Get Away

Look at that handsome guy!

Yes...I brought my crock pot. Can't leave home without it.

In February, Blake and I got to get away for a few days sans kids. We headed to Fredericksburg to a B & B. We've been several times and always stay somewhere different...but this place might be seeing us again. It had every thing we could have wanted...it was romantic and cozy, and it was right off of Main St...so we could walk everywhere. We had such a great time. The purpose of our time away was to pray about the year, set some personal and family goals, and think through ministry commitments, our calendar, our vision for our family...you name it, we covered it. It was very productive...we talked, and talked and talked...and prayed and prayed and prayed. Both of our tanks were overflowing as we pulled out of there to see our precious children. The time away really recharged us. I can't wait for next year.

Freak Snow...in February

It's in his DNA to throw things.

Don't eat the YELLOW snow! (I've always wanted to sat that)

Adventures to be had

*Out of order...this should be #1. First time to be in the snow (That they remember)

Snow Princess

Then something goes terribly wrong

And we scared the neighbors. I'm sure of it.

Okay, okay....so we might have been a LITTLE unprepared. I mean, we DO live in Central Texas. We don't get snow often enough to be outfitted for the rare occurrence, much less know what to do in it. And we might just be in our pajamas, with a little hoodie...and no gloves. It started off a fun adventure, but it wasn't long before we were all soaking wet, cold, and a little weepy. Well, just one of us...ahem. From the sounds of the wailing and the screaming, I'm sure our neighbors thought a child had been abandoned on the side of the road. Do I feel a little guilty for our lack of warmth...nah...we eventually went in and returned to our normal color with a little hot chocolate. And look at the memories we made...AND, bonus...now I have some footage for a certain person's rehearsal dinner video. Isn't her crying face adorable??

The Tribe Sees the Dentist

Tag Team Cleaning

Brave Aiden--off by himself

Clutching the Side

Starting to relax

Whatev...


So, my question to you is...have you ever been to the dentist with 4 children 5 and under before? Well, I wouldn't recommend it. It's an adventure to say the least. Actually this trip was fantastic! First off let me just say how AWESOME Dr. G is at Kids Dental Smiles. Not only was he willing to see all 4 of my kids on the same day, BUT he and his staff are always so kind and patient too! And as a side note, Dr. G is opening up an office in the RR area, so he'll be closer to us!! Check him out if you need a pediatric dentist.
Okay, so back to our adventure...Aiden and Grier love the dentist. Aiden goes off by himself...no big deal. And as you can see Grier feels right at home. This was Evan's first time, and she apparently loved it as well...then there's Gracen.
Wow...where do I begin...Well, I have taken her to the dentist every 6 months since she was 12 months old...and now she's 5. So, if you do the math, she's been...a lot! That doesn't seem to matter. We role play EVERY single time starting about 2 weeks out. We talk about the benefit of healthy teeth. We talk about ALL the prizes she'll get when she goes...because they LOAD you up. But every time we get there we are met with a HUGE meltdown. You would think we were trying to pull all her teeth out. Anyhow, I think her file is marked at Dr. G's office, because the hygienist that came to take her back seemed to breath deeply before calling her name and asked me to come back, which they usually don't offer up front for the "older" kids. BUT to my surprise AND the hygienists, Gracen was AMAZING! She was brave (for the most part) and cooperative. I couldn't believe it. I did have to hold her hand the whole time...but hey, I'd gladly do that. I smothered her with kisses and praised her ALL DAY long for her bravery...It's only looking up from here.

Girls

The lighting is weird on this picture...I still don't really know what all the buttons do on my camera...obviously...BUT I thought this picture was so sweet. I adore these 3 girls.

P.S....I'm now in "February"...I'm just chugging a long.

Our own little playground

The kids got a trampoline and a swing set for Christmas from both sets of their grandparents...and it has CHANGED my life. I love that I can send them in the backyard and they have stuff to play with. I mean, it seems like a no brainer...but it took us awhile to figure this out. Before our backyard resembled a neighborhood park, the kids would find trouble quickly...very quickly. It wouldn't be but a few minutes, before I would hear either crying or "MOMMY!" Not only have they gotten along so much better, but it has made for some really fun playdates...and made it SO easy to have other families over. Thank you Grandparents...you made my year!

