The Pratt Family

Two Fun Weekends

2009-06-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Our lives have been crazy lately, but the last two weekends have been so nice, and I got some good pictures, so I wanted to share a bit. Danny hosted his annual "Tip Off Classic" basketball tournament this last Friday and Saturday. He was insanely busy, but the tournament was a success. We were so grateful for the family and friends that came into town to help with refereeing and score keeping. The kids and I could handle a hot, sweaty gym so much, so on Saturday we went to the water park, Roaring Springs, in Meridian with Mimi, and my sister-in-law, Mindy, with her two boys, Mitch and Sam. We had so much fun. We can't wait to go back with Danny later in the summer. Next time we go though, I am making sure to have someone put sunscreen on my back instead of trying to do it myself. Now I have a bright red back with a white hand print in the middle of it. Lovely, Jordan. Just lovely.

Lauren just loved the water. She couldn't get enough of crawling around the kiddy pool and charming any person who would look at her.

McKay was nervous about the slides at first, but Mimi convinced him to try one and then he couldn't get enough. Going down the slide with the inner-tube was his favorite. When he would reach the water he would yell, "I'm #1! Go team!" Oh, he makes me laugh.

Enjoying ice-cream

Sharing a smoothie with Sam. They became such good friends.

Thanks for a fun time, Mimi!

On Memorial Day we went to the zoo. We had a perfect day.

And one last note... this is McKay playing the violin, well, at least that's what he told me. The boy just melts my heart.

This Little Girl...

2009-04-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

...had her nine month well-baby appointment last Thursday. She now weighs just under 15 lbs and is 27 inches long. And her heart murmur is officially gone. Even though she still isn't on the charts for her weight (she's in the 25 percentile for her height), she is very healthy and thriving. Well, until she got Rosella. The poor little girl looks like a character from Star Trek- human, yet a little alien-ish because of the awful rash all over her. I hope it goes away soon! A couple little things about Lauren at nine months- She says "Mama" and "Dada", loves pulling herself up on the furniture, getting so good at feeding herself, and still loves her baths and her left thumb. Time is going by too fast.

Spring is here!

2009-04-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

We are ready for Spring, especially McKay because that means baseball. McKay insists on wearing his 'baseball helmet' every time we play catch. This bucket is rarely used for its intended purpose. So funny!

Our Sweet Girl

She just started sitting up a few weeks ago!

For Spring Break we went to Medford to visit Danny's parents. We had so much fun, and my favorite part of the trip was eating at the best breakfast/lunch place in the world! When Danny and I lived in Ashland we ate here almost every Saturday morning. This was the very first restaurant McKay went to when he was only a week old. Our waitress that day was the same one we had when we went back a couple of weeks ago. I love that!

The biggest post yet!

2009-01-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

Everyday since January 7th, I have been meaning to do a post. McKay turned 3 on the 7th and Lauren turned 6 months on the 13th, so I wanted to give a good update. So here we go!

I find it a little sad that my baby boy is now three years old! This last year has gone by so fast. I had planned a big party for him, but due to the worst cold of McKay's life so far and Lauren having RSV, the party was cancelled. We did have a good day at home and went to Carl's Jr. for dinner. McKay can never get enough of fries and chocolate milk (which he will only drink when we go out to eat), and Carl's Jr. has a really great play area. I think McKay's favorite gift was he new baseball glove and ball which he didn't put down for at least a whole week.

McKay is definitely a big boy now, which he reminds me of often. I do love the boy that he is though. I love how he has a mind of his own, the protective brother that he is (except at home when I am constantly telling him we don't wrestle with Baby Sister), and his curiosity. He is constantly asking what something is or what someone is doing. I also love that he loves to sing (mainly to the Dixie Chics) and has such a good memory when reading his books. I especially love how sweet McKay is. He is constantly giving hugs and kisses, telling Danny, Lauren, and me that he loves us, and saying thank you. He is such a good boy and I feel so blessed to be his mama. Have a wonderful year, McKay-O!

McKay is singing with us here. He loved blowing out his candles, but wouldn't eat the cupcakes. He wanted to get back to his new toys. This is the second year in a row where birthday cake held no merit for him.

Three years old

Two years old

One year old; this is my absolute favorite picture of him.

And day one...

Lauren is now 6 months old. She weights 11 lbs 14 oz, and is 25 inches long. I love that she's so petite. I'm not worried that she's so small because I can see that she's healthy, and her pediatrician told us that she probably lost a little weight from the RSV and will make up for it soon. I am so glad that she has recovered from the RSV. With lots of doctor visits and a trip to the e.r. I am grateful that my baby girl can breath well again. The doctor also hasn't heard the heart murmur for the last couple of visits, which gives me a little more peace. She is such a fun, sweet baby girl. She loves to be tickled, cuddled, play peek-a-boo, roll to every corner in the house and I think her skin feels like velvet. I could hold her all day long. And when I hold her, Lauren will stick her left thumb (she only sucks her left) in her mouth, and her right hand goes straight for the hair at my neck.

We waited until Lauren was all better before starting her on baby food. Here she's anticipating the new experience.

"This cereal stuff is pretty good!"

"But, I like my bib or feet more."

And the next morning... "Mom better hurry up because my morning nap waits for nothing."

To Grandma's (and Papa's) House We Go!

2008-12-19T09:17:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow we leave for Utah for Christmas. We are so excited, and I wanted to put in a little update.

We've been busy being sick. We've all had colds, and I am finally getting over a sinus infection. Teaching and taking care of everything while being sick is the worst!! That just says that even though we all got flu shots (except Lauren because she's too little), we can still get sick! I'm so glad we are better for the holidays now.

We've also been busy going to lots of basketball games. Danny is such a good coach and works hard. McKay breathes basketball and just can't get enough. When he wakes up in the morning, the first thing he has to have is his basketballs, and he begs us to let him play for "four minutes" when we say it is bedtime. He aches to shoot hoops outside, but it's just way too cold, so he's gotten creative inside figuring out dribbling and going to "the gym" (the front door entry way). He's figuring out his imagination, which is so fun to watch. The most monumental thing in McKay's life lately is that he is finally done with his pacifier!! YAHOOOO!!!!!!! It got lost a couple of weeks ago (not on purpose I might add) and so we said that the paci went bye-bye. McKay said it went to the ocean. He still asks for it at nap time sometimes, and I know he misses it, but he informs me he is a big boy now, so good bye paci!

McKay loves his Nyssa Bulldog shirt (Danny's school).

Playing in "The boat."

Lauren is now five months. She is still so little. She's just now fitting into her 3-6 month stuff. She babbles a lot, loves to laugh, give good smiles to McKay (who talks to her like she's going to talk back any second) and rolls over constantly. She is such a sweetheart and so easy going. She does have a little fire in her though, because when she's had absolutely enough, she unleashes her fury. That doesn't happen often though, which is good. I love this age and I'm not anxious for her to get bigger.

Smiling for the camera is still a rare thing because looking at it is so much more interesting, and the flash is a little much.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and be safe this time of year!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

The Fireman and the Ladybug

McKay had a hat and rubber boots to match, but this was all we could convince him to wear.

At our ward trunk or treat McKay was so excited to say 'trick or treat' and then would turn around and say "Thank you Mommy!" People probably thought I never give him candy, but we've been eating it all week!

A couple weeks ago we went to "Boo at the Zoo" and McKay can't get over "Buster the dog looks like me!" McKay liked looking at the dog, but standing near him made McKay a bit nervous. Sitting solved that problem I think.

Our Little Lady

Lauren starting sucking her thumb a few weeks ago. I can't get over how cute it is!

The cool girl and the nerd

(The crimper I used my sister got at least 20 years ago! Worked well, but I did my hair as fast as I could because I was afraid sparks were about to fly.)

Handbag Givaway!

2008-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

I am such a sucker for a great handbag. If you are too, check out this link!

http://www.handbagplanet.com/

Happy Two Months!

2008-09-17T19:44:00.003-07:00

Lauren just had her two month check up. She now weight 9 lbs, 9 oz. and is 22 inches long. She is healthy and thriving well. The only thing that isn't sitting well is a heart murmur the doctor found a few weeks ago. We are going to a pediatric cardiologist on Friday to get it check out some more. I'm not super worried though, because McKay had one when he was born and it sealed up quickly on its own. I can not get enough of my baby girl! She is all smiles for me, coos all the time, (that sound melts my heart), and is such a sweet natured little thing. I couldn't decide on just a couple pictures to post, so here's a bunch.

