sand doing his thing. (From past posts you will remember that molting is a traumatic time for a crab and they are very vulnerable and weak until their new skin hardens.) Well the smaller punk crab took advantage of the situation and stole the poor molting crabs shell leaving him weak and defenseless without a shell. While it was very cool seeing the crabs full body I quickly added some shells to the tank for him to hide in. Well, no permanent damage done.

Fast forward 2 months. The punk crab has been buried down molting for the last 5 weeks. He finally emerges yesterday and I pull all the crabs out to clean the tank. As I pick them all up and check them out I notice that the punk crab who just finished molting is missing his big claw! His leg is all mutilated and black and he has no big claw anymore.

All I can figure is that the big crab decided to get his revenge on the punk for stealing his shell while he was down and out and made him pay by ripping off the punk's claw while he was weak and defenseless molting. Who knew that the world of crabs could be so violent and full of drama? I wonder if the big crab did it himself or if he ordered a hit on the other crab. Next thing you know there will be horse heads in my tank!

Birthday Central

2011-12-06T20:13:00.006-06:00

This past weekend was filled with cake, ice cream, decorations, lots of presents and more cake. Both of my kids celebrated their Birthday! Ristow turned 7 and Jessica turned 2.
Here is a run down of some of the highlights...

Ristow had a rocking karate party at the Karate studio where he takes lessons. It was awesome and the instructor even cut the cake with his Samurai sword! It was everything he could have wished for.

Jess had a Mickey Mouse party and once she opened up the little Mickey figurines she had to show Mickey ALL of her presents as she opened them and have him help her. Totally cute. The highlight for her was the pony jack in the box she got. She turned the crank with eager anticipation and would get so excited as it was about to pop open.

We were glad to be able to share the weekend with Christopher's parents and managed to squeeze in a Birthday dinner at Logan's for Ristow, Breakfast with Santa at church, and a drive through tour of Christmas lights. It was a busy and wonderful weekend!

More pics can be found on my Facebook page

Pumpkin Carving 2011

2011-10-28T23:39:00.004-05:00

This year carving pumpkins it was Team Werewolf (the boys) vs. Team Mickey Mouse (the girls) as determined by Ristow. Christopher and Ristow created some kind of Monster pumpkin while Jess and I opted for the cute pumpkin look.

It was funny to watch Jess tonight. She didn't know what to make of all the activity. She saw me drawing out the design on the pumpkin and thought she was supposed to be doing that too. She drew with pen all over it. Then once we opened it, she watched Ristow pull pumpkin goop out of his pumpkin with a weird look of awe and disgust on her face :) She loved making the "Blech" sound every time Ristow did and finally she reached in and touch the goop herself, with one finger. She was content with that and had fun watching Ris and running around. I guess you have to acquire the desire to touch pumpkin guts!

All in all I think the pumpkins turned out pretty good!

Fall Leaves and Pumpkins

2011-10-10T13:04:00.004-05:00

This is Jessica's first fall season since she has been walking. It has been very exciting to see her discover and explore and have the words for all these new experiences. This past weekend I took the kids and my mom to the Pumpkin Farm. We fed goats, went on tractor train rides, the corn maze and played like crazy! It was a blast and so great to watch Jess. I think she tried to pick up just about every pumpkin there.

Today, I raked up what leaves have fallen so far in our yard and taught Jessica the ins and outs of jumping in, kicking and throwing leaves. Though the throwing part she was a pro at ;) We had a leaf fight and buried ourselves in them. New lesson learned ... leaves are very difficult to get out of long curly hair!We laughed and played and had lots of fun. I love this season and am so excited to continue to share it with my kiddos. Though when playing in the leaves in short sleeve shirts because it is 80 degrees outside, it can be kind of itchy ;)

Ristow's Cool Cut

2011-10-05T08:46:00.003-05:00

Ristow decided last week that he wanted a design shaved into the side of hair when he got his next haircut. We had a long talk about it and decided to let him try it out.

Christopher took his to the barbershop down the street which was a much better idea than to GreatClips that was going to charge him to two haircuts, one to cut and one to shave the designs!
The guys at the shop were pros and this is what Ristow came home with...
This morning he woke up and first thing he said was "mom, is it still there?" Yes, Ristow it is. We will see how school goes today with him showing off his new style. He was super excited and decided to wear his sharktooth necklace for the full effect. School pictures are next week and he couldn't be happier!

WARNING! Jessica can now open doors (sometimes)

2011-09-30T12:58:00.002-05:00

This week Jessica and I were playing in the kitchen and all of a sudden she reaches up and opens the door to the basement. Yikes! I scooped her up, headed to Walmart and bought safety knobs for the door. Crisis averted.

Today, I was vacuuming the house and Jess was running around wanting me to chase her with the vacuum and playing with the cord. I must of been really focused on my task at hand because after a while I realized she was longer anywhere to be seen. I turned off the vacuum and hear a faint "Mommmmmmy!" I couldn't figure out where it came from so I called "Jess, where are you?" I then hear a small knocking on the closet door where I keep the vacuum. I open the door and there is Jessica in the dark closet and all she says is "Hi". I guess she can't quite open all the doors yet :)
That kid sure keeps me on my toes.

My Little Girl

2011-09-28T12:55:00.003-05:00

Jessica is different from Ristow is sooooo many ways. Ristow has always been more of an observer at first and then will try something, Jess dives in head first. Ristow never liked to get dirty, Jessica LOVES mud, dirt, water and pretty much anything messy. When Ristow was little he never climbed things he wasn't supposed to or jumped off furniture (nowadays he does), Jessica yells "Parkour!" as she jumps from the ottoman to the couch!

Today we went to the playground and of course Jess wasn't content playing on the little kids playground, she headed right for the big playground suggested for ages 5-12 :) She climbs the ladders like a pro and slides down the big slides with no fear. She amazes me. It is hard to remember at times that she isn't even two yet.
At home she wanted to play outside more and found her special dirt spot under the climbing wall of our little playground. She loves to dig and explore!
She would play outside all day long if she could. Thank goodness for nap time or I would never get anything done inside :)

Warrior Dash

2011-09-19T14:55:00.004-05:00

A number of months back I saw pictures of my cousin Carrie dressed in some crazy costume covered in mud. I thought to myself "what in the world is she doing?" Then I read about the race she competed in and how much fun she had and I thought "I want to do that too!"

As soon as I saw that the Warrior Dash was coming to Tennessee, I signed up. I was so very excited about it but wasn't really in shape for it. I hadn't been running in a while and definitely didn't feel strong. So in July I started training with one of Christopher's personal trainers Jason to work on my running and getting stronger. Wow, what a difference. Just in the month of August alone I knocked my fastest 5K time down by almost 4minutes! And, I could actually start seeing the outline of muscles in my arms and back!

By the time Saturday came around I felt super ready (besides the head and chest cold that I got Thursday) I suited up my costume, mostly donated by Ristow's costume bin :), braided my hair for the first time ever and was ready to face the challenge.
The atmosphere was energetic and there was great people watching to be done at the race. Christopher, Ristow and my Dad came to cheer me on (mom was kind enough to watch my sick little girl). The race started off and we faced everything from hale bales to barbed wire to junk cars to climb and giant cargo nets. Crawling on our hands and knees in the dirt to using ropes to pull up over walls. After each obstacle I got more and more excited proving to myself that I actually could do this! As you round the turn for the finish you jump over two rows of fire logs and then dive into the mud pit and crawl across to the finish line! It was AWESOME.
They had a few fire hoses to rinse off in but there were so many people crowding the hoses like a herd of cattle I barely got my face rinsed off. So we threw a towel over the seat of the car and headed home. Of course I was still wearing my fuzzy warrior helmet I got for doing the race :)

I am a still a bit sore today and I have a big bruise on my leg but both of those serve to remind me of what I accomplished and how hard I have worked over the last few months. My training has given me confidence and a more positive view of who I am and for that I am grateful!

I highly recommend the Warrior Dash!

Thankful for Famly Time

2011-08-26T13:02:00.004-05:00

This past week we were lucky enough to have Christopher's sister Amy and her little 11month old daughter Alma visit us here in Nashville. We loved having them here! Here are a few pics from their visit.

We went on Saturday to Centennial Park to feed the geese and ducks. Ristow and Jessica had a blast throwing crackers to the geese. Jess wanted to grab them. As we were feeding the geese in the pond, we look behind us and a giant army of geese are closing in from the rear. It was a crazy parade of them. Once they got right up to us we decided it was better to take the kids to the other side of the pond for a while :)

This is what Alma did while we fed the ducks...

Even though Jess and Alma whined and cried and tried to hit each other more than play together, we still loved having that time together. Ristow on the other hand LOVED playing with Alma and making her laugh and was absolutely great with her.

Thanks for making the trip Ames. We love you guys tons!

First Day of School & Jazz Hands

2011-08-13T07:50:00.003-05:00

Thursday was the first day of 1st Grade for Ristow. He was super excited. He had his new light up shoes, his new Ironman belt, his new backpack, a cool shark fin haircut and he was reading to go!
I took some pictures of him before he headed to the bus stop and he said "wait mom, I've got to do one with Jazz Hands!"
Ristow has all of sudden been doing Jazz hands all the time. Not sure where he got it from or why he thinks it is so funny, no, ok, I get the funny part. But he even wanted to take a picture of Christopher and I but wouldn't take it unless we did Jazz Hands. That kid cracks me up.

So the first day of school went great for him, he loves his teacher and all looks to be headed in the right direction. As long as he doesn't make all the other kids do Jazz Hands ;)

Freedom in Swimming

2011-08-10T21:54:00.004-05:00

For the past three weeks Ristow has been taking swim lessons. They are only 10 minutes long 5 days a week. Now you may wonder what anyone can learn in only 10 minutes and I thought the same thing at first. These swim lessons are basically survival swimming. Teaching babies and kids the basics of how to survive if they fall in a pool.
Ristow has always been afraid of getting his face wet and for years I have been trying to get him to just stick his face IN the water let alone under it. Now that he is 6 1/2 yrs old, we decided it was time. Christopher knew of a woman who did these survival swim lessons and we thought we would give it a try. She is amazing! Ristow went under the water the first day (to my amazement) and took off from there! He swims under water, floats on his back, does jumps off the side and is learning the specific strokes now. He has loved swim lessons but more importantly he has loved what learning to swim has given him... Independence!

This summer we swam at the camp pool when we were up visiting my brother in PA. There were lots of other bigger kids in the pool and Ristow didn't want to swim because he didn't want to have to wear his arm floaties. That is when I understood that he was finally ready to make a change.

Today I took Ristow and Jessica to the community rec center for a last day of summer vacation swim. It was awesome. Ristow was playing in the water and doing Cannonballs like he had been doing it his whole life. I actually was able to take Jessica to the kiddie pool and watch Ristow from there while he played we some other kids his age in the big pool. He LOVED it! He jumped and swam and played just like all the other kids.
Today, as we left the pool Ristow walked with his head a little higher and a big smile on his face. He said "Mom, that was a great time, wasn't it?!"

Dinosaur World!

2011-08-01T15:07:00.003-05:00

For years we have seen this dinosaur as we drove up Interstate 65 on our way through Kentucky to Ohio and for years Ristow has begged to stop at Dinosaur World. Well this past Saturday we finally made the trip he has been waiting for!
It was pouring rain as we stopped and had breakfast on our way out of town with the kids. ( An amazing breakfast by the way at a new restaurant in Brentwood) We drove north through crazy downpours praying that it wasn't raining in Kentucky. When we cross the state line the clouds parted and it looked like we were going to finally see the Dinos.

