Christmas

Going through their "stockings"

Couldn't get a good picture with Grier in it. She was a little fussy.

See...

Check out her chipmunk cheeks...stuffing candy in her mouth, when she thought we weren't looking.

Christmas was a little different this year with a brand new baby. We stayed at our house and just relaxed. It was awesome. Blake's parents came over for lunch, and mine for dinner. We spent a great day just enjoying our newly expanded family, and our many blessings!

Gracen's Christmas Dance Performance

Big Brother trying to be supportive.

Gracen looking embarrassed



Check out that tongue

She's so proud


Gracen had her Christmas performance a few days before Evan came. It was a really cute dance. Unfortunately her grandparents that came to see her, didn't get to see much of the dance. She made it through about 30 seconds and then ran off "stage" crying. It was pretty sad...but pretty hilarious too! Blake caught it all on video...this will be priceless footage some day...I'm thinking rehearsal dinner. She wasn't feeling good, and all her loved ones were staring at her...and Mommy was about to have a baby...all those things combined, she just sort of had a melt down. But she sure was cute!

Evan Lane Magee

I know this is SO late...I am learning to juggle every day tasks with our bigger family. So here it is...Our beautiful little girl made her way into the world on December 19th...just a few days before Christmas. Evan Lane Magee came bright and early at 5:41 A.M. and weighed 7lbs. 10 oz. She measured 20 1/2 inches, the same as the other three kids. I had started labor on my own and went in to the hospital for a scheduled induction. They let me progress on my own for a little while before giving me some pitocin to speed things along. I had mentioned that this pregnancy had a lot of firsts in a previous blog, and it continued in labor. For the first time ever I allowed someone else in the room besides Blake. My best friends Kendall and Jo both came and Jo was there for the WHOLE thing. I also invited my Mom to be a part of it. She was there until about 2:30 in the morning, but got pretty tired and realized that she had to be awake to take care of our 3 kids in the morning. It was a pretty smooth labor. I labored for a couple of hours without the epidural...and when I finally got it, I was so glad! When it was time, I pushed 3 times and she was out. It was a great experience...Her labor reminded me so much of Gracen's...so easy, peaceful, and even fun! And when she came out, she even looked like Gracen...dark hair, dark skin, almond shaped eyes...although she was more then a pound less then Gracen! Gracen was our chunker. Evan is a sweet and cuddly girl. We love her so much, and are so happy she's finally here! We are blessed!

Elton John Magee

Can't eat a meal without my shades
I said, "Grier look at me"...this is what I get.

Second pair for the evening.

Grier really keeps us laughing around here. She is our goofiest child so far and we are constantly surprised at what she comes up with. She is really into accessories...sunglasses, purses, bows, shoes, and jewelry...you name it, she'll wear it. Notice she is wearing the sunglasses at the dinner table. She put them on before she got in her chair, and wore them the entire time, without even batting an eye. She's not trying to be funny...she just likes her shades. And doesn't she have a freaky resemblance to Elton John??

Halloween with Dash, Snow White, and Tinker Bell

They are ready to get their trick or treat on

Sweet little Tink hearing creepy Halloween music

Dash is ready to save the day!

My beautiful Snow White

They are costumed and ready to go. All 3 were so patient as Mommy took lots and lots of pictures!

Fall Fun

The man with the donkey wouldn't budge...oh well.

Doesn't Gracen look a little worried about who's in the driver's seat?!

My mom is taking classes to become a Master Gardener. She volunteered at this area park event called Williamson County Museum Days, where we could learn more about our county...early settlers, native trees and rocks...it was pretty interesting. My Mom was working the miniature pony rides, and Blake was working, so my Dad went with me to help with the kids. There was lots of history stuff, which my Dad loved and Blake would have as well. I was not quite as interested in all of that, as much as finding photo opps...although, my pictures aren't that great. The kids had a lot of fun...but they just love being outside.