Officially in 2010 now!!

We were headed to the car for church and I realized how adorable and color coordinated they were...so what could I do...but whip out my camera and snap a few pictures. Gracen had slept in some braids to see if we could make some waves...it turned out pretty fun.

And now, folks...this post brings me into 2010...officially. I'm so glad to be done blogging about 2009. I mean, that was SOOO last year...

Mommy's Helpers

I love Evan in the background of this one.

The girls were helping me get little treats ready for Aiden's class at Grace Harbor. They love being in the kitchen and helping me cook, or assisting with whatever project I'm working on. I wish I was better at letting them help me cook more. I know it blesses them when they do get to help...but it's hard for me. It's hard for me to slow down enough to bring them along. I know I'm gonna look back on this time, and wish I would have included them more...but it's a process to get them all washed up, and lined up on chairs just to get started. Okay, fine...I'll work on it. Writing this is convicting my heart. Okay I said, I'll work on it...leave me alone. :) Check back to make sure I've done a better job.

Playing "Train"

I especially love the days when the kids get along beautifully. These are the days that I'm thankful for having them all so close together.

Just Because...

...she's adorable. These are a few or four months old...she has more hair now, and a mouth full of teeth...but she's still the same fun Evie.

Playing in PJs

I don't really know what they were doing...I was just entertained...

Do you see the annoyance on their faces? There MIGHT have been a few snowflakes falling and they MIGHT have been a little under dressed....oh well, live and learn...right? :)

Happy Birthday Evan

Happy 1st Birthday, my sweet Evie.

Evan is technically almost 16 months old...BUT, the girl's GOT to have a birthday post...right?! She had a very subdued birthday...and I'll admit that it almost didn't happen at all. I mean, her birthday is 6 days before Christmas. It's a tricky thing to get all the family together, knowing you've got to all round up again in a few short days...but we managed to do it...thanks to my Mom and my sweet husband's insistence that we celebrate her. It was a special time...laid back and relaxed like Evan herself. She is the most affectionate, sweetest, lovable, and fun little one year old...and she LOVES cupcakes. She was so easy to please. In fact, we only got her a little stuffed Marie from Aristocats for her birthday. I only felt mildly bad about it...but again her birthday is RIGHT before Christmas...AND she's the 4th kid. Have you seen our playroom? We seriously don't need anything else for a little girl...like ever. She loves her little kitty though...I think it all worked out okay. Happy Birthday our precious girl...we thank God for you every day.

One last Christmas Entry...

These stockings warm my heart.

Magee Mantle Memories...say that 3 times fast.

The Worst Christmas Tree Pictures...Ever.

Gracen, Aiden, Evan, and Grier --Christmas 2009

...and these were the "best". Wow, have I ever mentioned how hard it is to get pictures of 4 little ones before?? Because, it's a challenge people.

Christmas Morning

Waiting patiently to open gifts.

Loving their sleeping bags.

Checking things out.

We got them each a tent from Ikea...and this is what we walked into....love it! They were a hit.

Dress Up

Gracen and Grier were playing in my heels...and I'm pretty sure they both walk in them better than I do.

Trimming the Tree

Investigating the tree

Topping the tree

Of course you have to wear sunglasses when you decorate the tree...at night.

Blessed


Not much to write on this one...except that I'm totally horrified that I'm posting Christmas pictures in April. I just HAVE to get them up here, for "scrapbooking's" sake. We had fun...listening to our favorite Christmas worship albums...complete with hot chocolate, and a fire in the fire place...well, after we were done. The kids were really helpful, and a little more thoughtful about where to hang the ornaments then in years past.