And this little boy really keeps me on my toes. Here he is with his beloved whistle. Once McKay attaches himself to something, there is no going back. Very strong minded. At night he has a hard time leaving the whistle on the toy shelf in the living room (if he takes it in his bedroom, he does not go to sleep). The other night I woke up around 2:00 AM to feed Lauren, and found McKay asleep in front of our door. When I lifted him up to put him back in bed I found the whistle underneath him. He's a die hard. This picture is of his frequent pose while playing 'coach'. I wonder where he got that from!

Lauren's Blessing

2008-09-17T19:44:00.002-07:00

On August 31st, we blessed our Lauren. We had so many family and friends come, I felt so blessed and grateful. Both of our parents came, along with my brothers, Joseph and his wife Juli, and Anson with his girlfriend Julia. Our good friends Ryan and Kelly drove all the way from Eugene, and the Carltons and Hiatts joined us from here. The weekend was so wonderful, and I still get teary-eyed thinking about the sacrifice everyone made to come for the blessing and the birth of our sweet baby. Thank you again!!

Lauren's blessing dress was actually the dress I was blessed in. I was so relieved that it didn't drown her. I think it's perfect and she looked so adorable.

(l-r)Carltons, Anson and Julia, Joseph and Juli, Grandma and Papa Wing, Pratts, Mimi and

G-Pa Pratt, Thompsons, and Hiatts.

The blessing circle

McKay got his hair done just like Uncle Joseph's for the day. I've tried to do it more like that since, but he complains that his hair hurts.

Juli took this great picture.

Our first official family picture

Happy Birthday Danny!

2008-09-17T19:44:00.001-07:00

Danny's 29th birthday was on the 5th of this month. We celebrated with some of my family, Danny's parents, and our good friends from Eugene, Ryan and Kelly, over Labor Day weekend at Black Canyon Dam. And then the next weekend we went out to dinner with some friends here. We love you Danny, and hope you have a great year!! And I hope you got a birthday wish, because McKay made it a point to blow out all your candles.

Can't Get Enough

2008-08-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my sister, Becca, and one of my nephews, Ethan, came to visit for a week. We had such a good time. She is my best friend and I get so sad that we don't live closer to each other. I miss her like crazy, as well as the rest of my family. I've been so grateful that my parents and Becca have been to visit after Lauren's birth, and I can't wait for my parents and the rest of my family to come for the blessing next week.

Even though McKay has been quite the handful since Lauren coming (I think that's putting it mildly), there are a few things he does I can't get enough of.

McKay is so random. Danny has gone back to work, and the other day McKay asked where he was. I told him that Daddy was at work and then clarified that he was at school so McKay would know the exact place. After asking a slew of questions about basketball, bulldogs (the mascot), and gyms, he said, "Daddy wear football helmet?" I said no, but this surprised me because Danny doesn't even have a football helmet! And yesterday while we were on a walk, McKay decided he didn't want to hold his football anymore so he stuffed it down his shirt. I think this might of been because I was hold Lauren in the ring sling, but he was so surprised when the football fell out. And one more funny thing, McKay has just realized that he has more of a name than 'McKay' and so does Lauren. The other day he was calling to Lauren saying "Loren Bet" (Beth is still a little tricky) and I asked him what his name was. He replied with "PcKay Donald Pratt" (Daniel sounds like Donald in his words). I then asked what my name was. Without pause he said "Jordan." I was so surprised that I couldn't correct him. Smart boy!

And finally, I can't get enough of this little girl! I love her so much!

I don't love all the extra crying she's done this week, but I do love her little pout. She's done that since the second she was born.

We all can't enough of Danny. We thought going back to work would be nice, but we miss him terribly. We had a great summer, and are so grateful for his time at home. Good luck this year sweetheart!

And finally... this blog would not be accurate if I did not include this. I L-O-V-E, LOVED this book!! As soon as I finished reading it, I had to read it all over again. I was so happy with the ending, but so sad the Twilight series is done. Have you all heard that the movie is coming out on Nov. 21st now? I can not wait!!

Like Brother, Like Sister

2008-08-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

McKay at 10 months

Lauren at 1 month

I think they're going to look like siblings!

Just Lauren

2008-08-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

Pictures to catch You up

2008-08-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well Jordan has been busy as ever and they say a picture is worth 1000 words so this is a lot of words.

I Love this picture. The Ross Family made this blanket for us knowing that I force sports on our children (thats a joke) It looks like Lauren is shooting a right handed layin.

This was My way of getting McKay to get in the sprinkler. He had to get the ball after he shot it. He also had to shoot from farther away. All the neighborhood kids stop and shot with McKay even though they are all 6 and older. McKay will get frusterated when they miss an easy shot.

McKay is a loving brother. As Parents we need to be extra careful to allow McKay some sister time but keep him from loving her to injury. Jordan's parents recommended we get McKay a baby doll. I knew we had to have our eyes open because McKay managed to hit the baby doll's head on the door frame five times the first day he had the doll. McKay is full of love and wants nothing more then to show his little sister that he loves her and welcomes her into the family.

This is Lauren in her swing. It looks like she is wearing an amazing dress but really it is just a blanket. On the topic of swings. McKay had a hand me down swing that he loved. Jordan and I thought we would spend the big bucks and give Lauren a new swing. Lauren liked it for a week and now refuses to sit in it. Yet Jordan and I continue to set her in the swing so we can get every dollar out of that swing.

Our Little Peanut

2008-07-17T20:46:00.001-07:00

I took Lauren to the doctor today for a check-up. She weights a whopping 5 lbs. 15 oz. She'll be back to her birth weight in no time. I have a closet full of clothes that she can't wear yet because she's so small! I hope it's a long summer! I'm grateful for her small size though, because she came so fast my epidural didn't kick in until after the doctor stitched me up, and I felt everything. Things are going well now though. McKay loves his sister, and Danny and I are still trying to get our bearings. Thank goodness my parents are here for the week! Sometime soon I'd like to write the whole birth story, but I just too tired right now!! Enjoy the pictures for now!

Finished projects

2008-07-17T20:34:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I had just finished everything I had wanted to do before Lauren came. Haircut and color, finishing the kids' bedroom, washing all baby things, and installing the baby car seat were just a few of the things. I guess Lauren knew that I was ready! Here are some pictures of McKay and Lauren's room. I'm happy how it turned out!
(Don't you just love the fuse box in the middle of the wall?!)

She's Here!!

2008-07-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to announce that our baby girl, Lauren Beth, was born on Sunday, July 13th at 3:53 a.m. She's a whopping 6lbs 2oz and 20 inches long. She was born 7 days early and surprised us all in the middle of the night with only 2 1/2 hours of labor. Mom and baby are both doing well and are anxious to go home from the hospital Tuesday morning. Here's just a couple pictures, we'll post more in a couple days....

Our Summer Vacation

2008-07-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

Danny and I (especially me) have been so glad that this baby is due in the middle of the summer so Danny would be home with us for a few weeks before he starts teaching again. Because of the due date though, we had to get in all our vacations early this year.

We just got back from Lincoln City, OR with all of my family. We got this beautiful house that was only a block away from the beach that fit all of us very well. A lot of people thought I was crazy to go out of town so close to my due date. It was just perfect though. Other than swollen feet (which didn't even get very bad) we had a wonderful time and I was so grateful for something to focus my attention on instead of sitting at home waiting for this baby to come (like I'm doing now)!

Becca took this picture, and I love it! McKay loved the beach, but it took a few days to get there. I guess I should say that he loved the water, but complained of the cold when he wasn't in the water. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Our first day in Lincoln City was a kite festival. It was really cool to see all the different kites. There were performers than had choregraphed their kite flying to music. I guess everyone has a hobbie, huh.

McKay made his own kite. It lasted for an hour and then ripped, but he had fun for that hour!

Everyone got boogie boards, and had so much fun in the water. Crazy to me, but Danny couldn't get enough.

Danny and McKay dancing near the water. So sweet.

Everytime we are with my family, McKay attaches himself to Aidan. He can't get enough of him. It's hard to leave them, especially because McKay asks for Aidan all the time. You can tell how cold McKay is from this picture. That was how he looked most of the time.

It's strange to think that this is one of our last pictures with just the three of us!