It was a fun place. It has over 100 lifesize dinosaurs throughout the park, a museum with fossils, a playground and a fossil dig where you actually get to keep 3 of the fossils you find. Ristow dug and found 2 sharks teeth and a sea creature fossil. Christopher and Ristow had fun pretending to fight the dinosaurs.They had a mammoth area that Jessica loved because she got to touch the "elephant" and made tons of elephant noises.
It turned out to be a hot and sunny day with no rain. Definitely worth the trip.
After Dinosaur World we hit Onyx cave. Ristow had never been in a cave before and we thought it would be cool. It was a little intimidating for him but in the end he liked it.

Then we hit a local restaurant that unlike breakfast left much to be desired. We did get to meet the local funeral director who was sitting in the next booth initiating some interesting conversation :)

All in all it was a fun family day! Then Christopher and I actually got to go on a date that night at a great restaurant and then to see Captain America. So thankful for a fun day together.

When Imitation Isn't Necessarily Flattery

2011-07-27T12:58:00.002-05:00

Before Jessica could talk she has been imitating us, learning to clap, making faces and sounds. I knew I was in trouble this past school year, when on a weekend, Jess and Ristow stayed at my parents house overnight and my mom told me that Jessica was waving Ristow's clothes at him and "yelling" for him to get dressed. Now she couldn't say specific words at the time but everyone could tell it was an imitation of me trying to get Ristow dressed before school. Funny and a bit embarrassing at the same time ;)

Since then, she has imitated more sayings and words and loves to pretend to be cookie monster and say everything in a rough low voice. (Christopher likes to pretend that he taught her to talk like Carl from the movie Slingblade). Nowadays Jess has quite the vocabulary and likes to talk almost as much as Ristow does, which as you can guess, doesn't leave much time for anyone else in the family!

This afternoon Jess took it to a whole different level. When we came in from playing outside, she grabbed a toy bunny and put it in the corner for a "time out". She said "bad, hit, out, one" then walked away from him and went back gave him a hug and made him say "sorry baby". Then she gave him a kiss and went on to play with something else. The translation of Jessica's words work out to be something like "That was a bad choice. We do not hit! Sit in time out for one minute." Which she seems to hear quite often and can now obviously imitate in her play.

It really amazes me all that they pick up and learn, even at such a young age. It also is a good self check for me to make sure she is imitating good things and not bad. Imitations like Christopher's fly dance moves or Ristow's silly faces and jokes and hopefully lots of my hugs and kisses and love!

4th of July, Cousins, Chickens and more

2011-07-12T11:01:00.003-05:00

After the McClintock Reunion in Ohio, the kids and I decided to drive up to PA to see my brother Jim and his family. We drove up on the 4th and made it just as the Ligonier Camp 4th of July Parade was starting! The kids were so excited and love seeing Uncle Jimmy and Dylan in the parade.
The next big excitement was seeing the cousins. Ristow and Dylan ran to each other from across the parking lot and hugged, it was the cutest thing. Right out of a cheesy movie!
When we got down to their house Jess screamed with glee as she chased after the chickens and ran around. Later in the visit she was walking around the yard and the chickens were actually following her in a little parade.
We did tons of stuff while we were there. From fireworks and sparklers

to riding horses and playing cowboys.

We picked wild black raspberries and saw a military helicopter overhead that responding to our shouting and waving with spins and circles! Ristow's other favorite thing is eating in the camp cafeteria and spending time with Uncle Jimmy.

Unfortunately I didn't get quite as much grown up conversation time as hoped as Suzannah and I spent much of the time refereeing the little ones. James and Jessica weren't quite the loving cousins we had imagined they would be. They are at that age of testing and tantrums and communication frustrations. It is a good thing they are so stinking cute ;) Lots of good hugging time was had and fun on the swings.

All in all, it was a great visit and we are so glad we could make it up to see them. Time passes so quickly and the kids grow so fast. It is important for them to know each other.
Much love to the Paul Family!

McClintock Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-09T11:21:00.007-05:00

Another year, another reunion. Kids are bigger, hairs are more grey, some new faces are added to the mix. But in general reunions stay the same... great food made with lots of love, hugs, laughter, small talk, catching up and sharing pieces of life together.

This year it was fun to see our little niece Alma and Jessica play together. I look forward to the cousins growing up together. They battled over laps and toys but seemed to be pretty intrigued with each other.

Ristow looked forward to his special stash of cookies at Nana's house that he only gets when we go there.
He loved talking and playing with the older kids and gave lots of hugs. We spent great family time at the pool and the playground! It was wonderful.

It was a very enjoyable visit and we are so thankful for the time we got to spend with everyone!

Strawberry Picking

2011-05-30T21:37:00.004-05:00

For the last few years we have made it a little tradition to go strawberry picking with my Mom and Dad and then we make jam together. It is lots of fun and Ristow has really enjoyed it.
When I was little my brother and I would go strawberry picking with Mom and our Aunt Betty. I have so many found memories of picking strawberries and begging to eat "just one more". They were experiences that I cherish and I am thrilled to be able to share that with my kids.

We are lucky enough to live in an area where there are numerous pick your own farms within an hour of us. We went this weekend and just barely made the end of strawberry season around here. But we picked a few baskets full and enjoyed the time together.

I filled my basket pretty quickly and moved along the row fast enough to keep my basket just out of reach of the toddler on my heels reaching for another strawberry. Jessica loved that the strawberries just kept magically appearing in my basket and would grab one and run away, shoving it into her mouth. It was only much later on that I realized she had been eating the berries stem an all. That should make for interesting digestion ;)

Ristow on the other hand picked only about 15 strawberries total. He is very particular about which berries are worthy of picking or not, so he would rather just have a few GREAT ones than a basket of mediocre ones.

Tomorrow morning is Jam morning at Mom's but at the rate my kids are eating these berries, there may only be enough for one container of jam ;) At least they are enjoying them!

Jessica

2011-05-27T20:53:00.004-05:00

Jess will be 18 months in just a few days and I am truly amazed at how much so has grown, changed and developed. She is so smart and so stubborn, so independent and so cute all at the same time. She challenges me in my patience yet warms my heart. She fights with passion to get her own way and yet conforms to the shape of my lap and relaxes into my arms for a snuggle.
She is beautiful and bold, energetic and exhausting all in a glance. I am thankful that I am blessed to be her Mom and walk along side her as she grows into the person God has created her to be.
So far the last 18 months have been an eye opener and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Moving on Up

2011-05-27T20:09:00.003-05:00

Today was Ristow's Kindergarten graduation. He was styling in his Tony Hawk shirt and black tie, which of course he picked out. (Luckily I talked him out of the striped sport jacket to wear over it ;)
It was a wonderful program. The kids sang a few songs and then got their certificates. Ristow kept chanting "Shake, then take" over and over the last few days so that he wouldn't mess up when he had to shake the principals hand and accept his certificate. He did great.

I am so very proud of Ristow. He has worked hard this year and really made it a great one! Next comes 1st grade and now he walks with his head a little higher when you mention him as a first grader. He is so cute. I am so thankful for his teacher who took extra time to challenge him and had extra patience with his out of the box thinking ;) It was a great fit and a great year!

I picked him up early as a reward and he got to pick where we went to lunch. Of course he picked McDonald's, since we hardly ever go there and you get a toy! Then for dinner, Poppy took him out to eat at the Cowboy restaurant (Logan's). Quite a day of celebration!

The End Times or The 13 year Cicadas, whichever you prefer

2011-05-13T13:44:00.004-05:00

The other day I heard someone at the store say "Oh my gosh, I saw one of those Cicadas today!"

To which I wanted to reply "You should come to my house, we've got thousands!"

Yes, this is the year of the Cicada. For the 10yrs we have lived in Nashville I have been hearing about the 13 year Cicada. Well, finally it is here.

Yesterday we walked out to the bus stop and you could not walk across the yard without hearing a crunch every step. Ristow tip-toed and danced his way to the bus stop trying to avoid the Cicadas and their shells. He has had a bug phobia ever since he was two and we took him to a butterfly garden, when a giant rainforest-esque butterfly the size of his head, flew in his face.

Jessica on the other hand has been totally into the Cicadas. She wants to play with, inspect and step on the crazy things. She picked one up by the wings at the bus stop and loved watching it buzz around in her hand. I on the other hand eventually swatted it out of her hand because it was grossing me out ;)

It is so noisy around our house and as you drive down the road. They fill the trees and are everywhere. Not sure how long they are going to be gracing us with their presence but for now I battle between Ristow not wanting to even go outside and Jessica begging at the door to be let out and explore.

And of course because of living in the bible belt there are those who swear that our Cicadas are a sure sign of the end times. Well, I say whether it is the end times coming or just another year with lots of crazy bugs. We love each other the best we can in the meantime tip-toe through the Cicadas!

Jake

2011-04-30T12:21:00.004-05:00

Everyone who has known my family and my parents at any point over that last 20yrs, has also known Jake. Jake is my parents dog who has lived to be at least 19yrs old. He was found by my Dad at work and joined our family. Jake has always been full of love, concern, playfulness and loyalty. He has been probably the best dog ever. He was a faithful companion when anyone was sick and at one point or another stood by every member of the family when they just needed a friend. He would lay by their side until all was well again.

This weekend my parents made the tough decision to put Jake to sleep. He has been in so much pain lately that he would rather just stand in one spot than suffer trying to lay down or sit. It was hard to watch him hurt. Yet each time we came over he would muster enough energy to greet us and love us and even play a bit.

I am so thankful for what Jake has meant to my family and to many of my friends who also loved Jake. Our hearts are sad but we are thankful he is not suffering anymore. We love you Jakey!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-27T12:37:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we had some wonderful family time. From Egg Hunts and cookouts to pancake breakfast together and a fun Easter dinner with friends, it was so enjoyable.

One thing that I loved watching was my kids egg hunt. Jessica absolutely loved it and got into the groove right away. Though after her bucket was half full she would throw them back out just to collect them again. Ristow was great helping Jess, he is such a great big brother!

I do think it is funny to see the things that I NEVER let Ristow do when he was Jess's age that I totally don't think anything about her doing. Like even simple things like eating candy. Ristow was 2 before he tasted candy. Jessica ate hershey's chocolate, M & Ms, tried her first lollipop and other tasty easter delicacies this past weekend. I do believe that she has My sweet tooth :)
It amazes me on a daily basis how different she is from Ristow yet they both experience the same firsts and the same milestones. It is truly a joy!

A Weekend In Boston

2011-04-22T22:49:00.001-05:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to go with Christopher this past weekend to Boston to watch him run the Boston Marathon. We are so thankful for the family and friends that helped out by watching the kids for us making this possible!
So we left Saturday afternoon from Nashville and landing with horrible weather in Baltimore for a layover. 7.5hrs later we finally took off for Boston. Got to our hotel about 12:30am very ready for sleep. The next morning we headed to the lobby and met a great couple who was also there for the race. They were kind enough to give us a ride to the subway station with them and we ended up hanging with them for much of the weekend. It was lots of fun. We went to race registration and the expo then off to Fenway to get our first glimpse of the Green Monster.
What a great ballpark! Such character and atmosphere. We loved watching the game and the Sox even pulled off a huge win!

After the game I thought I would show Christopher around Boston, after all, I had been there once before about 13yrs ago :)
Well, I vaugely remembered seeing some big ships and the Boston Tea Party Museum when I was there last. So we headed for the Harbor. After walking and walking we passed a cemetary and got to see Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adam's tombstones. Finally we get the water and I see a ship. We go over to it and it is a whale watching sailing ship. I ask a lady at the desk about The Boston Tea Party stuff and she laughs and says "It doesn't exist! Unless you want to go look at the water where the boat might have been, been gone for years!"
What?! So the one thing I tried to go show Christopher was a bust.

Luckily on the way to the subway we found a cute little area of Boston and a great little restaurant with Lobster. Yay!

