Today, marks our 5th anniversary! Marriage is amazing; we love it and have grown tremendously. God has taught us so much, brought us through the ups and downs of life, and given us a sweet baby to boot.
Happy anniversary, love. Thank you for being my husband.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
laughter
In the midst of a stressful day yesterday, three distinct moments of laughter brought me a brief respite:
*watching Kathryn's daughter, Amelia, swing for the first time and absolutely radiate joy and then laugh continuously for ten minutes
*a new and silly noise I made that caused Maggie to laugh hysterically in that high-pitched and grin-spreading way that only babies can do
*leaving a long and rambling message on Shelley's voicemail, then explaining it all to her for another 5 when she called back, in which time she laughed so frequently I almost wondered what moments of comedic genius had come over me (of which, of course, there were none)
The movers come tomorrow to pack up the house. They load on Saturday. We fly to Dallas at 5pm, CST. Wow.
*watching Kathryn's daughter, Amelia, swing for the first time and absolutely radiate joy and then laugh continuously for ten minutes
*a new and silly noise I made that caused Maggie to laugh hysterically in that high-pitched and grin-spreading way that only babies can do
*leaving a long and rambling message on Shelley's voicemail, then explaining it all to her for another 5 when she called back, in which time she laughed so frequently I almost wondered what moments of comedic genius had come over me (of which, of course, there were none)
The movers come tomorrow to pack up the house. They load on Saturday. We fly to Dallas at 5pm, CST. Wow.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Texas livin'
A quick update: our scouting trip last week was successful! We found a lovely, older home in a north Dallas burb (Plano) and put in an offer. The owner countererd and we accepted. The inspector comes on Monday and if all goes well, we will close October 26! The home is so lovely and has many updates. It has mature trees in the front and back, is 1800 sq.ft, has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, hardwood floors in the living and dining room, crown molding, an open kitchen and a pool in the back. I could go on and on. I'll post pics of it when it's finally a done deal.
The movers come at the end of this week and we fly out this weekend. Hard to believe! Things are coming together here and I'm working on packing for our temporary housing and cleaning out the pantry and fridge.
The movers come at the end of this week and we fly out this weekend. Hard to believe! Things are coming together here and I'm working on packing for our temporary housing and cleaning out the pantry and fridge.
wordless wednesday
Here are a few shots of M from the past two weeks:
Relaxing on the hotel bed, watching "Sesame Street"
Reading on the plane with dad
Swinging with dad in Lincoln Park on a cool fall afternoon
What a beautiful grin!
Mad about the hat or leaving Chicago? :)
Relaxing on the hotel bed, watching "Sesame Street"
Reading on the plane with dad
Swinging with dad in Lincoln Park on a cool fall afternoon
What a beautiful grin!
Mad about the hat or leaving Chicago? :) Sunday, September 23, 2007
welcome, baby girl!
This is my friend, Tina's, newest addition: Mia Noelle. She was born Thursday, September 20 at 10:35 pm. Tines said it was an amazing labor...lasting for a total of about 2 hours. Mia was 8 lbs 12 oz, 21 inches long. Welcome, sweet one; can't wait to meet you some day.
Monday, September 17, 2007
a fall day contemplation
A good friend here graciously babysat Maggie Saturday morning so Aron and I could go clothes shopping for him. He is in desperate need of new digs with his weight loss as well as for a new job position...that's right, my fantastic husband has received a job promotion with his company! Way to go, love! The last 2 months have seen him working an extra 100+ hours on top of his current role, and traveling 7 times to the destination mentioned below. He's proven himself most capable of stepping into his new job description.
And you won't believe this. Well, maybe you will...
The McKay family is moving. Once again. And, guess where we are headed?! Back to the Big D. Dallas, for those who are more familiar with its common appellation. That's right, Maggie will get to explore her southwest roots after all. Aron will be the Customer Service Manager and he's quite thrilled about the new job; he'll be working more with people, than with the process. I'm most pleased that he is excited about this new challenge. And, he's hoping to start back into seminary in January. We are looking to either buy a home in north Dallas or a condo/town home downtown. I think the urbanites in us are leaning toward downtown. Mature trees, pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques. I look forward to being able to walk where I want to go. Something about Chicago stirs that inside me. We fly out for a scouting trip Wednesday through Saturday of this week, so I will be busy packing for another trip this week. Then, we are out there permanently the following week. God's been doing cool things in all of this and we are excited for this next adventure; hopefully, we'll stay put for a bit longer than the 11-month stint here.
However, I must admit this is a bittersweet move for me; very much so. In the short time we have called Chicago "home," I have made amazing friends whom I love. I can hardly imagine not being able to see Shel or Kathryn during the weeks, or go to mom's group on Mondays, or our wonderful church on Sundays.
I will miss the city itself.
I will miss the people.
I will miss the culture.
We both will.
Somehow the words here do not convey the grieving process that I am going through and have been for the past 2 weeks. While this is a good move for us, it's still a difficult one; any change is hard, no matter how good it may be.
So, pray for us. Pray that we we will transition back to life quickly. Pray that we will find a home. And pray that Mags will adapt to the upheaval of the next few months. We are eager to jump back into old friendships and church.
And this may not be the last post I write about how I am feeling about all this.
And you won't believe this. Well, maybe you will...