Potty Trained

Grier potty training herself on Thanksgiving


Along with having a healthy son on Thanksgiving, Grier decided she was D-O-N-E with diapers. So she informed us she would be using the potty. We said "great" and let her lead the way. She was amazingly easy to potty train...I guess there's something to that whole big sibling thing...or maybe it was just God's grace pouring out on me. She wants to be like Gracen SO badly...most of the time that's not a good thing, but in this case, it was super duper! She had no accidents, and to this day...being April...she's had maybe 2 because she waited too long to get to the potty. She wore pull-ups for a whopping 3 weeks for bedtime, and then decided she was done with that too. I could hardly believe it. So this is something to celebrate in the Magee house...because I've only had ONE child in diapers for the last 5 months...HELLO, that is a rare occurrence around here! Can we all say a collective Hallelujah!?! Thank you Grier!

Still catching up from 2009...

Thanksgiving 2009

We had plans all lined up...We were headed out to Uncle Bill and Aunt P's house. I was assigned things to bring, the kids were excited, etc. The day or two before, Aiden started complaining about some intense pain in his arms and legs. I dismissed him at first, because to be honest...he's a bit of a hypochondriac. But eventually the pain was so bad that he was brought to tears. He had no other symptoms. So of course, we both were thinking the worst...leukemia. We made an appointment to see the doctor the next day. We prayed...I cried. I think we both had trouble sleeping, knowing that we could find out some life altering news the next day. We headed in to see our beloved Dr. Chang the next morning...and after about a 20 minute exam, he was all set to get some blood work going. He made some off hand comment about the flu, and I reminded him that Grier had the flu the week before. At that point, he was pretty convinced that's what Aiden had...so he tested him, and lo and behold he had the FLU! How weird is that? He had no fever...and no other symptoms. But apparently you can get some pretty wicked myalgia with the flu. Blake and I both breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, and thanked God for the flu...and then proceeded to smother our son with sloppy kisses, and bear hugs...so grateful to have a healthy boy. But of course, because of his "sickness", we weren't able to go the Hengst's like we had planned, because sweet little cousin Gunnar would be there, and he was only about 4 weeks old...and if anyone was around Hayley in the first few months of Gunnar's life...you know she was a TAD crazy. I'm just giving you a hard time H...because I know you'll read this. :) You had a baby during flu/swine flu season...it's understandable...sort of. ;) Anyhow, so that left me scrambling the day before T-Day to put something together for our intimate little Magee Thanksgiving...party of 6. And as you can see in the above picture...I pulled it off rather well...if I do say so myself. It was fun...and cozy...and one that Blake and I will never forget, because we had a NEW reason to be thankful...a son with a case of the flu. Praise God.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

I stumbled upon this blog a few months back, and have really enjoyed several of the recipes. I actually got her cookbook for Christmas too...which I'll blog about later...but yum-there are some GREAT recipes on her blog. I made this a few weeks ago when we had some friends over. It was really good...and warm...oh so warm. It's cold and rainy here today. I would love to be eating this soup tonight.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup, from "A Year of Slow Cooking"

1 lb. chicken (I think I used about 2 lbs.)
1 c. dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. frozen corn
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz) (I used homemade, instead of store bought)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 c. sour cream (you'll stir this in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips (all optional)


*I use dried black beans, so I soak them over night*. Drain and rinse the beans the next morning.Add the beans to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add both the broth and salsa. Add the corn and the cumin. Stir, but be careful not to stir the beans below. They need to stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heat. Cover and cook on HIGH for 9 hours. It takes awhile to get the black beans soft.

The blog says: If you'd like to thicken the broth, you can use your immersible blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot. *However, I did not do this.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and broken up tortilla chips.

Brisket

I got this really easy recipe from my friend Lisa after eating it at her house. Oh my, was it good!! Especially if you like the flavor of smoked meat.

Brisket

1 Center Cut Brisket (about 3 lbs.)
1 Bottle Claude's Brisket Mix (Red Top)

Put Brisket in Crockpot. Pour Claude's on top. Fill bottle with water and shake to get all the spices loose. Pour on top. Cook on low all day (about 8-9 hours). Amazing!

I made it this week, and was reminded of how darn good it is. And my house smelled incredible too!