The next morning was Race Day. Lots of energy and cheering. It was awesome to spectate at Boston. Got to see the wheelchair racers, the Elites run by, including Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall. Very cool. I saw some Troops marching the course and many many fast runners. I took a sign that Ristow made that said "I love you Daddy! Now, Go Go Go Go!" Got to see Christopher right before he tackled Heartbreak Hill. He looked fresh and ready to go, and that was mile 20. I was so very proud of him. Click here to read his story.

It was a great experience and lots of fun! We got back Tues around noon and were very glad to see the kiddos.

We've Got Us a Climber!

2011-04-11T08:02:00.002-05:00

When Ristow was little we hardly had to baby proof anything at all. He never climbed the stairs or the furniture or got into much of anything at all. Boy were we spoiled. Jessica, on the other hand, gets into EVERYTHING. Stuff that I never would have thought to baby proof, gets messed up and destroyed. If if is not locked down or up high, she considers it hers. Well the up high part has now become hers too. She has figured how to climb up on just about everything!
Yesterday I walked into the living room from the kitchen and found her on TOP of the piano. (and NO I don't have a picture of it) She pulls her little ride on pony in front of the couch and climbs up onto it and from there I discovered she climbs onto the side table. This girl is so adventurous and is not afraid of anything. It is going to drive me crazy! I can barely keep up with her.
Everyday with Jessica is a new challenge and a new joy. Lucky for her she is so stinking cute! :)

A Busy Start to Spring

2011-03-28T12:13:00.003-05:00

Over Ristow's spring break we were able to take a few days and head up to the Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati for a mini family reunion with my brother and his family and my parents. It was such a wonderful time. The kids laughed and played together and loved the water park. It is funny how different it is when you grow up and spend the time playing with your kids at the water park and not so much time playing with your brother at the water park. But luckily we were able to put all the kids to bed in Mom and Dad's room one night and spend some time just us kids, I mean grown ups, hanging out as couples. I love hanging with Jimmy and Zan and had a great time.

My Birthday also fell during spring break and my wonderful husband organized a bunch of friends and family to go out line dancing at the Wildhorse. It was so much fun! It was the first year that the number I was turning made me feel like I was getting older. But at a fun night out, 35 felt pretty good!

We also had a chance to hit a Nashville Predators hockey game! We took Ristow and my Uncle Ed who was visiting and the four of us cheered and yelled and had a blast watching the Preds win.

So you can see, we have been busy and having a blast. I am truly thankful for my many blessing and the opportunities to spend time with the people I love!

Still as young as I pretend to be!

2011-03-03T14:09:00.003-06:00

I went with Jessica to the Driver's License center today to get my license renewed and a new photo taken. Very important since the last one I got was 10 years ago and looks very different to how I look now. Well, unfortunately the Center was closed due to the computers being down, so we will aim for next week to say cheese for the camera.
Instead, on the way home, we stopped at a playground and enjoyed the beautiful weather and a snack. I was chasing Jess around the playground and having fun when I spotted it....The flip bar.
Now I know that is not the technical term for it but that is what I used to do on it, so that is what it is called. I slowly walked over to it and wondered...could I? should I? Will I hurt myself? and the most important question, Is anyone looking?. With Jessica close by picking up sticks, I propped myself up and flung over and around the bar and landed safely with both feet and the ground. My poor sunglasses that flipped off my head and across the playground were the only casualties. No one saw and really no one cares, but with my 35th birthday approaching this month, I walked a little bit taller afterwards knowing that I could still do it ;)
I can't wait till the day when Jessica is old enough for me to teach her to do flips on the playground ;)

fyi... if you google flip bar images, you don't just get playground images ;) you get people flipping other things too. Just a warning ;)

Karate and More

2011-02-21T23:16:00.004-06:00

Ristow sure knows how to make a Mom proud. Tonight he received his Jr Orange Belt in Karate. He is really enjoying it and is doing really well. I am so excited that he has found something that he can get into. Now comes the head gear and the sparring, should be interesting ;)

Now is when I take a moment and brag, now I know I kind of just did that, but Ristow is just so smart and I am amazed by him just about on a daily basis. (Between all of the ridiculous knock knock jokes that don't make any sense, of course)
He is doing above and beyond his kindergarten work and is reading, spelling and doing math wonderfully. He asks for more worksheets for me to print out for him to do. It is fun to watch his little brain work.
Tomorrow he gets to go to the State Capitol Building for his school field trip and he is super excited, mostly because he gets to brag that his Poppy built 70 of the windows for the Capitol Building but also because it is just cool. The most interesting place I got to go on a field trip was to the water treatment plant. ;)
I can't wait to hear how it goes and what new ideas it creates in Ristow's mind. I am sure it won't disappoint ;)

Smiling Again

2011-02-21T14:27:00.003-06:00

The smiles that normally fill the McClintock household had been MIA for the last week. Jessica has been sick with throwing up and runny nose and the cough monster. After just four days of it and her not sleeping much I decided to be a "Good" mother and take her to the doctor. Of course, she didn't cough or sniffle one bit while we were there and her fever even broke just in time for them to take her temperature. Aaaargh, they looked at me and smiled and said "well she must just have a cold". I was soooo frustrated as I drove home listening to my child cough and hack the whole way home. What a lovely waste of time ;)

Now we are on day 11 of the yuck but with much improvement. No throwing up or fever and the runny nose and cough have lessened, and she is sleeping again for the most part!
But the best part of all is that she is finally smiling again. Last week she would cry all day long and now she is laughing and happy again! We have even been outside enjoying the warm weather.
We all ended up with some form of the yuck this past week, sniffles, runny nose, sore throat.
But now I am off to Lysol the entire house and hopefully keep us all healthy again.
I am very thankful that the smiles have returned!

Jessica's Beautiful Eyes

2011-01-28T20:49:00.003-06:00

Today I was looking into my daughter's eyes and got to see how beautiful they are.
Since she was born she has had blocked tear ducts that have caused her eyes to crust over and gunk up ALL OF THE TIME. We were constantly wiping and cleaning and wiping.

This past Tuesday we had a procedure done where they put her under anesthesia for a short time and snake a wire through her tear ducts to unclog them. The one healed on its own two days before the procedure so they only had to do one eye. They said there was a substantial amount of blockage but it should clear up fine.

For the last two days her eyes have been perfectly clear when waking up and throughout the day. What a huge relief! I know that compared to what some families have to endure with their children with sickness or other health or development issues, this is a teeny tiny minor thing. But we are thankful that it is cleared up and Jessica will not have to deal with that anymore. She is such a beautiful blessing to us and I am so thankful for my precious daughter.
Here is her cheesy clear eyed grin...

11years and counting

2011-01-24T13:58:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was Christopher and My 11th Anniversary. On Friday night my parents came over for dinner and Christopher's mom was in town visiting and the request was made to watch our wedding video in honor of our Anniversary. Ristow was very excited to see the video and had tons of comments and questions all the way through.

When he saw the line of groomsmen at the front of the church, he said " wow, and you picked Daddy out of those guys, right mom?"

After seeing the church we got married in he says "oh, I thought you got married in the field with all the gravestones." "You mean a cemetery?" I say. I guess he kept getting married and buried mixed up ;) To which Christopher replied "Well, it's kind of the same." Nice

Ristow's favorite part was the part where Christopher and I smashed the cake into each other's face. He said that he couldn't wait to do that at his wedding except he would have a cake that was half spiderman and half butterfly (for his wife).

We laughed a ton and enjoyed remembering all the good times we had that day and all of the wonderful family and friends that joined us.
Then we celebrated our day by going to the Circus with the family and then Christopher's mom watched the kids and we went out to dinner and then overnight at a hotel. We had a great time and are very thankful for the 11yrs we have had and all of the people that have supported us this far. Hopefully many more years to come ;)

One Tough Snow Bunny

2011-01-10T22:05:00.002-06:00

Jessica is a tough little girl. She can take her fair share of tumbles, bumps and bangs and still keeps on rocking. We are always very impressed by how much she can take before a tear drops.
Today was a great example of that.
We got about 4 inches of snow last night and before lunch we bundled up to head out for some wintery fun. After my last ordeal trying to get the kids bundled for snow play, I learned the best way and the best clothes to use. Ristow grabbed the sled (which was NOT locked in the shed this time) and we headed out.

Ristow and Jessica piled onto the sled to make their inital run down our little hill. They slid down the hill and right into a snow covered bush at the bottom of the hill. Poor Jess was in the front and ended up with a faceful of snow and branches. Surprisingly she didn't cry a bit, though her face was all scrunched up waiting for me to brush all of the snow off. It filled up parts of her hood too. I couldn't help but chuckle a little at the situation.
Lots of fun sledding and snowball fighting ensued. Then our neighbor invited us to sled with them down their driveway which is much steeper than our little hill. Ristow was very excited. His first run down the hill, he runs right into and under the front of their van (which had been moved to the side so no one would hit it) Normally he would get really upset but I think he must have been taking his cues from Jess. I went down with Jessica and everything was great.
While we were waiting at the top of the drive, Jessica stood up and due to the crazy amount of clothing she was layered in, lost her balance and landed face first into a big puddle of slush on the side of the road. I couldn't help but laugh! Man, that poor girl. Her face was covered in slushy snow. It was packed in her hair, her nose, her pacifier was even packed with slush. She was not happy. After I cleaned her up though, she was ready to ride again. I pulled the kids home on the sled and we went down our little hill a few more times and headed inside.
All in all, I would say it was a successful day of winter fun! Looks like we will get another chance tomorrow and Jessica will, I'm sure, be a champ again!

Capri Sun is Yum Yum

2011-01-05T09:11:00.003-06:00

Jessica has been coveting Ristow's Capri Suns for a while. Each time he drinks one she tries to take it and if she finds an empty one that he forgot to throw away she tries desperately to get a drop out of it. At first I thought she just liked the packaging, then yesterday I had one in the afternoon and let her have a sip. Her eyes got big and she wanted more. Then she reached over grabbed it out of my hand and took off toddling as fast as she could across the living room, guzzling the drink like a desert wanderer who had just found an oasis. By the time I chased after her she had actually drank almost all of it! I think I may have created a monster! She keeps going to the refrigerator and saying "more, more, more". That girl keeps me busy and keeps me laughing!

Santa the Spy

2010-12-29T08:34:00.004-06:00

For Christmas Ristow had asked Santa for a pair of Spy Gear Night Vision Goggles.
He couldn't wait for Christmas morning to see if he got them. We spent Christmas with Christopher's family in Ohio so Ristow made sure we sent Santa an email to let him know to bring his goggles there.
Christmas morning Ristow runs down to see his stocking and presents and sure enough there is the box of night goggles. He eagerly opens them up and the box is EMPTY! I could not believe it. We were all very upset, especially me. We told Ristow that the elves probably just forgot to put them in the box. Luckily there were plenty of other presents to distract him.

So yesterday morning Ristow woke up and found this letter from Santa by our fireplace.

So Santa was the Spy! Ristow was so excited to get his Night Goggles, he wore them almost all day long! Better be sure to leave a light on for Santa next time!

Ice Skating

2010-12-28T21:37:00.003-06:00

Today I took Ristow ice skating for the first time. It was great. He bounced in his seat with excitement the whole way there. We waited in a huge long line to get into the rink and then another line to get skates. It was all worth it to see his face when he stepped onto the ice. He absolutely loved it! He wasn't too bad at it either. We managed 3 laps and only 3 falls and he even passed some first time adults creeping along the wall. I would call it a success seeing as how he wants to go back tomorrw and do it again ;) though one of his favorite parts was oogling over all the hockey gear in the skate shop.