Growing Up

This was a proud moment for me as their mom. For the first time ever, Aiden and Gracen decided to play a game without Blake and I. They got it down and set it up all on their own. I watched in amazement as I got to clean the kitchen. They played so well together and Aiden was extra patient with his little sister. I think he was aware something special was taking place!

More Strange Sightings

Blake checked on her and she was asleep on the floor...what a nut!
That's the night light shining...sorry about that.
Does this look comfortable to you?

Check Out Those Eyes

Now, I realize that I'm totally biased, but that is one good lookin' little boy. Aiden will be 4 1/2 in a few days...and he seems so big to me lately. I mean, I know he's gonna be the big brother of 3 little sisters soon...so he probably should be older. But his mannerisms, and vocabulary, and train of thought lately, seem so grown up. I started doing preschool at home with him and Gracen last week, and they are really enjoying it...especially Aiden. He is so excited to learn how to write letters and to sound words out. I totally set myself up to believe that I couldn't teach him at home, because we wouldn't work well together...but he is proving me wrong. We actually work great together. (It's his little sister that's proving to be more challenging) Blake and I have started praying about school for him next Fall. I know it seems far off, but with another baby coming along and life happening, it's going to fly by. We have a really great public school down the road, with lots of parental involvement. It's the kind of school I always pictured my kids going to. We also have the option of homeschooling for a little while...which surprisingly God has really changed my heart on. And the other school option for us, seems like such a great combination. It's a university model school. Aiden would go to school T/Th and be home the other days. It's kind of in between homeschooling and private school. So I would be homeschooling him M/W. It's also much more affordable then all day private. My best friend Kendall's daughter started Kinder there this year...so as with most things we watch Kendall and Adam go first at all things "children", and see how it works out for them. It's a pretty good system. :)

But back to Aiden...I am really enjoying him. I really like age 4. He's turning into such a considerate, compassionate, and thoughtful little guy. He reminds me so much of his Daddy. I get such a kick out of our dialogue...actually his dialogue with most people makes me laugh. He has quite the vocabulary, and once he hears a word he adds it into the mix quickly. His latest saying to everything is "Well, I suppose so." So I'll say "Aiden do you want to play outside with your cars?" His response, "Well, I suppose so." My parents came over a few weeks ago, and my dad was rubbing Aiden's head, while he played with his Leapster. He paused his game, looked up at my dad and said, "Grandad, you're really distracting me." Oh, what are we going to do with him? I can only imagine Blake as a little boy. I am so blessed to have this little guy as the protector of ALL these girls!

A Proud Moment

Grier finally has enough hair to have bed head! Let me wipe the tears from my eyes...

Sisters

This was a sweet moment. The girls were sitting together in the chair and Gracen asked me to take their picture. How can you resist that?

What's In a Name?

Well, we finally have a name for this precious girl. The naming process for her had many firsts for us. For one, we bought our first baby name book. We also thumbed through many at Barnes and Noble. That was a fun experience. I'm not sure how we got out of that for the first three. Also, I can honestly say this is the first time I have prayed about a baby's name. It might sound crazy. But we have never been in this big of a dilemma before naming our children. A friend suggested to pray about it. Wow, what a crazy concept huh?? So we did...another first. We also thought we were set on another name, until we realized we might want to have more children, and that name rhymed with our awesome boy name...can't do that. So after much consideration we have decided to name her

Evan Lane Magee

This name is really special to us. Lane is my great grandmother's maiden name. She was a fiery lady (imagine that), who passed away when I was 12. She was a favorite of mine. And Evan means "God is Good". And for those of ya'll who have been around in the last year with us, you can attest to this truth in our lives. God has led us in some crazy directions this past year, but through all of it, we were constantly reminded of His goodness, and faithfulness. So it just seemed fitting that we would bookmark this year, with a special notation. There you have it. My mom has already blatantly said she doesn't like it because it's a boy name. And I'll agree with that. But my mom already named her children, and I ended up a Mary. So now it's my turn. :) And with Gracen and Grier being somewhat gender neutral, you can't suddenly throw in a Sophia, or Ava, or Mary Rose. You know? We are so thrilled to call this baby girl by her name...Evan.