And on to a baby update... I went to the doctor yesturday, and she said that I am dialated to a three. So we are praying that our baby girl can hold on until Wednesday, when they will induce me. I wouldn't be too surprised if she came before that though.

One last thing, Happy 1st Birthday to my sweet, beautiful nephew, Ethan today and Happy 54 Birthday to my beautiful Mama (yesturday)! We love you so much!

Our Furture Reporter

2008-06-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

When McKay is done coloring he insists to wear the crayon behind his ear, and he gets so upset when it doesn't stay there. Other things that are going on for McKay... L-O-V-E-S loves whistles, and asks to go to a basketball game or practice everyday ( good thing Danny is doing summer league). He is learning how to dress himself, but most shorts end up looking like skirts and shirts get suck with arms still in and the neck all crazy, but he insists on doing it himself. Thank goodness for flip-flops and sandals, because he's a pro at those and knows it. And he loves to say "Bless you Mama" or "Bless you Daddy" whenever we cough or sneeze. So sweet. I just love my little boy so much. This week we are going to see "Kung Fu Panda" because McKay goes crazy saying 'panda bear!" over and over and over. This will be his first movie theater experience, so we'll see how it goes (I'm not counting 'Da Vinci Code' when he was four months and the couple of dollar movies that we've only see half of).
As for other news updates, we are now officially less than a month away with the arrival of our baby girl. My doctor said she would induce me on July 16th if I was ready, so I'm praying that will happen, but I'm also praying she doesn't some too early. I am so over being pregnant. I hate the instant swelling of my feet, not being able to wear my wedding ring anymore, and all the awful aches and pains that come in the last month. To top it all off, I got the worst cold ever. I haven't been this sick in years!! I finally feel ready to have the baby come home though, minus a few decorating things for her and McKay's room. It's a good thing that everything is in place, because we are trying to get all our summer traveling in now. Last week Danny did a basketball camp with his team at Utah Valley University, so McKay and I stayed with my family. And at the end of this week, my whole family and us are headed over to the Oregon coast (Lincoln City) for about a week. Everyone thinks I'm crazy for traveling right now, but I would go crazy sitting at home. And I love being with my family as much as possible. McKay finally has no stranger anxiety when we see them, and we have such a good time.

Arena Football and New Hair

2008-05-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

So, Danny has a friend from high school (B.J. Rhode) who is the quarterback for Boise's arena football team, the Burn. I had never heard of them before, but I guess they are kind of a big deal in the area. Anyway, we were able to get some discount tickets, which were decent seats, and went with some friends a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of fun, and even more fun watching McKay cheer on the team. He gets so into it; he's so cute! I was surprised he loved the game so much because he had a cold and started to sound like an 80 year old smoker by the end of the night. He got a autographed football after and loved it so much he slept with it that night and talked about the "foot-ball game" for the whole next week. It was so nice to go do something with friends that was out of the norm.

Everyone got these pink balloons, which McKay loved, of course. We had to help him hold them pretty close though because he kept hitting the people around him. I love how you can tell how hard he's cheering though.

A rare family picture.
Our friends, Jessica and Calvin, and McKay's giant football.

I am in the point of my pregnancy that I can't change too much more, so I had my hair cut and colored this week. I think I've finally found someone local that I like. (All my bad haircuts have been done away from home.) I haven't had my hair this short since I was a freshman in college, so I'm really liking the change. I've never been this blond before, but I'm starting to like it more and more, and is a fun change for summer.

We are alive!

2008-05-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

I am ashamed that I haven't blogged for almost two months now! We haven't been especially busy, but I haven't felt the itch to be on the computer at all. I've had lots of things to blog about, but then I waited too long and then I was overwhelmed and then always tired (I so wish I got that burst of energy that you are suppose to get in you second trimester). So I am now trying to redeem our blog with a little update, and I hope you all won't give up on me. My goal is not to have my next blog of the baby coming!

McKay in now almost 28 months. He talks up a storm and repeats everything, and I mean everything, he hears. He then repeats the word at least 15 times before moving on. I love seeing him soak up all this new knowledge. He's been in a twin sized bed now for a couple of months, and is so proud announcing that he slept the whole night there to me every morning. He loves it. He is a basketball junkie, and begs at our back door to play 'hoops' all day. Danny's heart melts for this.

McKay also loves 'American Idol.' Danny and I are starting not to because Jason is still on the show. But every time we turn it on, McKay looks through his toy basket, finds this cone, and sings and dances around. This melts my heart! Sometimes he goes for the ultra high notes, and end up screaming at the top of his lungs to match the pitch.

McKay in his Easter/Spring outfit. He just needs argyle socks, oxfords, a 'Newsies' hat, and a country club membership and I think he's ready.

We've been down to see my family in Utah a couple of times the last few months. The first time, for Easter and Spring Break and then for Brett's, my brother-in-law, graduation. McKay loves the car now, for the most part, and loves his cousins. He follows Aidan around wanting to be just like him, and he loves baby Ethan. McKay will be a such a sweet big brother I think.

Danny is staying ultra busy with teaching and umpiring baseball games. He thought umpiring would be a fun way to earn some extra cash, but didn't like it at all. Too much pressure, he says. He's also busy planning summer basketball. Sometimes I wonder if we will ever have a break, but I am proud of his dedication. He loves to play and read with McKay under their 'fort'. McKay can't wait for Dad to come home, especially for this, because I get too hot under the blanket.

I am now 7 months pregnant. I've been busy spring cleaning, reading (I just finished The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and it is one of my all time favorites now) and getting ready for this baby. Sometimes I feel ready for her, but then I think I have 3 months and hyperventilate a little. I just had an check-up. I passes my glucose test, and celebrated by making brownies, and got a 3-D ultrasound. I love her cheek and nose. I also love that I'm already falling in love with her. I think I was too much of a worry-wart with McKay to do that. I'm trying to calm down. I do love shopping for her and am looking forward to a shower that a couple of my good friends here are throwing for me next week. We are having a hard time deciding on a name still, so if any of you have any names that you love, and that you wouldn't mind us stealing, send them our way!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

2008-03-07T20:14:00.001-08:00

Yes, that's right we are having a girl! Of course we are very excited, but a little in shock. Danny and I had both convinced ourselves this baby was a boy. Watching her through the ultrasound was so much fun. She looked really good (all the right parts in the right places) and is right on track for our original due date, July 20. I was so excited to get shopping, but as we went out yesterday, I was so overwhelmed! There are so many girl clothes!! But I am excited I can buy more than three styles of shirts, like I can only do with McKay. I've already bought the cutest little romper and jacket. As for names, we are at a total loss. Danny and I had no problems picking out boys' names, but girls' names are really hard for us. Here's a few ultrasound pictures, hope you enjoy them!

Here's the best profile we were able to get. She was moving around like crazy. Her hand is right by her mouth, and the woman doing the ultrasound said that she has my nose. I have no idea how she can tell.

She's saying hi! I love that!

Have you heard?

2008-03-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

For all you "Twilight" fans, the fourth and final book comes out August 2. By saying that I can't wait, is to put it mildly! I just love these books. And this time around I won't have to feel guilty for staying up so late (my record is 3:00 AM for the third book), because I will already be up for late night feedings. I think I will have to be careful not to read between the feedings though. I will definitely be pre-ordering this book. And Stephenie Meyer's website says that the movie will come out this December. That's sooner than I expected, but I think the movie will be fun.

Now that February is over, some order has finally been restored in our house. Basketball have been over for a little while, but it was hard to celebrate right after because the season didn't end as well as Danny had hoped. He's already planning summer basketball (luckily this is just the month of June), and enjoying some free time. McKay had a two week break from being sick. He finally got over rotavirus, has gained some weight back, and made up for all the missed tantrums. We definitely have a two-year-old in the house. He's finally calmed down and gotten back to his regular sleeping schedule. I think he didn't sleep through the night or he refused to go to bed for all of February. This was especially hard, because he is normally a great sleeper. Oh well. But now he's just came down with a cold. The poor guy can't get a break! I can deal with colds though. Spring Break is in a few weeks, and I pray that all will be well by then so we can enjoy some warmer weather. Last week my friend, Breanna, starting teaching me how to sew. My mom is so amazing at this, but I didn't have any interest in sewing until after I moved away from home. My parents got me a great sewing machine about a year ago, and I have finally gotten over being scared of it. I am so picky with myself, sewing was too intimating for a while. I've already made a cute bag, and a super cute shirt and apron are in the making. I'm starting to get excited to make this baby a few things. I'll post pictures of my projects when I'm all finished. This last weekend I had a couple of symphony concerts. McKay lasted through the whole concert on Friday night and I was so proud. He normally only lasts about 20-30 minutes, but he made it though all two hours this time. At one point things got a little rough, so Danny pulled him into the corner and said that he need to stay in his seat and listen to Mama. McKay said okay and was great for the rest of the concert. I love the sweet boy that he is!

