I {heart} cousins!

I know I have posted before about the McHy triplets, but as they get bigger, they also get cuter and cuter! Easter was another fun time for the boys to get together and pretty much grunt at each other and drool!

Look how big everyone is getting!

Bode (6 months) Henry (8 months) Van (6 months)

And...how great is this??? The triplets are expanding into QUADS!!! This is my cute step-sister Katy, ready to pop out yet another McHy boy! Actually, since this pic, Greysen Burke Frandsen has joined our crazy fam. They got home from the hospital yesterday and are doing awesome!! I'm sure this "big" boys can't wait to get their slobbery little hands on baby Grey to welcome him!

Thanks Easter Bunny!

This year the Easter Bunny brought Bode an Exersaucer. I never had one with the girls because I thought it was such an unnecessary "frill". But little Bo has never been a fan of the swing and I think he is getting too big for the bouncer...he keeps leaning forward trying to launch himself off of it. Besides, I am hoping this will help even out the bald spot on the back of his head!
As you can see, it was a huge hit...with EVERYONE!! The girls can't leave it alone either. They get so excited when he spins himself around to find a new toy, and best of all...they got a huge box to play in! (or nap in, if you ask Claire)

Easter

Easter Sunday...a few days late due to severe SUGAR RUSH!! Notice Bode even got a basket, filled with things he can't have, which really means...treats for mom! His cute little basket turns into a camouflage hat...which turned out to be about 4 sizes too big!!

Paige was very concerned that the Easter Bunny came to our house in the middle of the night to leave baskets, but not hide eggs. She informed us that it just wasn't right...he was supposed to come while we were at church!

The biggest hit this year was the Webkinz! We saw these double packs at Costco for a great price, but of course couldn't get the girls to agree on one pack with a Webkinz for each in it. I had planned to get them each one anyway, so for a couple bucks more, they each got 2! SPOILED!

Poor little Bo...doesn't even care about the treats inside...he was too enthralled by the colorful packaging and the noises they made!

FINALLY...all cleaned up, ready for church! I had seen these dresses at Costco months ago and wanted them, but didn't snatch them up fast enough before they were gone! So I settled for different ones, buying Bode a matching outfit for those. Then, the day before Easter, Costco did something they have never done before...they got in another shipment!! What can I say...I'm a sucker for dresses, so each kid got two Easter outfits.

Nine Years ago...

April 6, 2000I can't believe it has been nine years since Steve and I tied the knot! I vividly remember how nervous Steve was when he picked me up that morning to go to the Temple. I remember sitting in the Celelstial Room together, holding hands, neither one of us daring to speak. I remember my mom missing half the luncheon because she was waiting in the Temple to help me change my clothes. (We were running late so we went straight to the luncheon in our wedding clothes!) I remember heading back to the Temple while my mom went ahead to the reception center with the key to my locker! I remember Steve's parents showing up 15 minutes before the reception started. I remember extending the reception hours so that our guests could attend both the Palmyra Temple dedication and the McClure-Vincent wedding bash of the year! I remember oodles of people walking through, wondering how we knew all these people, all the while our 3 little flower girls trying to hide under the skirt of my dress. I remember the get-away, and how sad it was to watch my dad cry, sending away his baby girl.
I loved everything about that day. The weather was perfect (although a bit windy).
I loved the dress, I loved the cake, I loved the flowers,
but most importantly...I loved the man who made it all possible.

Now, here we are, nine years later...definitely the longest relationship either of us has ever had. Three houses, three kids, and umpteen pounds later we are still going strong.
I love you, babe! Thanks for making me Mrs. Stephen Vincent!

Laugh...it's the only way to keep from crying!

Once again, as I was neglecting them, my independent daughters got themselves into trouble. I remember being downstairs trying to blog, submit my nursing application, and talk on the phone when I heard the popcorn popper start up. It is not an unusual sound around our house...it is one of our favorite treats. The girls have learned their lesson about appropriate popcorn eating locations (mommy's bed IS NOT an included) and proper butter to popcorn ratio (a full cube is not necessary unless you work at the Megaplex). Apparently, we are still mastering bowl size selection, because this is the sight I came upstairs to. But not before Claire learned the lesson of secure popcorn kernel bag closure.

