Dad's 60th

Last weekend, we traveled to Spokane to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. We had a fantastic time, mostly chasing the kids around (5,4,3,2,1 year olds + one teenager....and one on the way...WOW!) and playing the Wii. He has a VERY full life right now with all of us kids and our kids; he is a great Papa Bear and we love him! Happy Birthday Dad!

Nathan

At PF Changs...Mary, Nathan, Mom, Dad, Nick, and Noah

Manny and Adam

Me and my hubby love

Aunt Sissy and Ellie

Ellie, Papa and Nick

Papa and Olivia

The Ciabattari Crew

Movie Night with Super Woman

Movie night at the McDonald house. Do you remember doing silly things like this when you were a kid? Ellie found a bin in the office, dumped it out, and made it into her own little bed. You can't tell from the picture but she put a pillow in it, a small blanket, and lovies of course. It reminded me so much of Lisa and I when we were little. We used to always make the most elaborate beds, tents, forts, etc. Why do we even buy toys? Ellie has more imaginative fun with household items than anything else. What a goofball!

Yummy Popcorn!

Ellie picked the movie tonight (as usual): Barbie and The Three Musketeers. This video was taken shortly after...clearly the movie influenced her just a wee bit. :)

Ellie's Choice

I really wanted to spend an entire day with Ellie doing whatever she wanted. I feel this special time with just me and her slowly reaching an end point and I want to make the most of it. I asked her to make a list of all the things she wanted to do and this is what she came up with: go to Starbucks (that's my girl!) ride the carousel get cotton candy go to the park and have a picnic go to the library go to Barnes and Noble and play at the train table make and eat cookies Believe it or not, we did everything on her list. :) She was so ecstatic. We started off getting lattes (decaf of course!) and then went to the Supermall to ride the carousel and get cotton candy. We went to a park in Federal Way and met up with Nana and Papa for our picnic. Ellie got to pick everything for the picnic and I am happy to say it wasn't too unhealthy! She picked cheese, oranges, bunny crackers, fruit snacks, raisins and juice. Not bad Ellie! Then we stopped at the bookstore and stayed for what seemed like FOREVER! Ellie is TOTALLY my kid and could honestly live in a bookstore. She wanted to read everything, play at the train table and then discovered the stuffed animals. Of course, she wanted to get one and any other day I would have said No and she would have been OK with that but it was a special day so we bought a cute little deer. She was very surprised and VERY happy. We picked up some books we had on hold at the library and then Ellie fell asleep in the car. I made Oatmeal/Raisin/Banana cookies so we munched on those before ballet practice later in the evening. Ellie and I both had a terrific day. I hope she knows how much I love her. I just feel I can't say it or show it enough. :)

Carousel

Cotton Candy

Perfect sunshine for the tire swing at the park!

Train table at the bookstore

Ellie asleep with her new deer

7 Months Pregnant

I am officially 7 months into this pregnancy! It really hit me today when I looked at the pictures of my belly. I waddle. I can't put on my socks very well. I already can't sleep because little baby girl is really active at night. I officially rested my bowl of ice cream on my belly last night.

And poor Dan. My nesting urge has kicked in... Here comes the painting, the rearranging, the shampooing of carpets, etc. A true test of how much my husband loves me for sure! Today I swept out the garage. Our baby isn't due for almost three more months and I highly doubt she will ever be in the garage but it felt like one of those things that needed to be done. :) Next I am going to tackle those dust bunnies behind the dresser. I just purchased a Spider plant because I read somewhere that just one plant can reduce toxins in your home by over 80%. And in the words of my husband..."Uh oh, here we go." :)

Starting Off Right

2010 is starting off to be a pretty good year! Last weekend, I enjoyed a three-day vacation with my dearest girlfriends from college: Elizabeth, Claire and Erin. We spent our time doing whatever we wanted to, mostly eating, drinking, relaxing with good books, and going for walks. It was BLISS! I loved not being tied to any kind of schedule and most of the time, I had no clue what time of day it was. Amazing! Then this weekend, I enjoyed a "Mom's Night Out" with my "Mommy Friends" as I like to call them. We have been friends since our kids were babies and we always have so much to chat about. Dinner was great and we even had a "better late than never" Christmas gift exchange. I feel so rejuvenated this month! While I have been busy relaxing and indulging in a bit of me-time, Dan has been busy with Ellie and Jaxie. The three of them play hard and have a wonderful time without me. :) Here are some pictures of their fun. I know Dan posted these on his Facebook page but I like them and wanted to include them here anyway:

Ready for sledding at Crystal Mountain

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these next two pictures! I am such a lucky gal!

Ellie finally got her hot chocolate! Brrrr! It looks cold out there!

This is a picture of Ellie hiding when we were playing hide and seek. What a crack up!

Of course, Jaxie has been getting lots of time at the park lately with our good weather!

So we have been staying pretty busy just relaxing and making the most of family time. Baby girl will be here in 3 months or less (I am 7 months pregnant now!) and although that still seems a way off, I know the time will go so quickly. We are really trying to enjoy every second with Ellie as the only child for a bit longer and I am reading, seeing movies, and visiting with friends before little one comes. I feel that push and pull feeling...wanting to hold on to the last few days of our little family of four (counting Jaxie of course!) and yet eagerly counting the days until we become a family of five. Thank goodness God is in control of time and not me! On another note, I am proud to say that my husband has yet again been selected for another position within the State Patrol. I don't know the actual name for it but he and his team will focus on target problems such as DUI's. He gets a brand new car (again! Say goodbye to his unmarked award car) and other fun toys. The downside is that he will be on night shift...for a whole year! YIKES! I don't really have much to say about this; I know it will be tough at times but it is such a great opportunity and I support him completely. A lot of changes wait in the horizon for our little family. I am excited and anxious and also very thankful. Stay tuned for 7 month pictures and hopefully a video of Ellie singing her baby sister to sleep (she does this every night but I can't seem to get a good recording of it). Enjoy your weekend!

2009 Memories

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Rock Star

Our little rock star! Three year olds are so funny. :)