Sorry there's no pictures this post. On Thursday we get to find out what this baby is, so I'm hoping to post some good ultrasound pictures. Oh, and one more "proud mama" moment. Today McKay figured out that there can be two of an object all by himself. We've been working on numbers and counting, but today he saw two cars from the movie "Cars" in Walmart. So all day he's been saying, "two cars, two grapes, two feet, two Elmo..." I love watching him learn!

Things that brighten our night...

2008-02-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

1. American Idol

2. A little towel-tossing dance

3. Calling the home phone on Daddy's cell.

(How sad are those ribs!)

We are now going strong on week two of the rotavirus, (the doctor says we probably have another week to go). McKay has been so sick lately that I'm grateful for an hour once in a while when he can perk up and be his usual, silly self.

My Sick Boys

2008-02-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

I thought Danny and I were so lucky to not have caught McKay's virus, but in the end Danny wasn't that lucky. He came down with the flu on Sunday. Hopefully he'll feel better before the last game of the season against Vale on Friday.

Get well, my boys!

Rotavirus is the worst thing in the world!!!

2008-02-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday (a week and a half ago), McKay came down with the dreaded rotavirus. For those you who haven't heard of rotavirus before it's severe vomiting and diarrhea which often leads to dehydration. I can honestly say that we have never experienced anything worse than this, and that includes all of McKay's asthma problems. Luckily McKay hasn't had to go to the hospital. He got pretty close on Thursday, but after a blessing and some actual forcing of Pedialyte into his body, he was able to perk up enough to start drinking. The other hard thing about this virus is that McKay starts to feel better for a few days and then starts throwing up during the night again. That has happened a few times. I am so ready for all the vomiting and diarrhea to be gone forever! Danny is gone for the weekend for away games so I am praying that we don't have any 4:00 am vomiting sessions for two hours (like we did Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday).

The one thing that helped McKay feel better was playing in the laundry.

I think he looks like he is going to box someone. He put the socks on his hands himself.

"Cheese Mom!"

This shirt is actually mine. McKay loves it because it has football helmets. It looked like a dress on him.
There has been some good things to happen to me during this whole mess. It was my 25th birthday last Friday. I've been loving my new bedding from Ikea (a picture will come when I can find a few accessories I'm looking for), the pregnancy body pillow from Danny, and the book "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by the same guy who wrote "The Kite Runner." (Really good books!) Thank you family for all the perfect gifts! And here's my final say about rotavirus. There is a vaccine for it, but you have to get it at 2,4, and 6 months. It's a drink instead of a shot. I guess it's a newer vaccine, so that's why McKay missed out. This next baby will definitely be getting it!!

A Little about Us

2008-01-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

Since our blog is mostly my journal, I thought I'd include this. Consider yourself tagged if you would like to do it too.

How long have you been together? Almost 5 years! Our anniversary is next month.

How old is he? 28

Who eats more? These days I do because of the alien baby growing inside of me, and Danny is doing a Biggest Loser competition with his faculty.

Who said "I love you" first? Danny did, after a couple weeks of dating.

Who is taller? Danny

Who sings better? I can hit the pitches better, but Danny has a better voice I think.

Who is smarter? We are smart in different areas.

Who does the laundry? I do. I have to do it a certain way.

Who does the dishes? Danny does

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you are looking from the bottom of the bed, I sleep on the right. All those late night trips to the bathroom.

Who pays the bills? I do.

Who mows the lawn? If we had a lawn that needed mowing, Danny would. Lucky for us, our landlord does it.

Who cooks dinner? I mostly do, but Danny helps a lot.

Who is more stubborn? I definitely am.

Who kissed who first? Danny kissed me first.

Who asked who out? Danny asked me out to the Team Horkely's Basketball Banquet ( a dinner the intramural team put on to celebrate the season).

Who proposed? Danny proposed to me in practice room 172 in the Snow building at BYU-Idaho.

Who is more sensitive? I am way more sensitive, but Danny has his moments.

Who has more friends? Probably Danny, but we both have a good amount.

Who has more siblings? Neither. We both have three siblings.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? I am the more opinionated, but we share the decisions and responsibilities equally.

Now that I'm 2, I need a new look!

2008-01-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted McKay to have long 'child of a movie star' hair so badly, but it just wasn't working. It was so hard to keep his hair looking nice for at least two minutes, so last night Danny gave him a haircut. I told Danny just a little trim. When I checked in to see how everything was going all of McKay's hair was gone! I was sad at first , but now I think it's so cute. He totally looks like a little boy!

Before...

...And After!

McKay's puppy dog eyes

P.S. McKay made the basket right after I took the picture. I'm not sure if I should be worried or excited about his pose. This does tell me McKay definitely pays attention during Danny's basketball games!

Happy 2nd Birthday, McKay!!

2008-01-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Danny and I can't believe our baby boy is two years old today! Time goes by so quickly. The day was quiet but good. We had McKay's well-baby appointment, which was fine minus McKay's screaming and crying the whole way through. The doctor's office is a hard place for McKay, which is too bad because we have the sweetest doctor. Then we played with our friends Landon and his dog Penny, (a dachshund that McKay can't get enough of). I think McKay's favorite part of the day was having jo-jo's for lunch and dinner.

McKay loved the farm we gave him, but I think he liked wearing the box on his head just as much. We also gave him a Lighting McQueen car. It was suppose to make noises but nothing was sounding at the store, so I liked it even more and we got it for 50% off. Well, when Danny took the car out of the packaging for McKay, the car starting making all the sounds that we though it shouldn't. McKay will be disappointed in the morning when McQueen is suddenly silent again.

I made this cake for a family birthday party we had for McKay while we were in Utah. I was so proud how cute it turned out. McKay liked being sung to, but didn't eat a bite of cake. So today I made really yummy coconut cupcakes thinking the story would be different. No such luck. Fun songs, but no on the dessert. I was a little disappointed, but I guess we are in two-year-old world now.
Danny and I love our little boy so much. I love watching him grow and discover new things everyday, and feel so blessed to be his mama. Have a wonderful year son!!

Happy 2008!

2008-01-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

We have reached our one year anniversary of blogging. So exciting! I guess I better make this blog a good one!
We are finally setting back into normal life after the Christmas break. Christmas was celebrated in Utah. It was so good to be with all of my family. We loved everything about our visit minus the bitter cold. I though I really missed Utah winters, but it was just too cold. It was nice to come back to Ontario in our 30 degree weather. I never though that would be much better, but it is!

Christmas Eve was filled with our usual activities, including all of us singing and playing Christmas carols on our instruments. McKay loved helping out by playing the piano, sitting on Papa's lap playing the guitar, whining at my feet (the usual when I play violin. He can't handle my attention going toward something else) and dancing. This dance move kind of looks like a karate move though.

This was McKay's favorite spot Christmas morning, behind the Christmas tree. McKay's favorite present was the Nemo fruit snacks in his stockings, mine was a new coat and Danny's was the two pairs of kacki (sp?) pants (he just can't get enough of those. He's such a teacher!)

Right before we left Utah, we all went to the Bean Museum at BYU (minus Danny who had to go home early for basketball practice). It was fun to see McKay get excited about all the animals (all are dead and stuffed). Everything time he passed the bear he had to give a big 'roar!' to show he wasn't scared. The reptiles weren't a big hit. He's so my son when it comes to that area.

The new year was celebrate with a bunch of people from our ward. I always feel that's it's so hard to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve. This is weird because I go to bed around midnight most nights. New Years day McKay had to break in his new snow pants, so Danny and McKay went out to play some football. McKay loved being outside but didn't like his cold hands. So when Danny took him inside he threw a royal fit because he still wanted to be outside. Life is so confusing for a toddler!

2007 was such a good year, and I have a good feeling about 2008. One wonderful thing we have to look forward to in 2008 is we'll expect another baby around July 20th. We went the doctor yesterday and got to hear a healthy heartbeat. That is so exciting. My first trimester is almost over which I can't wait for. Morning sickness (which last all day) and being tired all the time is not the best. Hopefully not much longer!