The McKay family is moving. Once again. And, guess where we are headed?! Back to the Big D. Dallas, for those who are more familiar with its common appellation. That's right, Maggie will get to explore her southwest roots after all. Aron will be the Customer Service Manager and he's quite thrilled about the new job; he'll be working more with people, than with the process. I'm most pleased that he is excited about this new challenge. And, he's hoping to start back into seminary in January. We are looking to either buy a home in north Dallas or a condo/town home downtown. I think the urbanites in us are leaning toward downtown. Mature trees, pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques. I look forward to being able to walk where I want to go. Something about Chicago stirs that inside me. We fly out for a scouting trip Wednesday through Saturday of this week, so I will be busy packing for another trip this week. Then, we are out there permanently the following week. God's been doing cool things in all of this and we are excited for this next adventure; hopefully, we'll stay put for a bit longer than the 11-month stint here.
However, I must admit this is a bittersweet move for me; very much so. In the short time we have called Chicago "home," I have made amazing friends whom I love. I can hardly imagine not being able to see Shel or Kathryn during the weeks, or go to mom's group on Mondays, or our wonderful church on Sundays.
I will miss the city itself.
I will miss the people.
I will miss the culture.
We both will.
Somehow the words here do not convey the grieving process that I am going through and have been for the past 2 weeks. While this is a good move for us, it's still a difficult one; any change is hard, no matter how good it may be.
So, pray for us. Pray that we we will transition back to life quickly. Pray that we will find a home. And pray that Mags will adapt to the upheaval of the next few months. We are eager to jump back into old friendships and church.
And this may not be the last post I write about how I am feeling about all this.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9 months
Maggie is 9 months old today and getting so big (see details in post last week). She learned to clap last week and is moving faster and faster each day. Here are her stats: 27.5 inches and 22.5 pounds. I love this shirt she is wearing; I bought it from my favorite kid store here, Psychobaby. You can order online, check it out. Yes, and that is a ton of drool on her shirt. More teething, I'm sure. Look out.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
auntie shannon and uncle steve!
Shannon and Steve are in town for a brief visit; we enjoyed driving around the city some yesterday, the boys hit up a good, local pub, and we enjoyed a tasty dinner at Dunalys on the Square, not far from our house. Mags was a champ throughout the afternoon and evening which made it all the more pleasurable.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
wordfilled wednesday
Since I have posted a bunch of new pics of Mags in recent weeks, but haven't given any new updates on her, I figured today was a good time to do that. She is now 8.5 months old--9 months next week. We went to an 8 month checkup about 4 weeks ago and she weighed in at 21.4 pounds and was 27 inches long (I think). She is as active as ever and just babbles all the time. She loves to say "dadadada" and I swear is close to recognizing what is means. Last Thursday, I witnessed her laying (Lying? Mom, help me out here) down in her crib, push herself to sitting, then stand up fully! It was awesome. When playing in the kitchen, she loves to turn in circles while sitting and now scoots around with her leg tucked under her (her form of crawling). It's hysterical. Today, I watched her climb her first step into our bathroom. As always, she loves to be up on her feet, so I'm predicting she'll be walking by the middle of October. Maybe sooner! I love how active she is becoming. She loves to explore and currently enjoys playing under her highchair and with the open dishwasher.
Her band (aka "helmet") wearing is going very well; we have about 10 more weeks, so about halfway there. The change has already been remarkable; I can't wait to post "before" and "after" pics when it's all over. Her hair is totally filling in and getting quite long; still not sure what shade of brown it will be because I still see red highlights in it. We had our first experience in the pool yesterday (I spent the night with my friend Kathryn at her grandparents' house in a neighboring city of Chicago). Maggie wasn't sure at first when we stepped in, as she produced a wrinkled brow. But, about 5 minutes into it, she was smiling and splashing a little. By the end, she was kicking her feet some and laughing. She enjoyed floating on her back and even let me dunk her several times! Aron was quite jealous he couldn't be there because he had to work.
She still loves, loves books, sleeps 12 hours at night, and is an overall, happy and contented baby. And I've recently discovered that she will let you cuddle with her during her morning and evening feedings. It's wonderful!
Her band (aka "helmet") wearing is going very well; we have about 10 more weeks, so about halfway there. The change has already been remarkable; I can't wait to post "before" and "after" pics when it's all over. Her hair is totally filling in and getting quite long; still not sure what shade of brown it will be because I still see red highlights in it. We had our first experience in the pool yesterday (I spent the night with my friend Kathryn at her grandparents' house in a neighboring city of Chicago). Maggie wasn't sure at first when we stepped in, as she produced a wrinkled brow. But, about 5 minutes into it, she was smiling and splashing a little. By the end, she was kicking her feet some and laughing. She enjoyed floating on her back and even let me dunk her several times! Aron was quite jealous he couldn't be there because he had to work.
She still loves, loves books, sleeps 12 hours at night, and is an overall, happy and contented baby. And I've recently discovered that she will let you cuddle with her during her morning and evening feedings. It's wonderful!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
SoCal weather in the Midwest
These past 2 weeks have overall produced amazing weather here in Chicago! Aron and I were walking last weekend and he said to me, "If every day were like this here, I would stay here forever." I said, "No, we'd be back in southern California because that's the only place there is 'perfect' weather." It's been a nice change from several weeks of hot and humid days and nights. On Friday, Kathryn and I took our daughters for a lovely walk on Lake Michigan; below are some city shots I took. The air was just electric! This weekend has been low-key and restful thus far. Aron has been working like a horse, traveling to Dallas every week pretty much for the past 6 weeks, so Labor Day was much anticipated for our family. We watched a movie, went to Starbucks, and later, the driving range. Today, we are going to meet Randall and Shel for early morning coffee before church. I hope everyone's weekend is spent relaxing and connecting with loved ones.
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