Snow Day Fun

2010-12-14T22:11:00.003-06:00

We had our first snow of the season this past weekend and Monday was Ristow's first snow day of the year! So we bundled up, which seemed to take an eternity, and headed out the door. Well kind of. First, I had to find warm clothes that fit for both kids, Jessica was in boots two sizes too big for her and luckily Ristow had just gotten a bag of warm clothes the next size up from a friend. Then I headed to the shed to get the sled out, but the lock on the shed was frozen solid. Back inside for a cup of warm water. I finally get the sled out and go to get both kids out the door. Jessica, of course, now has a dirty diaper. Undress the bundle, change, bundle back up.
Are we ready?
Jessica is beside herself with excitement as we go out into the white wonder, though she seemed to have difficulty smiling due to the fact that her new winter coat was squishing her face ;)
Ristow got on the sled first and Jessica fought to get out of my arms and onto to sled with Ristow. After the first time down our tiny hill. Jessica was crying, not because she didn't LOVE it but because I was making her get off so I could take the sled back up! She and Ris went down the hill about 10 times and every time they got to the bottom Jess would want more. She has become my little adventurer. The kids had fun and now we await the next snowfall because of course the snow was all melted by this morning. That's Tennessee for you.

Here is also a picture of Jessica "helping" string the lights for the Christmas tree!

Family Pictures

2010-12-07T22:35:00.003-06:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend when Jimmy and his family were visiting, Mom arranged for a wonderful photographer to come and do family photos. Unfortunately it was the same weekend as the OSU Vs. Michigan game that Christopher had planned on going to for months. So needless to say my family was missing a key element in the pictures. Bri was wonderful enough to give us a separate time when we could all be together for pictures. That time was today, between when Ristow got off school and Christopher had his next client, a 30 minute window in 30 degree weather. Freezing cold! We all dressed for pictures and we figured we could whip off all our coats for a two minute period and see if we got anything. Well Bri managed to get some fabulous pictures!
I still can't believe how great they turned out and before all of our noses turned red from the cold.
Thanks Bri!

Party Central

2010-12-06T09:02:00.005-06:00

December is a busy and joyous month in the McClintock household. We have the privilege of celebrating both of my beautiful children's birthday in one weekend!
Ristow turned 6yrs old this past Thursday and he had a LEGO party here at the house on Saturday. It was lots of fun! I had made Lego invitations, Lego Cake, Lego party favors, the kids played Lego games and of course he got lots of Lego presents! It was a big success and most important, Ristow loved it!
Sunday we celebrated Jessica's 1st birthday! I was thankful to be able to use most of the same decorations since everything was primary colors and made a #1 cake for Jess. She did pretty well opening presents. She got a pink shopping cart which she pushed all over the house! She did not care for her cake but she sure loved the strawberry ice cream that came along with it ;)It was a ton of work and hopefully I figure out how to make it a bit easier with practice. We have got lots more years of double birthdays ahead of us! I was glad to have the McClintocks here visiting to help with the kids and party stuff.
We also managed to squeeze in this past weekend: Seeing The Rocketts perform, Breakfast with Santa, Seeing lights at the Opryland Hotel and putting up the rest of the outdoor Christmas decorations. It was quite a weekend.

Thankful

2010-11-27T21:07:00.004-06:00

We were blessed to have my brother Jim and his wonderful family join us for Thanksgiving this year. We spent great family time just hanging out and watching the kids all play together. It was so cool to watch them and see them truly enjoy each other.
We did so much, from Thanksgiving dinner to Wii competitions, from High Tea (just us gals) to a movie afternoon, from hugging and talking by the fireplace to sharing meals and laughing with the kids during family photos. It was a visit full of memories and great times and I am so thankful that they braved the 11 hr trip down from PA. They truly made this holiday special for us.

Mazes and Marathons

2010-11-21T13:57:00.004-06:00

Wow, what a weekend. Great weather, great time together as a family, great time with friends, just wonderful.
Yesterday Christopher worked on our leaf maze in the front yard. We are that family that despises bagging leaves, so instead we systematically arrange our leaves into a fun maze for Ristow and his friends to run in. Our leaves look neat and are yard looks pretty cool, it's a win win for everyone ;)

Today Ristow ran his first real mile. He has run bits and pieces of a mile before but not known what that distance really looks like. (heck, how many of you know what that distance really looks like? on foot anyway ;)
He did great. Christopher ran with him at a loop at a nearby park. It was so cute watching father and son running together. Ristow signed up for the kid's Country Music Marathon this year. He has to run 25.2 miles between now and April and then he gets to run the last mile on the course of the Country Music Marathon with a group of kids from schools across Nashville and cross the finish line! Needless to say, he is super excited to cross the same finish line that his Dad crosses each year! I am so proud of both my boys ;)

Meanwhile, Jessica played in a Hippo!

Date Night

2010-11-14T21:08:00.003-06:00

Whenever we get a chance to go out for date night, we take it! Most times it is my parents who are gracious enough to watch my children, for which we are very thankful.
Once a month we are part of a babysitting swap with 3 other families. This past Saturday we were able to drop the kids off at the swap and then go on a double date with my parents. We had such a nice time. It was nice to be able to have actual conversations with them and not have the kids interrupting. We went out to dinner at Bonefish Grill. It was AMAZING! I think I talked about how good the food was more than anything else. Mmmmmm. If you have one near you and haven't tried it, I highly recommend it.
It was so nice to know that the kids were having a fun time and we were able to just enjoy one another. We talked, we laughed and had a great time.

I am the Wife of an Ironman

2010-11-08T08:13:00.003-06:00

Being the wife of an Ironman means that for the last 7 months I have sacrificed our family time for my husband's training schedule. I have spent extra time and money grocery shopping to feed Christopher his 5000 calories a day making sure nothing had high fructose corn syrup or enriched flour in it. I have spent many an evening watching Christopher fall asleep on the couch within minutes of getting home because he has spent everything he had on training and work.
I have also never been more proud of someone. I have never experienced the level of joy and pride while watching an athletic event as I did on Saturday, as Christopher completed his Ironman! The smile on his face and knowing how much went into being able to do this brought me to tears. Then I looked around at the 2,000 other athletes who had given up so much to accomplish so much and the tears flowed harder. You could see the pain, the story, the joy, the commitment in each person's eyes as they ran by.
From the man with one leg hopping through the sand to start the second lap of his swim, to the woman who missed the swim cut off by less than a minute and was forced to quit. There were stories upon stories out there that day. I loved every minute of it.
I made a sign that I held up during the Marathon that said "You are Strong". I don't know if anyone got encouragement from it, I hope so, but I know many people looked and read it and one guy passed and jokingly said "it should say "You are Tired"!"
Another older man running by slowed down and asked "Do these shorts make my butt look big?"
One of other wives and I assured him that he looked "hot" with big smiles on our faces. It was great to see so many people leaning on their sense of humor to make the run more bearable.
One of the best things about the race bibs at Ironman is that the athletes name is printed on the front making it easy for spectators to cheer and encourage by name. It is a personal way to make people feel special and that someone else cares about their race along with them. Cheering at the Ironman is an experience all its own. Your heart breaks at the hurt and your heart flies with the successes. Watching athletes come down the last bit to the finish and seeing the look of relief and pride on their faces was so rewarding. Knowing they completed the 2.4mile swim, the 112mile bike and the 26.2mile run and they were about to join the elite group and be called an Ironman.
And then I saw him. The love of my life running towards the finish with a huge smile on his face. My favorite part was hearing the announcer over the loudspeaker say. Christopher McClintock....You are an Ironman!
It was all worth it.

Sometimes you just gotta laugh to keep from crying

2010-10-25T12:50:00.003-05:00

Today Jessica has been throwing up. Poor thing, but other than that she is doing ok. No fever or anything else. So after multiple baths and lots of laundry I decided that we would go for a walk. She loves riding in the stroller and I needed to get out too.

We get down to the end of the street and it starts to downpour out of nowhere. My street has never seemed so long as when you are running with an baby in an umbrella stroller (which work NOTHING like an umbrella) in the pouring rain. Then when we finally make it to our driveway I push the stroller up over the curb on the drive and all of the sudden the stupid stroller lives up to its name and collapses like an umbrella with my child still buckled into it. AAAARGH! So now I have a crying, wet, sick baby and am dragging the stroller behind me through the yard into the house.
As soon as we get inside, the rain completely stops and the sun comes out, Of Course!

That is when I toss my hands up into the air and shake my head and laugh. A little bit of crazy keeps us all able to relate to one another a little better ;) We all have silly frustrating days that remind us of how human we are. (Some people unfortunately more than others) On those days we must remind ourselves of of how blessed we truly are despite the crazy moments of life.

Oh No! Did I really just hear what I think I did?.......Off to clean up more puke ;)

The Joys of Fall Break

2010-10-23T08:54:00.003-05:00

The Fall is a beautiful time of year. The colors and changing temperatures are a sign of the changes in life and how things appear to be gloriously preparing for a restful winter. It is a time to oooh and aaaah at the trees and crunch in the leaves and complete the harvest.
Ristow had Fall break this past week and I took advantage of it by taking the kids on a road trip. We visited families, loved on new babies, shared times of refreshing with friends allowing our children to play and to know one another. It was a great week. The kids traveled well and slept even better. I was able to share with Ristow some of my favorite childhood fall experiences and memories.
Here are a few pictures of our trip. We wished we would have had another week as there were many other dear ones we would have loved to see.

A Place of Refuge (for Hermit Crabs that is)

2010-10-05T08:19:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I get a call from my friend Melanie. She had been on a trip to the beach this past weekend to be with family and said that they had collected shells on Saturday. Now, one of those shells was crawling around her car! Yes, a hermit crab. She asked if she could bring it over (because I am such an expert now on hermit crabs hehe)

Mel and the crab arrived and I had a salt water soak all set up for him, after all, he had been in a ziploc bag in her car since Saturday. He came out after a few minutes and was very cool looking. He has striped legs and is bigger than any of my land crabs.
Mel leaves only to return a few minutes later with the ziploc bag of shells. One of the other shells is grabbing the bag! Another Crab!

I prepare another bowl for the second crab. Luckily I had a spare cage from my past Hermit Crab fiascoes. So now I have my three in their regular cage and two more in another. Well the striped crabs from the ocean really need special care, online it said you have to create a subtropical environment for them, yeah right. I call Mel and then she calls the Aquatic store down the street, who (thank goodness) is going to take the ocean crabs and care for them.

So last night was the first night we had to turn on the heat. The poor crabs need the warm temperature and I didn't have a heat lamp for them. So I put them in the bathroom by our bedroom where it is warmer by the vents. All night I heard those crazy crabs!
The crabs are leaving today, so I will have a vacant cage again. And seeing as how I am such the expert now, I am happy to accommodate any future displaced crabs. ;)

I tried to take a picture of the Striped Crabs but it seems they are a bit camera shy. Here is a pic I found online of what they look like.

Not Quite Ready for Mobility

2010-09-23T09:54:00.002-05:00

Over the course of the last 3 weeks, Jessica has perfected the creep and the crawl. She crawls everywhere on all fours and creeps along furniture standing up. Today I learned that she has also perfected the climb. I left her playing in the living room to get her a bottle and when I came back she was halfway up the stairs. AAAAAGh! I am so not ready for this. Looks like a new gate goes up today. I am also very aware of the need for baby proofing all of a sudden. Cupboards are emptied in a flash and things pulled off table before you can blink. She is fast like lightening and super strong.
She is growing and developing so fast. I had always heard that the second one picks things up faster but oh my goodness. She is 9 1/2 months and all this has come about in just a few weeks. She has also popped out 3 new teeth in the last 2 weeks, totaling 7.
I am so excited for her and her development, I just don't think I was prepared for it all so fast. We are having lots of fun. Even Ristow is a fan of her new abilities. Except he thinks that because she can crawl over and climb on him that now she is his new wrestling partner. We still have to work on that one ;)

Karate Lessons

2010-09-08T08:00:00.008-05:00

Last night Ristow had his first Karate class! He had a private lesson with the instructor last week and yesterday he was testing to get his first belt (white). Christopher was able to take him and got to watch. Ristow really seemed to like it and do well.