Visiting Santa

2007-12-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went to the mall to finish up our Christmas shopping and to visit Santa. McKay loved waiting in line looking at the huge Christmas tree and every time we asked him if he wanted to see Santa we would get an excited 'yes'. When it was our turn, he smiled as we walked to Santa, but the moment I put him on Santa's lap, the good mood was over. Santa said that he had never heard a scream that loud and high. (I don't know what to think of this.)McKay survived for two quick pictures (I was so glad that the mall didn't make us buy their picture) and was done. Last year wasn't much of a success with Santa either, so we'll try again next year!

I hope you can all see how sad McKay's face is in this picture. He's looking right at me, and I kind of don't blame him. I remember being nervous around Santa.

McKay is ready to go, but I love how good Santa looks!

Happy St. Nick Day!

2007-12-06T09:28:00.001-08:00

My mom and her family spent most of the first six years of her life living in Germany. Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 6th and is called St. Nickolaus Day, and instead of stockings, shoes are set out. So ever since I can remember my family and I have been celebrating this extra holiday. We always receive new ornaments and this year McKay got a new Christmas book (Carl's Christmas). Danny got to open his St. Nick presents by himself this year because McKay and I (mostly me) weren't getting up at 4:45 AM. I think he appreciate the Poweraid to get him through basketball practice. At 9:00 AM McKay and I finally got to our presents and treats. (I love it when he sleeps that late!) Notice the package of Mint M&M's in my shoe? A must have for every Christmas season. They are only made at Christmas so I buy enough to last all year. McKay was excited to see everything but still didn't quite know what was going on.

When McKay saw the candy he tried to hold as much as possible, and then tried to do the same for the oranges. It was so cute seeing him try to balance everything, but he wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get a picture.

McKay was so tickled that St. Nick left him crackers, his most favorite thing in the world.

I can't believe how old he looks in this picture! Such a little boy, not a baby!

Everything else in our lives is going well. We are in full-flege basketball season. Danny is doing well with winning two games and losing one so far. McKay loves loves loves all the basketball games. He especially loves scouting with Danny and getting french fries after the game. This week I have my Christmas concert, which should go well. I get anxious to get the concerts over with but at the same time it's another Christmas tradition. We hope you all are enjoying this wonderful season!

A Celebration for Life As We Know is Over

2007-11-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

The time has finally come. Danny starts basketball on Monday. We are excited, and a little nervous for what these next few months are going to be like . We are not new to the coaching thing, but are new to the varsity coaching thing. So to savor the last few days of good family time, Danny took a personal day on Friday and we headed to the Boise Zoo. This was McKay's first trip to the zoo. He liked all the birds and cats, and especially the huge tortoise, but kept asking where the 'doggie' was. This zoo is pretty small, so there were no big animals to amaze him. We did get to be one of the first people to see the new baby gibbon (a type of a monkey, is case you didn't know, because I didn't!). She was so cute. After the zoo, we had lunch and then headed to the factory outlets, because we were so close anyway. But really, I'll take any excuse to go there. And I found a $2.00 oh so cute shirt! One of the rare times in our marriage that Danny out spent me. The day was so fun, I think we'll make this a tradition.

There were lots of animals for kids to play on, but this one was the only one McKay would go near to.

"Get me out of this dinosaur egg!"

Our silly McKay

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-03T14:13:00.001-07:00

Danny and I were a little nervous how Halloween would go this year, considering McKay has been terrified of all things Halloween. We were even more worried when Danny went to put on McKay's monkey costume. McKay starting crying like he had been hurt so I ran into the room to see what the matter was and asked what happened. Danny said, "I took the pants off the hanger." Once the costume was on, all was well and McKay liked being 'George.' Danny was a vampire, and I was a preppy witch. I was confused though with a teenager (I have no idea what that person was thinking) and Pippy Longstocking. I liked my costume though. We first went to our ward's Trunk or Treat. McKay's nursery leader dressed up as a scary witch (I was even a little nervous around her.) She even took out her teeth, which made it a little too real. McKay was not sure about her at all and I'm praying all our hard work to get McKay to like nursery isn't out the door. After that, we then went to our friends Halloween party. Danny made his oh-so-good french fries and I was reminded why we don't own a fryer anymore. They are too good! McKay loved running around with all the kids. I loved this, because he doesn't do that often. The day turned out very fun and I'm glad McKay enjoyed it too.

"I'm ready to go!"

Dad kind of looks like a meat head vampire.

McKay has loved his jack-o-lantern pail all month. He would hold it like a purse and collect his things in it. One night I found a few blocks, a cracker, a sippy cup, a book, and a football all in it. so cute. On Halloween though, he wanted nothing to do with it, and I got to carry it.

The hood got to be too much.

We are with our good friends, Breanna and Landon. McKay loves London, and wakes up in the morning sometimes saying "LanLan?" They are so cute and I think so are we!

Happy October!

2007-11-03T13:22:00.001-07:00

October has been a busy month for us. Every time we would do something blog-worthy, life would pick up so I couldn't post what I wanted too. So now I'm making up for that. The month started by going to the pumpkin patch. We have a great farmers market about 10 minutes away and they do tractor rides out to the pumpkin patch where you can pick your own pumpkins. McKay loved just sitting in the dirt pounding on the pumpkins like they were drums. I found a white pumpkin which I think is so cute.

This is McKay saying "cheese!"

"I found you!" McKay says this when he finds something he's looking for. A ball, his blanket, and the pumpkin.

I thought he would love a ride in the wagon, but it kind of looks like he's holding on for dear life.

The farmers set up an area full of pumpkins and hay bails to take fun pictures with. I love McKay's face, even though he's screaming for us to go.
When the time came for carving the pumpkins, McKay was really excited about the whole thing, until he realized what was involved. he spent the night on the couch eating Cheerios while Danny and I carved. I think we did a pretty good job.

Danny finished football and also got to go to a basketball clinic at Pepperdine University, in Malibu, CA. The trip was short, but that was good because he left the same day all the fires started. As for me, I've been busy reading. The girls in my ward put together a book club and our first book was "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. I loved, loved, loved it, and the other two books in the series. If you haven't read these books, it is a must!! The symphony I'm in performed our first concert series of the season. We play for a bunch of schools, so in three days we performed seven concerts. Whew! To make things harder, right before the concerts my violin bow broke. The tip had been cracked for a while and it finally broke in two. What a sad day. I thought the bow's life was over because the material it's made of isn't a simple fix, but I sent it to the makers and they just called the other day to tell me that they are fixing it under warranty. Yea! My mom sent me an old bow to use in the mean time, but I'm so excited to get my nice bow back. and also, I've been substituting a few times for a couple of college music classes for another teacher. I'm glad I've had many opportunities to teach and play this month, but even more glad not to send McKay to a sitter so much this month (Breanna- Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!)

Our Cone-head

2007-10-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

McKay found his sand bucket the other day, and now it's his new favorite hat. Well, whatever makes him happy, huh?

FUBALL!!

2007-10-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is McKay's word for 'football'. He can't get enough of the sport. He loves playing with his football, watching it (luckily we are gone most Saturdays, so most of the watching has been live or the Payton Manning commercial because there is football and dancing), and saying 'Fuball' with his hands raised in the air all day long. I thought we would brave the cold, windy weather last Friday and go to the Nyssa vs. Ontario game (Nyssa was slaughtered, as most predicted). For about a minute, McKay loved the scene, but then realized that maybe football wasn't all cracked up to be that great. We only lasted for the 2nd quarter. Sadly, we didn't hear many 'fuball' over the next couple of days.

Well, Danny's middle school football team finally had a home game, so I tried to restore McKay's faith in football again. The weather was perfect fall weather, and McKay loved it all.

"Go Nyssa!"

"This snack is too sour, Mom."

"Why are those people shouting?"

There were a couple of little kids playing with a football by us, and McKay was very eager to join in. But he didn't understand why the kids might want the football back when they threw it to him. We are still working on the concept of tossing the ball back when you play catch.

And one last thing, Good Luck to my Dad this weekend in the St. George Marathon! What number is this, 29 or 30? We love you!!

A Pirate's Life For Me...