So the pictures don't do the mess justice, considering I came upon it "mid-pileup" and half a pound of kernels tend to scatter. Truly from one end of the kitchen to the other! With the stress of my dad's health situation, I was already on edge and the girls knew it. They looked at me nervously, apologizing immediately, anticipating the yell. At this point I simply handed them each a hand broom and dustpan, laughing. Sometimes it's the only way to keep from crying!

Why I Own a King-Size Bed

I don't usually like to post pictures of myself...particularly ones where I am looking so lovely. I came across this one when I filled up my memory card and downloaded it to Costco to be burned into a disk. Apparently, this was the scene Steve left on his way to work.

Really, this is my fault. When Paige was born, Steve was traveling 6 nights a week. Elizabeth Smart had just been snatched from her bed in the middle of the night, so to protect my baby (and keep me from leaving my bed to feed her in the night) I kept little Paige in bed with me. Sadly, she has never grown out of it. I swore not to do the same with Claire. She learned early on to sleep in her crib by herself, as we struggled to teach Paige. When we put the condo up for sale, oblivious to my graveyard shift, our Real Estate agent ALWAYS seemed to book 9 am showings. It became easier at that point to let the girls sleep in our bed as to leave 2 less beds to make in the morning! Habits seem to form quickly, and are hard to break. Plus, with Steve needing to go to sleep early and me needing to sleep in, it is so much easier to let the girls stay up late watching tv in our bed to accommodate both our crazy schedules!

Despite our efforts, someone still ends up crawling in during the night, and most of the time I don't notice until I nearly fall off the bed! Although it is FAR from ideal, we keep telling ourselves that one day our "snuggle-buddies" won't want to snuggle with us anymore and we should savor each moment.

My guess about this picture is that this was a Friday morning. Usually, by Fridays I am so exhausted that it is no surprise to me that I forgot to take my glasses off. (At least my mouth is closed and I am not drooling!) Bode starts off in our bed so that Steve is sure to hear him cry in the night while I am at work, a habit we keep vowing to change starting every weekend! Claire probably came in shortly after I did, wanting to snuggle, at which point Paige would have woken up in her room alone and moseyed across the hall to see if there was any room at the inn. Paige probably climbed up from the foot of the bed, pushing her way under Steve's arm, and slowly but surely pushing him right out of bed. At which point, he got up and asked her to "keep his pillow warm". While I am grateful that both girls have finally learned that heads go at the top of the bed and feet stay at the bottom, (as opposed to feet in mom's ribs and head in daddy's back) they still manage to take their half out of the middle. Notice that Paige's Ballerina Barbie even has more room in the bed than I do! Maybe Paige's plan of buying another king-size bed isn't so bad after all!

"PAIN"creatitis

No...he is not headed to outer space (although I bet he wishes he could!) For the past several weeks, my dad has been in the hospital suffering from severe pancreatitis. It all started two and a half weeks ago. The whole McClure family had gone over to my dad's for Sunday dinner, only to find him very sick. He was doubled over in pain and sweating like there was no tomorrow. We insisted he go to the ER, so Steve, Terry and my brother-in-law Rob took him over to IMC where he was diagnosed with Acute Pancreatitis. It has been a roller-coaster ever since. The problem with the pancreas is that no one knows what brings on the inflammation and there is no way to bring it back down, but to wait it out and treat the other problems it causes. In dad's case, this has included pneumonia, C. Diff infection (a nasty bacteria in the intestines and bowel...VERY contagious!), non-functioning kidneys, 30+ pounds of fluid which has caused him to look like a pregnant woman with a huge belly along with severe swelling in the legs and one arm, and most recently a blood clot. He spent two weeks in Intensive Care and had to be intubated for a few days. Although they have found that his gallbladder is full of stones, they do not plan to remove it until he is much better. It really has been a trial of "two steps forward and one step back". There is talk of him being discharged for home in the next few days, but still a long recovery ahead. Keep fighting, Dad! We love you!