So the 3 things that Ristow had to work on over the last week besides his punches, kicks and blocks were....
1. Respect skill - looking people in the eye when they are talking to you
2. Discipline skill - standing still when spoken to and saying "yes, Sir"
3. Black Belt Timing - Doing things when needed, obeying the first time you are asked

Seriously? This is awesome. I have been trying to get Ristow to do these things for a long time and now all we have to do is give them ninja type names and all of sudden he wants to do them ;)Super!

He goes again on Thursday and is really excited to go back. I am so glad that we have found something that he can be a part of and enjoy.

Appliance Obituary

2010-09-07T07:53:00.002-05:00

I got back last night from a wonderful weekend away with friends to find this lovely Obituary written and posted on our Dishwasher. My husband is SO creative..........

HotPoint
1983-2010
August of 2010 HotPoint went to be with the Lord after some drainage complications and an encounter with an angry repair man. Living well past his years, he was a very reliable and dependable dishwasher who made his mark in the early nineties cleaning the lasagna encrusted dishes that lead his former owners to open a very successful Italian Restaurant.
He was later put out to pasture to live the rest of his days with a family that didn't require as much from him except the occasional Protein caked blender and some sippy cups.

He is survived by the Whirlpool Refrigerator of 7 years and GE Stove and Oven of 2 years. He will be missed.

Funeral and Extraction Services will be held Thursday, September 9th at 632 Monte Carlo Dr. And filling the hole in the counter (but not in our hearts) will be a 2010 Maytag JetClean that the owner got an amazing deal on. Services rendered by the Home Depot.

This is how I found out that Christopher bought us a new dishwasher over the weekend. ;)

McClintock Family Reunion 2010

2010-08-24T08:49:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we enjoyed some family time with the McClintocks at our yearly family reunion. It was a great time with multiple celebrations. Friday we had a baby shower for Christopher's sister Amy who is due with a precious baby girl next month. Saturday we had the family reunion and celebrated Grandma's 93rd birthday. It is a good time to catch up with each other and find out what everyone has been up to. Though there never seems to be quite enough time to talk to everybody. I am so thankful for the fun and loving family that I have married into. Not many people get blessed with two great families!

Big Man at The Bus Stop

2010-08-12T07:40:00.003-05:00

Today is the day! Ristow's first day of Kindergarten. We are all so excited for him, but his biggest thrill was that he was going to get to ride the School Bus!
Getting ready this morning he hardly ate any breakfast. I thought this was because he was too excited to eat, then he says "My friend told me that I have to eat a string cheese on the way to the bus stop to be all set for school." So sure enough, he had to take a string cheese to eat while waiting for the bus, though his little friend isn't even in school yet ;)
One other little girl was at the bus stop waiting. His eyes lit up as he heard the bus coming and he couldn't wait to get on. The bus driver was wearing a Hawaiian print shirt and a big smile. He said all the kids call him English, because he's English. Ristow found his seat, the doors closed and we waved goodbye. I never thought I would be one of those super emotional mom's on the first day of Kindergarten, but I have to confess that walking back to the house, my eyes teared up and I cried with pride at the little man I am watching grow before me!

5am

2010-08-10T16:53:00.004-05:00

Even at 5:00am, after not very many hours of sleep, laying a baby in the bed with me and then being kicked the face by said baby, there is still something that can make me smile....

Yep, that sweet face. The way she smiles from ear to ear when she sees us in the morning, the way she shares her open mouthed excitement at the feel of her first ride in a swing, her sweet contemplation of the world around her, I love them all!
And yes, even at 5am, after a quick sigh that she didn't sleep later, I smile too and am so thankful for this precious daughter laying next to me.

Appreciation of the Arts

2010-08-04T08:53:00.003-05:00

For the last few nights, when I have been giving Jessica her bedtime bottle, we have been sitting in her dark room with just her night light on. It is a night light that was given to me as a gift a number of years ago and I love it. It has artwork created by Frank Lloyd Wright on it called Saguaro Forms. Jessica has gotten into the habit of taking a few sips of her bottle and then she stops and leans forward onto my leg and tips her precious little head to the side and smiles at the night light. She looks at it in such amazement. Then she takes a few more sips and repeats the peaceful admiration of the light. Now who knows if it is her own little way of stretching out bedtime, as you can guess that drinking her bottle takes quite an extended period of time, or if it is just a newly found appreciation of the Arts.
I am going to go with the second option and sit and enjoy admiring the night light right along beside her.

The Beauty of Development

2010-08-01T22:01:00.003-05:00

July was a month full of development. Development is defined as growth or a way in which things are improving.

With a new baby it is easy to see the ways she is developing and changing and this past month brought exciting ones. I am happy to report that Jessica is no longer on her prevacid medication and we are no longer having to go to our reflexologist every week as she is not longer spitting up profusely. It has been a month full of NOT having to change my clothes 3 times a day and NOT having to keep blankets and burp cloths all over the house and NOT having to worry about if she got her medication. I have to admit that I eased into the change quite easily and really haven't thought about it until today when I was looking through my prayer journal and realized what was different. So I praise God for little one's development and growth of their digestive systems.
She is also developing her sense of humor and laughs when she makes me laugh. I am so thankful for her and the beautiful little 8 month old that she is.

I have also seen development in Ristow. Besides getting his third loose tooth, he is growing in his understanding of the world and conversation and caring for others. He is getting ready to start Kindergarten on the 12th of this month and will be riding the bus like a big kid. He is really excited. I am eager to see all of the different types of development that start to change in a couple of weeks.

Also in July, Christopher and I took a vacation to Jamaica to celebrate 10 years of marriage. It was a vacation that brought refreshment and reconnection and grew us closer to one another. Development can be displayed in many ways.
As our lives continue to change, which is inevitable, I pray that the change is a developmental change that continues to lead to improvement and growth. Growth in our relationships, growth in our spiritual journey and growth in our love for one another.

Princesses and Kings

2010-07-18T06:27:00.003-05:00

We went to my friend's daughter's princess birthday party this weekend. I was suddenly immersed in a pretty pink princess world yet to be discovered with Jessica being only 7 months. Now we are not just talking a few balloons and princess plates and cups. My friends has never been known to skimp on a birthday party. There was a little throne for pictures upon arrival, a huge painted mural, castle cake, crown shaped sandwiches, princess shoe shaped cheese, and decorations galore. At one point during the party they had all the kids stand at the door to head outside to the "ball" and one by one each child was announced and proceeded down a red carpet to go and dance amidst a sea of bubbles under the tent they had set up. The children were all dressed in royal attire, princess costumes everywhere and she even had royal robes/capes made for the boys to wear to be kings.
It was such a sight to see as each child was made to feel so special. I absolutely loved the princess feel of the party. Even the boys strutted their stuff coming down the red carpet. Everyone likes to feel beautiful and dashing once in a while. We like to feel special and loved and that we are worth the fuss. I know that I was made to feel that way growing up and I am so incredibly thankful for the family I was blessed to grow up in. So many people don't get that opportunity to grow up knowing that feeling. I think that is why I love birthdays so much, because it grants us that opportunity to tell someone that they are worth it, that they are special and we are glad they were born. Whether it is with a party or gifts or just a hug, people need to know they are loved and appreciated. Hopefully my little prince and princess will know without a doubt how wonderful I think they are and how special God has made them!

Finding your Freedom

2010-07-05T23:32:00.003-05:00

There is so much that I could write about and I probably should post about 10 new posts just to catch everyone up with our Summer. The kids and I just returned from a trip North to see my nephew get baptized in PA. We made some stops on the way there and the way back and all in all took 11 days of visiting and traveling. It was wonderfully exhausting. We loved seeing family and it was wonderful to get to offer Ristow a variety of fresh and new experiences. He rode horses, flew kites, rode amusement park rides, fed bread to a giant pile of carp, ate giant marshmallows, bought his first comic book, stayed up late looking at it in front of a fire and got to fish off the front of a boat. It was a big trip for Ristow.

But, my favorite thing that Ristow experienced was completely unplanned and unexpected.
We rode the boat over to a beach at the far end of the lake and there found 3 giant piles of sand that had been dumped there and not yet spread out. Now Ristow is not much of a get your hands dirty kind of kid. He plays in the sand, but not to the point of ever really needing to rinse off good. What I witnessed when he ran over to that first sandpile was awesome.

All of a sudden he found a new and wonderful freedom in the sand. He climbed to the top with much determination and effort. Then slid down and starting rolling in the sand and making sand angels. He covered himself in it and did not once stop smiling. The kid who liked to make a castle and that's it, now was immersed in the infinite possibilities of the sand.
Maybe it was the fact that it was in a different form or that the quantity was so ridiculous, but it allowed him to just play and have fun with no rules of what was expected of him.

It really got me thinking about what kind of experiences that we have as adults allow us that kind of creative freedom. Sometimes I feel like our faith is like that giant pile of sand and is waiting for us to discover ways of experiencing it. To not care what others think but to enjoy it, to play in it and to glorify God with it. I loved that Ristow discovered that he loves playing in the sand, I love that he discovered even more about his ability to conquer his goals and I love that he expressed so many creative ways to play. He is such a great kid and I am glad to have witnessed his joy!

The Sweet Joy of a Sleeping Baby

2010-06-24T06:13:00.003-05:00

Such peace, such tenderness, such beauty all reside in the face of a sleeping baby.

Our New Crab Community (The Spidey update)

2010-06-11T14:11:00.004-05:00

Well, I am happy to report that our pet hermit crab Spidey is still alive!
Since the unfortunate "we thought you were dead" incident, we have upgraded Spidey's habitat considerably with a bigger tank and more climbing sticks and a nightly buffet that would put many restaurants to shame. We also thought it was time to get Spidey a friend.
At the pet store Ristow picked out a pretty, shiny "girl" hermit crab with a shell painted like a pineapple. (though almost impossible to tell if a hermit crab is a boy or girl) He was so excited and her name was, yes you guessed it, pineapple.
Well, within 30 minutes of her introduction to Spidey's tank, Pineapple had all claws and legs bared and was attacking Spidey trying to take over his shell. It was awful! I felt so bad for Spidey. I gave her a few chances and finally had to take her out of the tank before she hurt him. Then I read that a hermit crab would rather be pulled apart limb by limb than let go of its shell. yikes! and if you remember from the "sorry, we thought you were dead" post, Spidey's big claw was accidentally lost in the chaos, so now he is unable to defend himself from crazy shell stealing crabs.
After begging the store to let us return Pineapple they said ok and asked us to bring Spidey in too so that they could better match up a suitable tank mate. We searched through the whole tank and found two crabs with very small claws that the clerk thought would work and of course now we had to buy two more crabs instead of one because the pressure would be taken off of Spidey with three in the tank. Boy, am I a sucker or what?
So now our new crabitat consists of Spidey, America (who is painted like a flag) and Racer (black with a yellow and orange stripe down its back). While they are not the best of friends yet, the two new crabs have not attacked Spidey, only been a bit intimidating, which is a territorial issue. Spidey is bit traumatized still but I think with some therapy he will pull through. It's just character building right?
I will try to get a picture tonight of them all out a about.

My Not So Green Thumb

2010-05-29T13:42:00.003-05:00

This summer we thought we would try our hand at a small garden.
We have 2 tomato plants, 2 strawberry plants, 2 pepper plants, a row of peas, 2 rows of lettuce and 2 rows of spinach. I am not known for being very successful with plants, so needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled when things started to sprout and bloom. Now I did buy the tomato, strawberry and pepper plants already started but the others we planted from seed.

So far we have harvested 2 small strawberries and a few little lettuce leaves and a very pretty jalapeno pepper is just about ready for the picking.