2007-09-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

...But not for McKay. McKay and I went on a quick trip to Utah to celebrate Aidan's 3rd birthday. McKay was loving the pirate party, which included a treasure hunt, until we got our party bag. I put all the great stuff on McKay, and that was alright for about two seconds. I'm so glad Joseph and Juli got this picture.

The whole rest of the party McKay was in a bad mood. No more pirate parties for McKay in the near future. The rest of the weekend was fun though. I love being with my family, but loved coming back to Danny.

Happy 28th Birthday, Danny!

2007-09-05T19:38:00.001-07:00

On this wonderful day, we celebrated Danny's 28th birthday. Danny didn't want anything too fancy, so we just went out to dinner. I was going to make cupcakes, but decided it would be easier to just do a cake instead. I wasn't happy with my end results, so after dinner, we bought a Cold Stone ice-cream cake. My cake went straight in the trash. Oh well. The best thing about being 28 Danny says is that now he knows how to change his own oil for his car. A friend of ours taught him Tuesday night, and I'm still hearing, "I can change my own oil!" every few minutes. I'm proud though. Here are pictures of Danny's two cakes.

On Labor Day, we were craving some water that wasn't a swimming pool. A student of mine suggest Black Canyon Dam, which is about 30 minutes from us. We had such a good day. McKay loved the lake and beach area. He fell in the water a couple times, and that made him nervous. After a few minutes of playing on the beach, he was in the water again. I'm excited for Fall and Winter, but will miss the water fun.

Our legless boy

A Few More Pictures

2007-08-19T21:41:00.001-07:00

McKay now what to to be a rock star. I told him that his Uncle Anson and Uncle Joseph would be proud. The guitar is our friend's and McKay through the biggest fit when we said it was time to go home.

"Rock On!"

This weekend we had a church activity of a baseball game and a bbq. Right before lunch the spinklers turned on and scared everyone out of their spots. Everyone except McKay that is. He had the time of his life. He was so soaked that when we took all his wet clothes off his feet were wrinkeled like prunes.

We look this a little while ago, but isn't the picture great? Alright, my blogging spree is over.

Our News

2007-08-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Well, most of you have heard our news, but I wanted to record it also. A couple weeks ago Danny went to a ward council meeting to represent the Sunday school presidency on Sunday morning. While McKay and I were getting ready for church, the stake presidency called and set up an appointment with us for after church. When Danny got home and I told him we had an appointment, we realized that the 2nd counselor in the bishopric was moving that week. We got nervous, but tried not to think about what this interview might be about. But you guessed it, Danny was called to be the 2nd counselor in our bishopric. Little overwhelming, Huh? Today was the first Sunday I was a "church widow" (as the bishop calls it). McKay was really good for me, except when he saw Dad on the stand and realized that he was staying there and we were staying in our seat. I'm a little nervous for what this calling might ask, but grateful for the opportunities Danny and I will have. And we've already been blessed- McKay stayed in nursery the whole time without us for the first time today! That's been some work, so hooray!
When Chip and Karla (Danny's parents) heard what was going on, they came right out. We were so happy to have them with us for a few days.
We were also excited for Danny's early birthday present- a new, huge barbecue. We love it and felt so spoiled by Chip and Karla.

And here we are on Danny's first official day. Doesn't he look great in his new suit?

Danny seems to be doing really well with this change. I'm sure it will get rough when coaching and school starts. He couching three sports this year- middle school football, high school girls basketball (of course) and middle school track and field. Thanks so much to everyone for the support and encouragement. It was much appreciated.

8 random facts

2007-08-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

1. This is the first EVER chain letter type thing that I've ever done, and probably the last. I've had lots of opportunities though.

2.I love to cook, but don't like baking. I will only bake McKay a birthday cake and heart shaped macaroons on Valentine's Day.

3. I think I have over-active tear ducts. I cry at everything. If you tell me not to cry, I automatically will. I even teared up at the end of "So You Think You Can Dance" the other night because I was so excited Sabra won.

4. I love holidays, especially Christmas and birthdays.

5. If I could trade my wardrobe with anyone it would be my mom; she has the best taste. But I would have to keep my collection of jackets. Those are just too hard to let go.

6. I love to go out to breakfast. If I had an unlimited amount of money, this would be apart of my regular routine.

7. I love to read. This year I've been able to read at least 10 books so far. It doesn't sound like a lot, but considering the on-going McKay, I haven't read this much since... ever!

8. I like road trips only if Danny is driving.

Okay, I finally fulfilled my responsibility of being tagged by a few friends. If you want to blog your 8 random facts, go ahead!

McKay's picked profession

2007-08-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

I secretly hoped that McKay wanted to be a dancer and musician when he grew up (not really, but he is dancing all the time). But since he has fingered out how to climb up on chairs he spends as much time as possible at the computer. When I sat down to do the blog tonight I found 10 word documents on the desktop. If McKay keeps this up, he'll know more about computers that I do by the time he's two!

The Best Week of the Summer

2007-08-05T20:25:00.001-07:00

My most favorite summer holiday is the 24th of July, but only if we celebrate it in Spanish Fork, Utah. I'm a huge sucker for the whole parade, carnival, city fair thing, and I think McKay loves it as much as I do.

Dancing to the marching band at the parade.

McKay loves suckers. I think I have about ten suckers stuffed in diaper bags, purses, and the car in case of an emergency.

Finally getting a sip of that lemonade.

McKay loves his daddy. I don't know what I'm going to do when school starts.

Later on in the week, the whole Wing clan (Jordan's family) headed to Lincoln City, Oregon for a family reunion. Since our house was the perfect half way point everyone stayed the night so we could do the trip in two days. I don't recommend 12 people living in a two bedroom, 1 bath duplex. It was a bit crowded. We rented a house in Lincoln City, and that was perfect. The sun was out with no wind, and it was only 70 degrees! It was heaven! We were there only for a weekend, so most of our time was spent on the beach. I think if we lived near the coast McKay would be a true beach bum. As soon as we got there McKay nose dived into the ocean. Danny and I are glad he is fearless, but man! He makes us nervous!! Also, I wouldn't be surprised if a pearl showed up in his diaper one of these days because of all the sand he ate.

We are glad to be home now, and can't believe Danny starts school in a week! We are also so excited about our new nephew, Ethan Michael, from Jordan's sister, Becca. What a doll!

And We're Back!

2007-07-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Between major computer problems, and busy lives, we are finally able to post again. We are finally enjoying the summer teachers are promised. Danny finished summer school and most of his basketball tournaments. He is preparing for one more in Medford the 3rd week in July. McKay is talking a ton in his "almost understandable" language. It's fun to have him start to imitate. His favorite sounds are a constant "lou, lou, lou" which came from a mix of 'hello' and 'no,' and when we ask 'What does the monster say?' he gives a fierce and hands in the air 'Roarrrr!'
Jordan and McKay just spent almost two weeks in Utah, (Danny couldn't come because of school and basketball). The vacation started off with Jordan's brother, Joseph, getting married to Julianna James in the Mt. Timp. temple. It was wonderful, and we are all excited to have another girl in the family. Their colors were lots of different shades of pink, so that is why McKay has his adorable necktie.

I was one of the bridesmaids, and here we are in all out get-up.

McKay's favorite part of the reception was the music. A family friend played the harp, and McKay paced back and forth and couldn't get enough. I love that he loves music. A friend suggested that the harp might be McKay's instrument, and I said I don't want to have to buy a Surban just the carry the instrument around.

The happy and beautiful couple after the wedding dinner.

The next week was busy with Mommy and Me swim lessons with Becca and Aidan. We took the lessons from our old dance and swim teacher. I have taken many years of swim lessons and was never able to accomplish diving. The whole week I was scared I was going to be asked to dive. Luckily, I wasn't. McKay did really well, and liked jumping off the side and going underwater the best. He was able to blow two little bubbles, which was a proud moment. The main thing to practice is floating on his back and putting his ears in the water. When we got back home to Danny we went swimming, and McKay showed off all his tricks. I so glad we did it.

Mom and McKay practicing kicking.

We had a good time being with Grandma and Papa, and all of my brothers and sisters. We were also able to go to an art show my dad opened in Ephraim. It was in the perfect place and we are all so proud of our dad. Becca and I thought it wasn't a good idea to have the little boys in an art gallery so we got a sitter for the night. What a relief for me! Coming home to Danny, I am so grateful for team parenting.

We hope you all had a good 4th of July, and make sure to read the post below about a strange this valley we live in really is.

You know you live in Ontario when...