Strange Sightings

Gracen is not quite used to sleeping in a big girl bed yet. This is how we have found her on a few occasions. Can you imagine sleeping on your feet? And apparently, her chair is more appealing then her bed??

Big Changes

Isn't it so cute and girly??
Blake's next project: paint the dresser green
Gracen walking into her room...she was so excited
So proud!
Our Little Princess
Someone else really liked it too!
First Night in her bed

(I'm a little late posting this blog...this actually took place almost 3 weeks ago)

So, we finally made the transition with Gracen to a big girl bed. I know what you're thinking...isn't she like 5 now, and way overdue?? Well, in a word-Yes! Gracen will be 3 1/2 in October. We are totally aware that this is later then most kids move out of their cribs...but you know the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Here's the deal, we own 2 cribs. Since Aiden was just 13 months when Gracen was born, we bought a second crib on Craigslist. Gracen LOVED her crib...probably way more then other kids. And she never tried to get out of it until a week before we moved her to a bed. So we thought, what's the harm? Well, with a new baby coming at the end of the year, we need that 2nd crib...and Gracen started climbing out of her crib. I bought this bed off of Craigslist and Blake painted it white. She was so excited watching the process and knowing that it was HER bed. It was really cute. We set it all up and surprised her with it. I loved it...it was such a neat time for her. It was something she didn't have to share with Grier or Aiden...it was her day. Gracen really needs that. She is already showing classic "middle child" traits. So Blake and I have been really trying to be intentional and have special time with her. She is so fun and definitely our imaginative child. She's constantly making up stories and songs. I can't wait to see what comes of all that. And then there is our very black and white eldest child, who is so annoyed with Gracen's antics and just thinks she is a liar. He is not our imaginative child. :) How are there so many combinations in our children?? I'm reminded of how God has made each of us so different and unique.

The Magee Tribe Stats: 4 Girls to 2 Boys

There's her little *girl* part

Check out her long leg! Impressive...She totally gets that from me!

(My scanner is not working. So I took pics of my sono...hence the poor quality.)

This post is way over due. We found out about 3 weeks ago that we are having another girl. I absolutely knew it too...This pregnancy mirrors my others girls...even down to cravings...just in case you want to know...tuna sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, and sweet tea. It's just what I wanted with both Gracen and Grier. Because, I have been telling everyone that we are probably having a girl...I didn't feel like there was much announcing to do. But my BFF encouraged me to announce...so here it is. We are really excited though. Now, I'll be honest...I wanted a little baby boy. I wanted Aiden to have a little brother and playmate. They would have only been

4 1/2 years apart...close enough to have a sweet friendship. So when I saw the absence of a *boy* part I knew he would not have that little brother...and that our house would be lopsided. But after about 24 hours I got really excited. It sunk in: I can't believe I'm going to have 3 daughters!! Now, for those of ya'll who knew me intimately when I was younger, like Kendall, Jo, and Joanna...you know what a terrible little girl I was...I had such a rebellious heart...and some! So I can only imagine all that God is going to do in my life with these little girls...things that he has taught me a lot later in life, I hope they understand a lot earlier!

So as some of you know, naming girls is very hard for Blake and I. We had the name Gracen within 6 months of marriage. So she was easy. Ella "Grier" proved to be trickier...we just couldn't come up with something that we both liked. And Blake associates every name with someone he knows. I'd have a fabulous name and he would say, "Well, I knew a girl in 2nd grade with that name and she was terrible." So you see what I mean? And now we have to come up with a 3rd girl name! One that flows with the rest of our other names-Mom! She tried to sell me on the name Mary Rose yesterday. I thought she was kidding. But it turns out she thought that name was perfect for the Magee Tribe...not so much. So HELP ME PLEASE! I need some girl names. As all of our family and friends know, we name our babies quickly and start calling them that. And this baby is still "The Baby".