Today I was out there pulling weeds and showed Ristow that his third strawberry was just about ripe. He was very excited, and since we only have one producing plant right now, it was a big deal to have another berry on it. Well I was being ever so careful pulling weeds from the lettuce that I stepped back and squashed the lone strawberry. Booooo. Ristow was not too thrilled with me for that. And we noticed that someone or something had broken one of the pepper plants. Man, things are going downhill fast.

We will keep tending the garden with our limited knowledge and skill and hopefully get a chance to eat some of the rewards. It definitely has been a fun experience though, and maybe next year we will actually have enough for a whole salad ;)

May Brings Sunshine, Swimming and Baby Giggles

2010-05-28T05:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we had a great day. Christopher's mom Beth was here visiting and we had a wonderful time with her. After taking her to the airport, we had lunch and headed to our friend's pool. Jessica got to go swimming for the first time and absolutely LOVED it. But to be honest, she seems to LOVE everything right now and she is finding things pretty funny. She laughs at her brother, she laughs at the soccer ball being kicked back and forth, she laughs at water being splashed, she laughs at silly noises.
Oh, to see the world new again like a child and truly appreciate the joy that the most simple things can bring!
Here are some pictures and a video of Jess laughing!

The End of Preschool

2010-05-23T20:29:00.003-05:00

Ristow is officially done with Preschool. He has been going to our church Preschool program since he was 18 months old when I took a position teaching there. Four years later he is done and ready for Kindergarten in the fall. We are all very excited for this transition.
Ristow and the other students put on a great program last week. They sang songs and then they had their graduation program. They performed wonderfully and I am very proud of him and the work he put into it.
I know you will probably think me a horrible mom, but I have never understood the need for preschool graduation. They get caps and gowns and everything. Doesn't this take away from how special it truly is when they actually graduate the larger things in life, if they are used to such a big deal being made about everything they do? Don't get me wrong, it was sweet seeing my son dressed up and walking across the stage, but I just felt like it was a little much for preschool.

Anyway, after the graduation program he expected gifts and a party and to go out to dinner. I know some highschool kids who never got that much. Well, we did give a few small tokens of congratulations and Grammy and Poppy took us all out to dinner to celebrate. It was very nice.
I hope Ristow knows how much we love him and are proud of him.

Don't call PETA, we plead ignorance

2010-05-12T14:50:00.001-05:00

Saturday night we noticed something awful. Ristow's recently acquired pet hermit crab Spidey was lying outside of his shell and not moving. "oh great, there goes another McClintock pet" I thought to myself. I actually have been working hard on this one NOT to kill it. (For those of you who don't know the story of Ristow getting this pet see previous post in April)
So we left it till Sunday evening, not wanting to spoil Mother's Day and gave Ristow the bad news that his crab had died.
Here is Christopher's rendition of what happened next....... (after a few tears of course)

"Needless to say, we wanted to show Spidey some respect, so my son and I went to the back yard with flashlights and a shovel to pay our last respects to our little friend. We had agreed that we could keep Spidey's shell to remember him by, and not bury the whole thing. I have to admit, as a father, I was pretty proud of how I was handling this whole situation. My son is so lucky to have me, a caring compassionate dad to guide him through this phase of life.

After digging the hole, I took Spidey out of his little "Crabitat", I noticed how light and frail his little body was. Even as I picked him up, one of his legs fell off and back into the Crabitat, which lead my son to asking if I had broken the crab. I responded with something prolific about the fraility of life that would hopefully stave off any further questioning. I also noticed that one of Spidey's claws was still inside the shell and didn't fall out upon shaking the shell over top of the hole, so we pat down the hole with the shovel and say our good-byes. I told my son that I was going to wash the shell and then bring it to him after he was ready for bed, and that would give me the opportunity to get out the rest of the crab carcass.

When I was finally alone and the rest of the family was upstairs, I pull a butter knife out of the drawer to pry out the claw still in the shell over the sink, which comes out with a little more effort than I thought it should. As the claw falls from Spidey's shell and into the garbage disposal, I notice there is still some of his carcass left inside the shell. I attempt to dig that out too... and this is when a tiny little claw reaches around and grabs the shell. I go cold. I convince myself it is just a reflex, and there is no way that any part of this crab can still be alive. I poke at him again and I see two legs move.

I bolt upstairs and the look on my face leads my wife to ask immediately, "What's wrong?" I ask her, " Do hermit crabs molt?" and her jaw hits the floor. I told her what I had seen, and that I think I put one of his claws down the garbage disposal which immediately gives her the dry heaves. She tells me to put him in water and if he climbs out, then he is alive. The suggestion sounds good to me, so I hurry back down to the kitchen and put him in a bowl of water to see if he is alive. I wait and I wait. Do I want him to move or don't I? Caught up in the moment, I couldn't decide.

He moves. What do I do now? I hurry to consult the great swami Google, and there before me are pages upon pages of how to care for a molting hermit crab. The first two directions each page gives are to never move your molting hermit crab and do not submerse it in water, especially cold water. So far I have two strikes on me, but how much worse can it get? Next, in bold type, "Never move the shed Exoskeleton." Apparently , the crab EATS this exoskeleton and it contains VITAL nutrients to complete the transformation. I kept scanning the text for what to do if you and your weepy son have already buried this vital exoskeleton in the backyard... no one addressed that. As I read on, molting is one of the most stressful acts that the hermit crab has to endure. One website compared molting to the labor pains of giving birth. So if Karma holds true, my wife can expect during the middle of labor of our next child to be shaken over a hole, poked with butter knives and thrown in a cold swimming pool to see if she can crawl out. (Sorry babe)

By this time my wife and I are discussing our next move when we see my son standing in the doorway of the kitchen asking for his shell. After choosing our words carefully, but basically telling our son that we are idiots, we inform him that Spidey may still be alive, but we don't know for how long (thanks to us). He takes this surprisingly well and is actually encouraged. So while he is being put back to bed, I am headed back out to the backyard with a headlamp and shovel to excavate the nutrient rich exoskeleton vital for growth, assuming the neighbor's dog hasn't already dug it up and rolled on it.

Resembling an archeological dig, I use my gardening spade and BBQ sauce brush to dust away the dirt I had so thoroughly patted down with the shovel an hour ago. I was able to recover most of the exoskeleon which is now pretty crushed and missing a few legs and decide to clean the body parts off with Spidey's water spritzer. Luckily, last week, we had a bird fly up the basement stairs into the house and continually smash himself into our window. I had to open the window, take the screen out to eventually let him escape, and laziness had prevented me from putting the screen back in the window. I was able to lay the dirt and hermit body parts on the screen to sift through them and clean them as best I could.

After scooping up the legs, claws and other accrucrements, I set them near Spidey in the cage and hopefully he will find them just as delectable as if they had never left his side. I debated on whether to physically set him on top of his own molt so he will know that it is time to eat, but I thought that he had been through enough for one day.

I hope you'll join us in wishing Spidey a speedy recovery."

Well, so far Spidey is still alive and hanging in there. Hope everyone enjoyed a good laugh at our expense. We are learning and will hopefully one day become great pet owners!

Jessica's Dedication

2010-05-10T10:33:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we had Jessica dedicated at church. It was a perfect Mother's Day gift for me.
When I was a baby, I was baptized in the Methodist church on Mother's Day too. Our church considers itself interdenominational as our congregation is made up of people from all different backgrounds and denominations. They also use traditions from many of the different denominations. Babies are not baptized, as I was as an infant, instead they are dedicated to the Lord and then when that child grows in their faith, they choose their own timing to be baptized as a symbol of their commitment and faith.
Having Jessica dedicated seems almost to be more for the parents and church family than it is for the baby. We publicly commit to raising her in the ways of the Lord and supporting her to the best of our abilities. We commit to dedicating our marriage to the Lord and committing to each other as husband and wife so that Jess may have a secure home to grow in. And the church family commits to help raise Jessica as sunday school teachers, friends, grandparents etc.
The baby is then anointed with oil and a blessing poured out on her for her mind to think the thoughts of God, her hands to do the work of the Lord, her feet to walk the right path, and her ears, that she might hear God's voice.It was a beautiful experience.
I am so thankful for a great church family that loves us and supports our family. We celebrate Jessica's dedication and know and trust that God has mighty plans for her!

(This last picture is just Ristow looking studly in his suit)

Picking Berries

2010-05-08T19:52:00.003-05:00

When I was growing up we would make at least one annual trip to the strawberry patch and pick berries. I LOVED going strawberry picking. Between my brother and I, I think we would polish off a whole basket worth while we were out in the field. Our mouths would be stained pink from the sweet and wonderful fruit. Those years of strawberry picking have created many many fond memories.
Today, some new memories were created. My Mom and Dad took Ristow, Jess and I out to a farm about an hour away and we all went berry picking. Ristow's favorite fruit is strawberries, so he was in seventh heaven. Since he is quite the berry connoisseur he inspected each one carefully and only choose the perfectly ripe berries. It was great to watch. I had Jessica in her front carrier and as I would bend down to pick, she would reach out her hands and grab at the leaves. We had a great time.
Mom and Dad picked quite a load of berries, which we all know means lots and lots of yummy jam. Ristow had a berry stomach ache by the time dinner rolled around because he couldn't stay away from his glorious stash of berries. He did tell me that the strawberries that he picked tasted much better than the ones we buy from Kroger. I couldn't agree more, the local farm fresh fruit and the family experience definitely made the berries that much sweeter.
Berries berries everywhere!
Hopefully this is the start of a new tradition for my family. I am looking forward to heading to the strawberry fields one more time before the season is over this spring.

Dad's Birthday

2010-04-27T04:24:00.005-05:00

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

2010-04-27T03:41:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-18T15:05:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-13T09:50:00.005-05:00

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

2010-04-07T21:31:00.003-05:00

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?!"

2010-04-02T09:12:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-02T09:09:00.002-05:00

My sweet Jessica at almost 4 months old.

The No Bow Baby

2010-03-24T17:46:00.003-05:00

Anyone that knows me knows that I am not the biggest fans of bows. Bows in general, on clothes or in hair have never appealed to me. I have always thought that bows worked best on presents and that is about it. Now other people can pull off bows, I have seen some adorable little girls with gigantic cute bows in their hair that look great, but me personally not a fan.

Until Now.......

With Jessica not having much hair on her head, bows seemed kind of silly to me. Then we received these headbands in a bin of hand me downs and boy do they look cute. Now the thicker headbands that we have tried in the past made Jess look like she should be in the movie Flashdance. But these thin ones are way fun. The only trouble we have come into is.................

We hear her fussing and crying and come to find that the crazy headband has become a blindfold! This has happened more than once and even the ladies in the church nursery said that it kept sliding over her face. So it looks like for now, she can wear the cute bow/headbands only under constant supervision ;)
Looks like bows will wait a while longer.

34 years of Blessings

2010-03-23T13:40:00.004-05:00

I turned 34 this past Friday and it was GREAT! I have never really been one afraid of getting older or telling people my age, now that may change the older I get ;)

After breakfast Ristow, Jess and I headed to the Zoo. The beautiful weather was a treat and when we got to the gate Ris pipes up "Hey! It's my mom's birthday! She's 34!" With a smirk the guy behind the window reaches out and hands me a kid's club birthday card...good for your choice of a free cotton candy, snowcone or soft pretzel ;) We chose the soft pretzel and shared it on a warm sunny bench by the pond. So far, so good.

One thing I asked Ristow for, for my birthday, was a whole day with no whining. Did I really think that could be accomplished, not so much, but to my surprise we had a most fabulous day and he didn't whine an ounce. Quite possibly the best present I got. (next to the rickshaw of course!)

After the Zoo we headed to my parents house for lunch before they headed out of town. Great lunch and great company. Next we headed home and my fabulous friend from college Tabby arrived from Dayton, TN. It was so wonderful to see her and spend time together.

