Oh Boy Oh Boy Oh....BOY!

If you haven't heard, we have recently found out that we're expecting our third BOY! We unexpectedly found out a little earlier than normal during a level II sonogram. I remember finding out at 13 weeks with Reid...I guess with boys it's just easier to tell! Either that, or I just have some really proud boys! ;) If I were to be honest for just a moment, I did have a tiny bit of hope that this might be a girl. I think the main reason for that is because we have decided that this will be our last biological child (adoption has always been a thought for us). But, it only took a few seconds after finding out for me to get over that and be thrilled about another little boy. To say I was diasappointed is FAR from the truth! I am a little amazed at how some people react to the thought of all boys...like they feel a little sorry for me. As if it were my choosing in the first place. I even find myself feeling slightly guilty for not being able to provide a little girl to the grandparents. But why would I have it any different than what God has clearly designed for our family? It's obvious that Aaron and I are meant to raise little gentlemen. The world could use a few more God-fearing men and my hope and prayer is that we can contribrute 3 of them! I couldn't be more thrilled to add more snips, snails and puppy dog tails to our crew!

"A little boy is the only thing God can use to make a man." --Unknown

Boys in my House
Author: Erin Jo Kilmer
There are boys in my house - and Spiderman shoes
And 200 papers in various blues.
There's Bob (he's a builder) and Thomas the Train,
There's a fireman coat to wear in the rain.
They have cars on their shirts and frogs on their hats
There's a glove and a ball and a red plastic bat.
There's dirt on a face and a smudge on a nose;
Grass stains on knees and sand between toes.
There's bathtime at night with bodies to scrub,
And when we're all done there is dirt in the tub!
There's bandaids and bruises and curious bumps,
There's smiles and laughter and sometimes there's grumps.
There's odors most icky; there's boogers so green
There's more yucky things than I'll ever get clean.
There's piles of laundry; there's stories at night;
There's bedtime and bathtime and dinnertime fights.
There's cars and there's trains and there's books about trucks
There's Mickey and Manny and Donald the Duck.
Sometimes there are bugs, and sometimes there are frogs;
Sometimes they are lions, or dinos, or dogs.
There are cute little vests and darling neckties
Dragged right through the mud - oh what a surprise!
There's running and climbing and jumping and falling
And laughing and crying and hugging and brawling
And rolling and losing and finding and creeping
And whining and stealing and sometimes there's sleeping.
There's tantrums and time outs and extra loud noise -
There's love in my house shaped like one two THREE little boys!
~~~
These are the things that zoom around our house...

The things that I am constantly stepping on...

The things that fly past my head....

 

The things that make a little boy feel like a big boy...

 These are things I would never change about our house...and won't be able to for at least a few years! :)
~~~
And just for fun...some pics of our newest little guy at 15 weeks!

Legs...

 The little boy shot....

A Day on the Lake

Growing up, many of our summer days were spent on the lake...skiing, tubing, swimming, knee-boarding, parasailing...you name it! Against my will, I was forced to learn how to ski at the age of 5. I guess I can say I'm now thankful for that, but there is video to prove that I didn't appreciate it back then. Unfortunately as we've all gotten older our lake days have drastically decreased. The boys LOVE the water and many of my days with them are spent swimming! But, they haven't had much exposure to boats and the lake (or the BIG water as Landon calls it). We were able to take Landon out on the boat 3 summers ago when he was about 10 months old. Of course, he was a little small to do much then and he didn't seem to appreciate it anyways. Now that they are older, we were hoping for a different response. The beginning of our family trip to the lake on Sunday started out pretty much as expected. There were a few tears. But thankfully, after some gradual introductions, both boys really began to warm up and ended up having a great time! We're hoping there will be a few more lake trips before the end of the summer!

 I love everything about this next picture....It definitely would make a good "wordless wednesday" pic!

 Daddy kneeboarding....

 ...and is paying for it today!

 Since this is as close to the beach as our family will get this year, here are mine and Reid's "beach feet" pictures...

 

 Arianne parasailing...

 

 Aaron parasailing...if the first pic had a little bubble above Reid's head, it would say, "Where's Daddy?"

 

This next picture of the boys waving at Aaron was taken with my phone. I noticed a couple of hours later that Landon has his hand down the back of his pants...lovely!

 

I hate that this one is so fuzzy, but we were moving pretty fast when I took it...I just thought the sunset was pretty behind them!

Cruisin' to TWO

Today our sweet Reid is 2!! I can hardly believe it! He is certainly acting like a 2 year old these days but it just doesn't seem right. We were able to celebrate last night with family and we all had a great time! Our party theme was cars...not the movie...just cars in general. You will rarely see Reid without a car, truck, etc. in his hands! And yes, his birthday hat is a play orange construction cone. He always picks it up, puts it on his head and starts singing happy birthday so I thought this would make an appropriate hat that fit well with the party theme.

 

 



Curious to know the gender of McGrew baby #3? Watch this short video clip from the party!

Thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate Reid's special day!!

Red-Hot Chicken Salad

I know I haven't posted a recipe in a while but I was inspired earlier today after making one of my favorite sandwiches! Plus, it's just a great summer recipe! The best part is that a) I actually WANTED to eat this and b) I could make it myself without gagging! Progress! This is actually a Hungry Girl recipe, but there are a couple of things I changed due to personal taste.

1 12.5 oz. can of white chicken (You can always use fresh chicken but the can is much too convenient in my opinion)
Mayo or Miracle Whip
4-5 baby carrots
1 stalk celery
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing
Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Drain the chicken and fluff with a fork. I didn't put a certain amount of Mayo to add because everyone's preference is different. Just add enough to coat the chicken. I use a cheese grater to chop up the carrots and celery so they are finely chopped. Ofcourse, you can just chop them with a knife...I just prefer a less chunky chicken salad. Add carrots, celery and onion. (I don't always add onions just depends on how I feel that day). Add the dry ranch dressing and your desired amount of Franks. I use at least 1-2 teaspoons. Mix all these together and let it chill for an hour or so before eating. Despite its name, this is not hot or spicy. You can always add as little or as much Frank's as you choose! I love this on a sandwich or as a dip with Triscuits or another cracker!

Served here on King Hawaiian sandwich snacker rolls.