2007-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

...the "Suicide Race" is bigger then the 4th of July fireworks. Let me explain. Vale (an Oregon Trail city about 20 minutes from us) has this race where people ride their horses down a mountain, into a river, and then into the city's fairgrounds. Dynamite goes off to start the race, and the horses race over, and in 5 minutes it is over. Thousands of people show up for the event. Danny explained the race to me like it was a scene from "Man From Snowy River", so I was expecting 20 or more horses stampeding through the crowd of people. But no, there were only 4 horses. Very disappointing. The whole thing was strange and I keep thinking "Where am I living?"

A little more McKay

2007-06-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

Like Father, Like Son.. Mimi bought McKay a recliner and now Danny and McKay can watch "Curious George" together.

Danny got done with school at the end of May, so we headed off to Medford to visit Danny's family for a few days. On Saturday we went to the lake and McKay loved it. We thought that he would just want to get his toes wet, but he turbo ran into the water. It was very exciting.

McKay relaxing after fun in the lake.

McKay loves Road trips.. What 16 month old doesn't like to spend 9 hours in a car.

And 30 Minutes later... McKay was done.

McKay and His Swim Goggles

2007-05-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Now that I (Jordan) have finally learned all the in and outs of working this blog, we can update our site a little more often. I don't have to count on Danny to do the blog, because he is super busy finishing the school year and planning the summer season for the girls basketball team. Yes! That is our big news. Danny was made the head coach for the Nyssa Girls Basketball team. I am so proud of him, and we are lucky to have a head coaching job in only our second year of teaching. I myself am having a tough awakening of how much time really goes into coaching and basketball, but I'm getting use to the changes and excited for Danny.
McKay turned 16 months on the 7th, and being a toddler more and more each day. Walking and simply exploring the house has turned into running, spinning, and reaching. His new favorite toy is a pair of swim goggles Danny and I use for cutting onions (we sob like babies). McKay puts the goggles on the side of his forehead, and so I call them his hip-hop goggles. I am so proud to say that he is my little reader. He brings me books all day, have me read one line of them, takes the book back, gets me another, and says "bou". I love it. He has adopted his Boppy as his reading chair and will spend minutes (hours in toddler world) curled up with his blanket and 3 or 4 books. With playing outside as much as possible, this fills our day up nicely.
McKay's colds and coughs hit an all time low this last week. What started with a small cough, lead to a full asthma attack within a couple days. This is the 5th time this has happened since Christmas, so I knew it was time for more extreme measures. I got so tired of the attacks coming on so fast there was nothing we could do. So now, added to the albuterol breathing treatments with a machine during a virus, McKay now
is on Pulmicort, a long term inhaled steroid, that we do everyday to prevent an attack. McKay doesn't care for the treatments, but "Curious George" helps, and hopefully this works out.
That's about everything. We are so excited for our new nephew from Todd and Kylene, Boston Ryder. Happy Mother's Day on Sunday!

More Pictures

2007-04-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

what happened

2007-04-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Last week Jordan and I wrote our heart out so that we could have a great blog. We saved it as a draft and it when I went to school to add the pictures it was gone.
Devastated I thought about stopping the whole blog, then I remembered all of the blogs fans, people that deeply rely on this blog. Like the Parkins in Philly, the Pratts in NH and the Bennions in Medford. I realized that this blog is bigger then Jordan and I so we kept on going.

Two weeks ago we spent Spring Break in the warm weather of Salem Utah. While Kristi and company were getting nauseous with the mixture of non alcoholic drinks and hours of relaxation on the beaches of Mexico the Pratts relaxed through snow flurries and 50 degree weather. No worries I wore shorts and flip flops the whole trip anyways.

McKay had his first real taste of Aidan (McKay's 2 1/2 year old cousin). Aidan was really really excited to see McKay. If Aidan was a Pratt family dog at the sight of McKay he would of peed all over the carpet. McKay was a little taken over by the high energy level of Aidan the first day. Remember, McKay been in a car 7 hours and it is past his bed time and then a tornado of energy is running circles and giving amazing hugs. McKay just put up his arms and begged for mom or dad to lift him up and once again get a privacy bubble. Day two was still a little hard on him (bad night sleep) but after that McKay just got used to Aidan and they became what their mothers wanted so badly, "best buddies." McKay was at the top of his game this week, the Wing family was not used to McKay's desire to scream high pitch sounds whenever he wants anything.
Jordan went all out this weekend and had a great time. I think that Jordan would enjoy ice fishing if her family was there with her. Jordan was able to spend time with her best friend and big sister, Becca. Jordan had the perfect vacation, good food, bought a pair of jeans, watched a recital with her sister in it, and relaxed. Jordan also threw Easter a week early so that McKay could spend it with his cousin. Jordan and Becca spent a lot of time and money but the boys flew through the egg hunt (neither really understanding what they are suppose to do) and Jordan and Becca were left wondering if it was all worth it.
Danny played basketball and read a great book watched college basketball and played with his boy. It was my best trip.
Talk to you later

A lot to catch up on

2007-03-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family. The Pratt family has been busy as ever (reason why we have been so bad keeping our blog up to date). Lets just get started.

McKay has decided that he is no longer a baby. He no longer wants to be breast Fed. This has been hard for Jordan because nursing was usually the only time Jordan could slow down McKay and have some quality time. Jordan has told me that he is not a baby any more. I believe he is a baby as long as he sleeps in a crib and wears a diaper. McKay also has become a walker!!! This has been a welcome surprise. Everybody told us to enjoy the time we have before McKay walked. Jordan and I couldn't really understand until yesterday. Jordan, McKay and I decided to go on a walk (favorite hobby) after 20 minutes in a stroller, McKay wanted out to walk like his parents. Jordan and I agreed and got McKay out and placed him on the sidewalk. McKay got really excited walked five steps and then fell. Fell is the wrong word because it happened so fast and with so much power. McKay's head slammed into the concrete and you could her the duuud as it hit. Poor Jordan swooped him up only to see his nose bleeding from being grinded against the sidewalk. McKay was a champ and fought through the pain and played with his toys the rest of the day. McKay has a desire to be better understood. To accomplish this desire McKay has began to scream for no apparent reason. Whether he is happy or sad watching tv (mainly baby Einstein) or eating chicken nuggets (favorite food) McKay will scream to get us to pay attention (even if we are paying attention).
Jordan's brother Joseph and his "special someone" Julie came to visit us last weekend. It was great to have them visit. Besides Joseph was growing tiresome listening to McKay screaming (we all were) everyone had a good time. Jordan loves her family so much and when ever they make it up to Ontario, Jordan and the rest of the crew feel so lucky. Jordan has been doing so good since the last blog. She has been moved in symphony to a more important role (I forgot the name of it but...... IT IS A BIG DEAL.... IT'S HUGE) and played a concert that was a success. Jordan also had to go four days without a husband when I took off to the state tournament for the Nyssa boys basketball team.
Danny has been adjusting well to coming home right after school instead of going to practice. I love seeing the family more and helping out. The state tourney was great. My parents came up to Salem and became adopted into the Nyssa community. After the girls won the state championship dad was on the court hugging the coaching staff.

2007-02-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

The wrong week to miss

2007-02-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

Well last Sunday went bye without a post. That was bad but to make matters worse a lot happened last week. So I will try to fit two weeks into this one.
Jordan turned 24. On February 1 Jordan, Danny, and McKay celebrated Jordan's b-day at Romio's (Jordan's Favorite Italian restaurant). Jordan for her birthday got the Dixie Chick CD that she wanted so badly and a new bathroom. Jordan loves both gifts and is always playing her CD. The Bathroom looks awesome. Jordan also braved the unknown and cooked a turkey. I have had a lot of turkey but this was the best turkey that I have ever had. Jordan's favorite bite of news to share is that she will be the owner of brand new couches. The Pratt's will have been a family for 4 years on the 15th of this month and this purchase of couches will be the first pieces of furniture that did not come in a box.
McKay has been super sick. He had to be on breathing treatments and needless to say he was not happy. But put sickness aside McKay has had the two weeks that Jordan and I have been waiting for. He is know walking three or four steps and every time he does Jordan and I get so excited that we scare him right to his knees and he crawls to us for his celebration hugs. McKay is also clapping and waving. Jordan and I could not stop laughing while watching the grammys McKay would be walking and crawling and wrestling but as soon as the crowd started to clap McKay would stop everything and start clapping with them. It was really cute. McKay also has started to find his since of humor. He will sneak up to people laying on the coach and jump up and start laughing. He also enjoys playing hide and seek and tag. This has been the best two weeks as a parent for Jordan and I.
Life for Danny has been crazy. The seniors are working really hard and the Sophomores have memorized half of the presidents of the United States. Basketball is going great the Nyssa boys have won the EOL and I feel lucky to be part of the program. All the boys have accepted me and I feel lucky to work with them.