When Christopher got home from work we all voted on Cake and ice cream for dinner (a chocolate raspberry ganache cake) and pizza for dessert. It was yummy. Soon the babysitter arrived and we were off to the Wildhorse saloon in downtown Nashville for some boot scootin. Wonderful friends met us there and we had a blast. I soon hear from the stage "It's Christie's birthday and she's 34! Come on up here." Well hearing my little boy announce my age to the guy at the zoo and hearing it announced in front of the everyone at the wildhorse were two different things ;) Everyone sang Happy Birthday and complete strangers came up and bought me a drink. It was fun and a special way to celebrate my birthday this year. I am so thankful that I am blessed with wonderful family and friends who value me and want to celebrate me. Thank you so much for the love and support I feel every day and especially on my birthday!

The Hero Factory

2010-03-10T09:20:00.004-06:00

This morning I let Ristow have some computer time and he got to pick what he wanted to do on it. He chose a website that we have visited a number of times called The Hero Factory.
It is a cool website where, as you can guess, you build your own super hero. Ristow loves to create and re-create his army of heros.
Only he takes things up a level... He wants youtube opened up to the 1985 Bonnie Tyler song Holding out for a Hero and have that playing in the background while he works his magic.
It is awesome, he sings along, usually with his own superhero lyrics and rocks out in front of the computer. A very fun way to start the day and get him psyched for his own heroic adventure at school!

Family weekend pictures part 2

2010-03-09T22:20:00.004-06:00

Again, what a wonderful weekend! Another cool thing was that Ristow was a half of an inch taller than the requirement for going on the big waterslides! So he went on every one that he could. I was proud of him. Plus it made it more fun for the us to be able to go on the big waterslides with him.

Also here is the only picture Mom and Dad wanted to make sure they got this weekend .... them with all of their precious grandchildren!

Ristow, Jessica, Dylan and James

Family, Family and More Family!

2010-03-09T10:16:00.003-06:00

We spent a most wonderful time last week visiting a plethora of family. Wednesday we headed up to Ohio to see Christopher's parents and introduce Jessica to Nana and her Auntie Ames and Uncle Todd (who are expecting their own little bundle in Sept!). We truly enjoyed our time together. Christopher even took Ristow sled riding on the Camel's Hump, one of his own childhood sledding favorites and everyone had a blast. The kids traveled great and come Friday it was off to Cincinnati and the Great Wolf Lodge ( with the indoor waterpark!) There we met up with my parents, my brother Jim , Suzannah, my niece Dylan and I got to meet my precious new nephew James!

(Yes you read that correctly, we did sled riding in the snow and swimming at the waterpark. We had to pack for EVERYTHING. You should have seen our car! Not to mention all the baby's gear, it looked like we were leaving for a month.)

I absolutely loved seeing my family. We had some much needed time to just hang out and enjoy one another. I miss them already.

So many pictures to share.... Here are some from the first part of the trip, more pics of the Paul family and waterpark pics to come!

Overheard

2010-02-26T11:27:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Ristow was in the other room and after finally making a decision about one of his toys I hear " Thanks brain! Brain, you're really smart, I think I'll keep you in my head!"
Glad he is so fond of himself and his smart brain ;)

11 Weeks and 11 Pounds

2010-02-22T10:20:00.003-06:00

My little girl is now 11weeks old and has finally started to chunk out. When we last weighed her she was 11lbs 2oz. After being so worried about her being able to gain weight the first month, it is a relief to see her gaining so well. She is eating like a champ and her weekly reflexology appointments have stopped her excessive spitting up. It is amazing.

I have always been a bit suspicious about things like reflexology (pressure point foot massage) being able to alleviate certain problems but since having my feet worked on during my pregnancy and now Jessica getting her feet done and seeing the incredible results, I am a believer. Luckily we have an amazing massage therapist that works in Christopher's fitness studio that we see. We take Jess into the dimly lit room with the soft music playing and she lays there and gets her feet rubbed, quite the life if you ask me ;) The amazing part is that almost immediately she starts digesting better and the reflux spitting up stops. Don't get me wrong, she still spits up right after a bottle, she is still a baby. But the spitting up that comes 2hours after she ate because she can't digest it properly is what has stopped and allowed her to gain weight!

Truly awesome. She goes every Tuesday and usually on Monday she starts to spit up again so we know she is ready for another massage.

God has created our bodies to work in amazing ways and I for one am mystified at how it all works. But I am thankful that my little girl is feeling better and will recommend reflexology any day.

BIg Brother Moments

2010-02-18T01:18:00.003-06:00

Ristow has been so involved with Jess lately, wanting to hold her, feed her and just be close to her. He gets so excited and says "Hurry Mom, go grab the camera!"

So here you go.........

A Visit From Grandma

2010-02-15T10:39:00.003-06:00

This past week we were lucky enough to have Christopher's mom Beth stay with us for almost a whole week. Her original flight wasn't supposed to come in til wed of last week but she came early to avoid the snow storm in Ohio. She allowed me to have some time for myself while she watched the kids. It was great! I went shopping, got a massage, got some things done around the house and even got a date night. She got to spend some wonderful time reconnecting with Ristow and Jessica and I think both kids truly benefited from having that time with her. Plus Ristow loves the surprises that Grandma brings! (he wanted me to add that part)

Here are a few pictures from her visit.

Celebration of Motherhood

2010-02-01T06:58:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I went to a double baby shower, though it wasn't called a baby shower. Instead they called it a celebration of motherhood and that is exactly what it was. The women that hosted had set up beautiful and elegant decorations and at each place setting was a small booklet of papers full of wonderful prayers, reminders and encouragement for us women as mothers. It was great.
After eating we played games, but not the traditional games. We had charades and karaoke. Now there is just something crazy about getting up and jamming to a round of Funkytown on the karaoke machine at a baby shower, but it was tons of fun.
But what I want to mention was the charades game. The topics for the charades were all baby activities. The first one was "burping a baby", then they got more involved as you picked from the cup. One woman got " nursing a baby in a crowded library". Another got "struggling with the baby while trying unsuccessfully to get your husband's attention to come and help you" It was hilarious. After a number of these funny but true multitasking charades, it was my turn again and I got "changing a diaper". Relieved that it was an easy one, I acted it out and said "that was all?" Another women wisely pointed out that it doesn't always have to be difficult... sometimes changing a diaper is just changing a diaper and we don't need to worry about the ten other things that need done or that we are trying to accomplish. Sometimes just being in the moment with that one task is all we need, to remember that we are blessed with this time to be mothers. In the chaos that is my house some days, I need to stop and breathe and take things one task at a time, enjoying the moments of feeding, burping, reading, singing and yes even changing a diaper.

Actual Snow in Tennessee

2010-01-30T19:07:00.003-06:00

Well, the weatherman finally got one right. We got quite a bit of snow and ice here in Nashville and the pictures to prove it. Last night and today the boys went out to sled and found the street a complete sheet of ice. With no cars able to travel the road it made for perfect sledding. They started at the top of the street and would make it down about 6 houses, it was awesome. I think Christopher might have enjoyed it more than Ristow. They had such a fun time and the ice made the sled go pretty fast. Ristow had a look of excitemnt and fear as he went speeding by me. I think that feeling is what bloys of all ages crave. It was great to watch.

Today Jessica is 8 weeks old and we bundled her up to partake in the snow day too. Since we don't get snow very often, it is a pretty big deal. She was so stinking cute in her little fuzzy outfit, our little snow bear.

Baby Smiles

2010-01-27T10:08:00.003-06:00

Finally at 7 1/2 weeks old, Jessica is gracing us with her super cute smiles. I tell you, those smiles are a great reward for lack of sleep and all the hard work that babies are.

Chicken Butt Vs. The Bible

2010-01-27T09:45:00.002-06:00

Today I took Ristow to the store with me and he was super cranky, so on the way home I tried to think of something to change the mood. I thought for a moment and snickered to myself and said "Ristow....know what? ... Chicken butt!" Well, that is all is took and within seconds we were both laughing and coming up with more great "know what" answers.
Then at dinner tonight Ristow tells his dad the great new saying he learned today, with more giggling. A few minutes later he says "Want to hear the bible verse I memorized?... may the words of my mouth be pleasing to you God, Psalm 19:14" We were so proud of Ristow being able to memorize scripture.
But then I say to Christopher "Great, I am teaching him chicken butt and he is learning bible verses"
Christopher says "it's ok, that's why we are sending him to school!"
I don't think that "chicken butt" jokes bring God great pleasure and joy but I do believe that He is pleased when we share love and laugh as a family, building bonds that will last a lifetime.

May the words of my mouth be pleasing to you God, help me to continue to use my words to build up and encourage others, to bring joy and to honor You. And thanks for letting us enjoy the occasional chicken butt joke too!

A Weekend of Love

2010-01-25T15:51:00.004-06:00

This weekend held many things. It brought the 10yr anniversary of my marriage to my amazing husband, it brought visiting college friends, and it brought much laughter and lots of love!

First, I cannot believe that it has been 10 yrs since Christopher and I got married. It has been a wonderful time full of many great adventures. The latest one, the birth of Jessica, we are still adjusting to and learning to truly enjoy. She has expanded our love to yet another dimension. It is wonderful to see how God has blessed our family and our marriage.

Then descended the girls......

Christopher was a champ this weekend as 3 of my college girlfriends came to visit. He let us overrun the house and he wrangled Ristow all weekend. It was wonderful. It was such a great time of love and care for one another as women and as mom's. It was the perfect girl's weekend, we did tons of girl stuff.....from dying hair to eating brownies and ice cream while watching chic flicks to getting tattoos and drinking margaritas. These women are so important to me and provide a type of fellowship that is nourishing to my heart. All women need women in their life that they can lean on and cry with and laugh with and support. I am convinced of the importance of this daily, and thankful for the provision of these women in a time when I really needed them.

God has blessed me greatly.

Tabby brought her 9 week old son Jaylen with her and it was neat to see all the differences and similarities between him and Jessica.

Little Warrior

2010-01-11T10:19:00.004-06:00

This morning I was awakened by a fearsome sight. Warrior Ristow, as I would come to learn, was showing me his mighty display of camouflage power. He had gotten into my make-up bag while I was sleeping and used mass quantities of my eye shadow to create his disguise.

I had no idea how to respond, just waking up and all. I explained the misuse of my makeup was inappropriate and then to my dismay he asked for his own makeup. Luckily he wanted his own makeup to use for warrior paint and not a show girl disguise instead ;)

After slathering his face with ponds cream, we got cleaned up and ready for school, of course we were late as I had not factored makeup removal into my morning schedule. Ristow always provides interesting parenting experiences!

Christmas

2009-12-29T14:31:00.003-06:00

We had a most blessed Christmas this year. While it was our first time as a family of four it was also our first Christmas just our little family at our house. We had a lovely time with friends on Christmas Eve day and enjoyed church in the evening. Then to have Santa visit our own house and put out cookies and carrots for him and then to see the presents in the morning was truly magical for my five year old son. This year Ristow asked Santa for an electric train set. He was so excited to see it set up around the tree Christmas morning. We had a relaxing day together playing and resting, it was great. We are thankful for Christopher's parents who were able to join us the next day and spend the weekend with us. We had a great visit with them. The last night they were here we spent at my mom and dad's eating a great dinner and watching our dad's battle it out playing Wii. It was a fun way to end our Christmas family time. We did however deeply miss those family that we were not able to see this year and plan on making every effort to see them soon. Much love!

That's My Girl.....

2009-12-29T14:16:00.004-06:00

Jessica has had a number of baths now and is not really too fond of them. She squawks and cries and fusses around. But then I wrap her up nice and warm and hold her head over the sink to wash her hair (well her scalp more or less) and she relaxes into a state of bliss. Just like every other woman I know, she LOVES to get her hair washed by someone else. You know that great AHHHH feeling when you go the hair salon and they wash your hair for you and use that warm water sprayer. It is great. Well I was tickled to see my newborn relax into that same AHHHH state as I massaged her head and rinsed it with warm water. Some things must be born into us women, I certainly don't remember Ristow acting like that when I bathed him.

Sweet Children

2009-12-16T15:38:00.003-06:00

Today I am so thankful for my children!

1st Week at Home

2009-12-10T21:03:00.003-06:00

We have adjusted quite well to being at home. It has been a busy week, we bought and decorated our christmas tree with Christopher's parents here, got ready for christmas, adjusted to being a family of four now, had times of sleep and times of awake, lots of feedings, our first blow out diaper and to Ristow's amusement, been peed on while changing a diaper. Lots to enjoy and experience.

Tonight at dinner I had fed Jess and she was laying on the couch sleeping while we ate. She started fussing and Ristow looks at me and says "mom...Jessica is crying.... back to work, mom"

I couldn't decide between cracking up laughing and wanting to smack him ;) Luckily, Ristow has been very understanding and loving with Jessica and the time I spend with her right now. I promised him some mom time tomorrow just the two of us.

Here are a few more pics of my famiy and the time we enjoy in this life! Man, am I thankful!

Jessica Elizabeth McClintock

2009-12-08T10:50:00.003-06:00

We are so thrilled that our time of waiting is over...our sweet little Jessica has made her debut! Saturday morning at 3:36am she made her way into the world. At 7lbs even she was a cute little bundle that immediately delighted us. Less than 3hrs from start of contractions to her delivery made for a quick and wonderful experience. The hospital staff was amazing and supportive. And I am proud to admit that I was able to deliver with no meds, which for me in a pretty big deal! We had such a great experience and both were doing so well that we came home the next day from the hospital. While our first night home was rough, as with any new baby, I am happy to report that Jess has settled in quite nicely and we both had a restful night last night. Ristow has been so great with her and is so loving, it is wonderful to watch him care for her. What a great big brother! (untill she is old enough to get into his stuff, then we will see;)

We are so thankful to all of our family and friends that have been such a wonderful support to us during this pregnancy and now that she is here! We are truly blessed.

Ristow's 5th Birthday

2009-12-03T09:22:00.003-06:00

My little boy is 5yrs old!

He makes birthdays fun! He is so enthusiastic and appreciative for everything, it just makes you smile. I overheard him as he saw the kitchen all decorated for his birthday "wow, this is the best birthday ever! God, thank you for how beautiful this all is!" I love that his first reaction to it was to thank God for it. It was an awesome prayer from a sincere heart.

Ristow got to take transformer cupcakes to school for his birthday and he wore a crown from burger king. His excitement poured out to everyone around him. Then after school Ristow got to choose where he wanted to go for his birthday dinner, the obvious choice for him was Snappy Tomato, a pizza buffet!

After dinner we opened presents and had ice cream! (the cake is for his kid party on saturday)

He played with his toys and built legos and had a great time.

And the best part for me was that no baby was born on Ristow's birthday! Ristow gets to keep his special day all to himself! Though, she can come anytime now, however, I would like to go to his bowling party on saturday. I know, beggars can't be choosers, but I like to at least pretend I have some control in this matter ;)

Happy Birthday to my sweet, creative, compassionate, loving boy!

I love you Ristow!

Wildhorse

2009-11-22T12:19:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a great day! After a great win by Ohio State, we met my parents for an early dinner at a yummy Tex Mex restaurant, where I had the mild salsa and sauces, I am too chicken to do the spicy stuff. (no matter the inducing labor myths)
Then we dropped off Ristow at this Babysitting Swap and we coerced some other friends to head down to the Wildhorse saloon for my friend Shelley's birthday celebration.
What a sight I can imagine that was! A woman who is 9 months pregnant doing the Boot Scoot, line dancing on the dance floor. Luckily I was having too much fun to notice if anyone was staring. They did play a number of slow songs for Christopher and I to dance to also. It was so great to spend a fun evening out with my wonderful husband and great friends. It has been far too long!

Unfortunately, all the dancing and jumping around did NOT send me into labor as I was hoping, but fun none the less!

The Waiting Game

2009-11-17T09:25:00.003-06:00

It is funny that this whole pregnancy I have been so worried about this baby coming early and now that it is safe for her to come......we wait.

Many people's delivery date guesses have come and gone, today was the day that Christopher had guessed, and while the day is not over yet, it looks unlikely that today is it.

I went to the Dr. yesterday and was rewarded with the tiny progress of 1 cm. Which really means nothing, since some women are at certain stages for weeks but you never know. We are still hoping that she decides to make her debut this week or at least before thanksgiving.

But again.......we wait.

Though many of my friends are predicting that she is holding out for the full 40 weeks. I really hope not.

It is hard feeling this out of control, maybe I just need to plan a big day out with lots of important things to get done, isn't that one way to assure that plans get ruined? ;)

Anyway, I am feeling pretty good and will try to get some things done today, Ristow's birthday is in 15 days and I still have some work to do for that. Now, he has decided that he wants a surprise party even though he has been planning his birthday for months. Silly kid!

I promise to keep everyone updated.

35 Weeks

2009-11-05T07:19:00.003-06:00

"Your baby, now as hefty as a honeydew melon at 5 1/4 pounds, doesn't have much room to maneuver in your belly. (Length: more than 18 inches, head to heel.)"

....And boy does it feel like it.

I have officially reached the uncomfortable point in this pregnancy. I am so very thankful that we are nearing the end. I will be off restriction once I reach 36 weeks and can feel much better about all these contractions and pressure. I so look forward to meeting our little girl! She is actually dancing all over the place in there as I type this, I have a feeling she is going to be full of energy.

Praise God for this glorious gift! I am also so thankful for all of the help I have been receiving during this time.... from cleaning to transportation for my son to school to preparing meals for me, everyone has been so loving and generous and for that I am truly thankful.

Halloween

2009-11-03T09:35:00.004-06:00

This Halloween was lots of fun! We had a costume birthday party to go to in the morning, to which Ristow actually wore his new ninja costume that we bought for halloween. Then by mid-afternoon he decided he wanted to be something else. So the cowboy emerged with all his yee-hawing and ofcourse a samurai sword to boot. (whatever floats his boat) Then we hit the parade in my parent's development. Lots of great costumes. I went as the planet Saturn, mom went as a Picnic and Christopher was a pirate.
Dad made his homemade pizza which rocked, and Christopher and Ristow headed out to trick-or-treat.

My parents decided this past weekend to buy a Wii. I think they are hooked! We had Wii bowling competitions and I hear mom and dad have been enjoying the Wii boxing too! It was great. Then they showed us the karaoke channel they found on comcast on demand, and we howled our way through some classic songs, though it was the 8 minute American Pie that made us all sing even louder and decide we were done for the night. I think I even saw Ristow roll his eyes once or twice! Anyway, it made for good memories and a fun time.

Costumes and Pumpkins

2009-10-27T22:05:00.003-05:00

I truly enjoy the fun that comes along with this time of year. Costumes are just so much fun and my son LOVES dressing up in his with his buddies. He let his friend wear his new ninja costume because he wanted to create something amazing "Super Cowboy Spiderman"! They were so funny running all over.
My other favorite thing to do as a family is carve pumpkins. This afternoon we carefully planned out the designs that Ristow wanted for our scary jack-o-lanterns. He was very pleased with the results. This is the first year that he was really into the goop and I mean "into" the goop. He loved playing with it and making goop soup. We all had a blast.

Chilly Fall Outing

2009-10-18T17:51:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we were able to take a "walk" as a family finally and enjoy the 2mile loop at Long Hunter Park. We have borrowed a wheelchair from a friend and I feel some freedom as we are able to get a bit more out and about as a family. It was so much fun and Ristow stopped at every little marker and description of tree to learn about them and find out their names. I think we may have scared away any animals in the vicinity though with Ristow's cheers and announcements of each new tree. I even dragged my feet through the leaves in an attempt at fall leaf crunching. It made me smile and feel great! Though Ristow wanted to ride on the wheelchair with me rather than walk on his own, it was fun. I am so eager for this precious baby to come so that I can start going walking again, I know that this is just for a season and for now I am thankful that it is fall and I can be with my family. For that I am truly grateful.

Great Kid

2009-09-30T10:56:00.003-05:00

This morning I had a little bit of a rough time, exhausted and lots of baby pressure on my body. As Ristow and I were waiting for a friend of ours to pick him up and take him to preschool, I apparently fell asleep on the couch. I woke up to Ristow checking my heart with his stethescope and then trying to have his lego guys give me medicine to help keep my eyes open. He was so caring and loving as he says "feeling better now mom?"
I am so thankful for the age he is at right now and how understanding he is with my pregnancy.
He is so ready for his baby sister to come! I think he is also ready for me to be done being pregnant, 2 more months buddy!

The Nursery

2009-09-22T12:50:00.003-05:00

Well, after much hard work, we have finally finished the nursery! For a while, the guest bed will stay in there too, so we had to blend it into the room. I am so proud of Christopher and all the hard work he put into this room for his daughter. While Christopher's parents were here this past weekend, Beth helped me to find a comforter set and window treatment to top it all off. She also bought the crib sheet and blanket as a shower gift to us. I absolutely love everything about it and can't wait to spend time with my daughter in that room.

Here are some pictures of the room's progress and the final result!

Here is Ristow's contribution: Dark brown paint on the freshly painted tan wall!

I know he just wanted to help and be a part of it ;)

TaDaaaa!

28 weeks

2009-09-17T09:53:00.003-05:00

"Your baby is equal in weight to a Chinese cabbage -- about 2 1/4 pounds. (Length: almost 15 inches, from head to heel.)"

Well, everything is progressing along as to be expected. The baby is getting bigger, I am getting bigger, sleeping less, getting prepared for her arrival more.

Ristow talks about her everyday and has been prone to wanting to pull out his ultrasound pics and seeing pictures from when he was in my belly. He asks how I felt when he was in my belly and if I was "sooo excited" for him too. He is too cute. I am just thankful that he is so excited about having a baby sister, though I know the green eyed monster will probably kick in to full effect once the baby is here.

First Day of Pre-K

2009-09-08T13:00:00.003-05:00

Last night Ristow was very serious about his task at hand. He was very determined and needed everyone's input......He was picking out his clothes for his first day at Pre-K. Six shirts were laid out on the floor and mom's opinions seemed to mean squat, Ristow called for reinforcements. Daddy had to come upstairs and help him decide on the perfect choice, so everyone would think he looked like a big kid. After laying out his outfit, very satisfied he drifted off to sleep.

This morning he was up and ready by 7:30am, school doesn't start til 9:30am. Ristow made sure I got a good picture of him rockin' on his first day. He then carried all of his stuff to the car and we were on our way. On the way there he says "Mom, don't forget, my teacher said that parents have to stand at the door and NOT come into the classroom when you drop me off. But, I think I would like a hug and a kiss at the door." I told him that I would try to handle all of that. We got there and he was beside himself talking about all the kids being there and all the things he was going to learn. As we walk in the building he announces very loudly " I'm BACK!" (he was in the three yr old class last year but things were obviously going to be different this year)

As other parents were tearing up or saying how much they hated leaving their little ones, all I could do was smile. I am so proud of Ristow and his independence and I love him dearly, but I have to admit that day one of having some alone time to myself was pretty fantastic. The last three years Ristow has been in the program but I have always worked there too, this is the first time I get to just be the parent. I can't wait to pick him up today!

By the way, he has requested a congratulations party for himself to celebrate his first day of Pre-K. Today, I can't think of a better reason to bake a cake than that!