McKay & the vacuum

2007-01-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today was a tough week for the Pratt chapter of Ontario. The Nyssa bulldogs dropped two games in arrow. If that was not bad enough the girls team at Nyssa that in my opinion is playing the best basketball of any 3A team had to forfeit every one of their games because of an eligibility concern. I teach all of the girls on that team and realize how hard they worked to get where they are (undefeated in league). I was impressed with how Gabe (Head Coach) handled the news finding the silver lining. I believe they will be in the state tournament and have as good of a chance as any to win the state championship (they are on the better half of the bracket).
McKay we found out is still afraid of the vacuum. When ever we pull the vacuum out he will loose it. He will crawl to the farthest corner of the room and scream at the top of his lungs for help. I worry that our neighbor thinks that we are beating our child. McKay is so close to walking that we are going crazy. He can stand up for as long as he wants but he will not move his legs to walk. Danny has tried many times to nudge him in the back but all that happens is he face plants it and looks at Dad like any child with a broken heart would. Some of the big things that happened this week in McKay's life.... He ate pizza for the first time. Some of Nyssa High School where able to watch McKay go to town on his new favorite food. He learned to go feet first down stairs (head first had a bad result). He wore his first wrist band. Gatorade made an offer that we couldn't pass up. In my opinion the coolest thing that McKay learned to do is take a knee. It is the cutest thing it looks like he is either proposing or in a football huddle. He also got sick this week. He has to take breathing treatments which mean we have to hold him down and make him suck in air that will clear up his lungs.
Jordan is working so hard. She has done an amazing job keeping a home clean and taking care of a one year old. Jordan also is working really hard to build her violin studio. The students that Jordan teaches realize how great she is. Jordan is starting to do pilates and Danny likes what he is seeing. Jordan lost two pounds and is looking so toned. Jordan brought McKay to visit Danny at Nyssa High and Danny was so happy that his students could see his life away from the classroom.
Danny had to travel to Riverside High School in BFE (only to see Riverside put 90 points on Nyssa). I know that South Medford and Oak Hill both scored 90+ points but Riverside is no Oak Hill and Nyssa is a lot better that how they played. The trip was a four hour drive each way and when you add loosing an hour when you go over there the game didn't start tell nine in Nyssa. The bus got into Nyssa around 3:00 am. Needless to say I show no pity to my readers in Medford that complain about driving to Eugene (you are on I-5).
Although it has been a trying week it has also been a fun week. Jordan and Danny are having so much fun together as we watch our little boy grow up. Next week is Jordan birthday and she is looking forward to perhaps a new bathroom.

The back half of January

2007-01-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

As the Pratts chapter of ontario wakes up today we are amazed to see we are already past the half way mark of January. I had no idea so much could happen so fast.

McKay has recieved two toys that he loves dearly, his car and train. Both play multiple songs that Jordan no longer loves. I am not home enough to hear it as often as Jordan so I usually sing along. Needless to say Jordan has found the mute button on the toys. How long will it be tell McKay finds the buton? McKay can now walk behind his car the lenght of the house and that is pretty cool. On Thursdays Jordan has Sympony and Danny gets to watch McKay. McKay and Danny are a little rougher with each other (McKay in a "wrestling match" resorted to grabbing Danny by his mouth and tearing his lip). Jordan comes home and finds McKay snuggly and ready for bed and a husband who cut himself "shaving." McKay also had his 1 year check-up this week. We are relieved he is healthy, and on track.

Jordan is doing so good. She started doing palates, which is a real sacrifice because it means waking up before McKay. If you know Jordan, you know that few things does Jordan enjoy more than sleeping. She is also making some good friends and meets them for lunch every so often. Jordan recieved a church calling that is pretty demanding. She is in charge of the music at church which means that she has to find all of the musical numbers and pick the hymns. Jordan is excited that the weather is getting nicer which means that Jordan and McKay can walk more. That leads to a sore point in that Jordan did another winter with out snow. For a Utah girl it is hard for her to understand that anyone would want to go a whole year without snow. We thought it would snow in Ontario.

Danny is on top of the world right now. His Us History class is rocking through the presidents already memorizing the first eight. Funny story when Danny told his Dad (chip) that his sophmores were learning the presidents in order Chip responded how great that is and how every American should know every president. Danny then asked if he could name the first four presidents? Chip started of hot naming the first George Washington, but from there was nothing but silence followed by "I think Jefferson." Skipped one Danny told Chip. Thats right Madison, Chip responded. Needlessto say Chip could really use 55 minutes a day with Danny's US History class. If the Bennions are reading this post I want to see if Mary and Sarah know the first eight presidents. The seniors are starting to get senioritiest after they were asked to pick the class song. I can remember being a senior in high school and this beggins the slow march to a total uniterest in school. Apperently every senior has learned everything they need to know by the half way point.

Life is good the Pratts

Pictures of McKay

2007-01-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

McKay has had quite the Month. He had Christmas and his birthday. McKay has made our lives so much fun. What would we do without him (besides go to the movies)? Children are such a blessing

Another Week of Fun!!!!

2007-01-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

This week was the beginning of the league for the Nyssa Bulldogs. This means that Jordan and McKay had to see Danny off as he rode with the team to John Day, Oregon. Jordan was able to watch Pride and Prejudice another time and barely fell asleep before Danny came home at 2:00 am. Jordan may watch Pride and Prejudice twenty times during the basketball season.

McKay turned one last week but we celebrated his birthday today. He had carrot cake (the healthy cake) and ate more than anyone thought he could. Jordan made the cake from scratch. It was the best carrot cake I have ever had. McKay for his birthday got a car that will help him learn how to walk. He loves playing with it, he will walk it into a wall and then look around like he got away with an accident. McKay also had his first hair cut (no tears) his comb over is gone.

Jordan has been a busy bee. In symphony she was moved to a new section with more responsibility and the director of the symphony told Jordan that she makes a huge difference. Jordan is looking forward to nicer weather which means more walks. I know it has written but she made an amazing cake from scratch and has been cooking up a storm. Jordan is currently making little projects to better organize the house. For very little money our house looks cuter and more of a home.

Danny had a project in his economic classes. The class competed for the LEMON CUP. To win the lemon cup the players played the lemon aid stand game at http://www.lemonaidstandgame.com/ the winning score was 312$ by Smitty and Mike. It was a hit and the students are still talking about it. The US History classes are learning the US Presidents Rap and we are laughing while we learn it. The students make me laugh.

For a wrap up The Pratts are having fun. Jordan is looking the best she ever has. McKay is laughing and playing and Danny has the best job and family in the world.

The maiden voyage

2007-01-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

After watching Kristi put up a blog we decided that the Pratt Chapter of Ontario needed a blog. Although this blog may contain less vacation pictures then the Bennions it will we hope show the love that we have for each other like the Bennions did.

For those not up to speed with the Pratt chapter in Ontario (basically Idaho) we are doing great.

Danny is teaching at Nyssa high school. He is teaching social studies and works a lot with the seniors. It is exciting for him to see these young students prepare for life after high school. Danny loves his job and the kids he works with. Nyssa is a small school and Danny feels that he fits in perfect with the student body of around 350.

Jordan is adjusting to life as a stay at home mom. Who would of thought that the smarter and better teacher would be at home. She is also starting her violin studio and is doing great. Jordan was able to spend most of Christmas break with her family in Salem Utah. The Wings had an early Christmas present with Jordan younger brother, Joseph coming home from his Mormon mission in California. If you know Jordan then you know that she loves her family and being able to share time with them.

McKay is a year old today! Birthday cake had to wait because the flu bug has hit the family hard. We will reschedule the party for next week. McKay is a great boy. He is on the verge of walking and has momma and dad down. Some times we think we hear him say love you. He is so much in love with Jordan and with his sickness he has been a cuddlier extrordinar. McKay has more toys then he can play with.

After all is said and done the Pratt's are really happy. We feel blessed to have all that we have.