MageeBaby

Mommy Tips Mondays

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Do you have a tip to share? Some great advice to give? Please email me your submission post including a link to your blog and short bio to MageeMommy at gmail dot com THANKS!

Great mommy tip coming from my very own mommy - Dixie. Not only does she have a degree in chemistry but a PhD in Motherhood! LOL She's been a mom to me and my 2 sisters for 38+ years.

Being the beginning of the year is a great time to think about all the hopes and plans ahead for you and your household. Something my mom does each year is to make a TO DO list. Put everything you hope to accomplish around your household for the year(both inside and outside items).

Be specific about it. That way when you accomplish even what seems like the easiest and simplest tasks like going through and cleaning out a small junk drawer. Think about making a list per room of items that can be worked on while you are cooped up in the house because of too cold or too hot weather.

For example, use your own room and make a list like below:

1. Organize sock drawer
2. Clean under bed
3. Go through clothes dresser
4. Organize nightstand drawers
5. Get carpet cleaned
6. Make or buy new drapes or a new bedroom suite or accent items
7. Frame photos and hang
8. Clean vents
9. Paint

Dream big with items that may or may not happen this year but dream! My mom has had things on her list for 10 years such as a corner cabinet for her dining room for pressed glass. She just hasn't found the perfect piece of furniture(at the right price) and is waiting until she gets exactly what she wants. It's been fun dreaming about it but if she never finds this it's not the end of the world. But life without hopes and dreams sometimes can feel like it!

So all you list makers! Get your paper and pen ready and start writing. At the end of the year you'll be so excited about all you've gotten done!

8 Weeks Old ALREADY?!

2012-01-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

I know! I can hardly believe it's been 2 months already either! Sweet little baby is doing lots of sleeping. So much sleeping that he made it through the WHOLE night last night! HALLELUJIAH!!!!!!! Little Tiny Baby slept from 11pm until 5:47am this morning!!!!!!!!! wahoooo! I feel like a new woman, new wife, new mommy! :) It's a wonder what a full night of uninterrupted sleep will do for a person. Thank you Lord for this full nights sleep for me and for baby and for the whole family! LOL

Happy 2 month birthday sweet little baby! I love you so much!

Five Mom Inspired Driving Tips

2012-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

I love to drive. I used to have some fun sporty cars in my pre-mom days and oh how I loved the open highway! But something that always stuck with me even when testing out a car on a straight stretch was a comment that my dad drilled into my head over and over, “A car is not a toy.”

Now that I’m a mom, I get it. Safety first! So in lieu of this and the fact that my babies will someday be teenagers driving, here are the top five Mom Driving Tips that I hope they will follow:

1. WEAR YOUR SEATBELT! This is the number one way to ensure safety while driving. When my dad had neck surgery back in the eighties, his surgeon told him that almost all his emergency cases were from car accidents. And these emergency spinal surgeries could have been avoided if the people would have been wearing seatbelts.

2. NO TEXTING AND DRIVING! Come to think of it, how is this any different than someone reading a book or magazine while driving? Seems silly and dangerous when this comparison is made doesn’t it.

3. SLOW IT DOWN! When my sisters and I were in high school, we had to drive down a shared gravel driveway to my grandparents house, inevitably the neighbors would be out occasionally and I remember the little old lady yelling at us, “Slow down! Slow down!” My sister or I would be riding the brakes and maybe going 2-3 miles per hour. It was annoying. So when I say slow it down, I don’t mean driving THAT slow but when on the interstate just remember it’s not the autobon!

4. WHEN YOU’RE DRIVING, DRIVE – NOTHING MORE. The more distracted you are the less a response time you will have. So put down your phone, your makeup, your book(yes, I’ve seen people reading a driving before – yikes!) etc. Enjoy the feel of the freedom of driving but don’t take it for granted!

5. DON’T DRIVE WITH YOUR EMOTIONS! That means if someone cuts you off in traffic, it doesn’t give you the right to tailgate them while making rude gestures. Or if you just had a bad day at school or work, remember it’s not the other drivers around you fault. Before starting your car, put your emotions in the backseat and buckle them up. You don’t want them getting out and ruining your day! :)

There’s lots of other good driving tips to think about while in the car! Keep them in mind and stay safe!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Esurance blogging program for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Wordless Wednesday!

2012-01-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

Finally caught it! Little MageeTinyBaby's smile... :)

I know! ADORABLE! :)

Smiles and Giggles

2012-01-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

I love how much my little princess is talking now! And I love that my little tiny baby is starting to giggle and chuckle and smile. It's so much fun to watch them communicate. :) MageePrincess is learning lots of words and is starting to make sentences like "oww bout" - How about or "uhup pease" - up please. It also cracks me up that she puts long pauses between words like "go MageePrincess' (pause) oom" - go to MageePrincess's room.

I love watching them grow and learn! What are your favorite memories of little ones trying to communicate???

American Pickers

2012-01-23T11:06:00.001-08:00

Written by Sonny Quinn

Have you ever seen the show American Pickers? It is awesome. The show chronicles a few antique collectors roaming the country to pick through people’s garages and storage units, from what I understand. I’ve only seen it a couple times but I’m intrigued. Once the “pickers” discover something they want to purchase on the show, the negotiations begin. This is the most interesting part to me. Typically, an offer will be made and then laughed at. The owners of the “junk” are typically either offended that the offer is so low or are suddenly so attached to the item in question that they aren’t sure if they can sell it. People, listen. This stuff was sitting in your garage! You have not probably looked at it in years! How much can it possibly be worth to you! I want to write an open letter to the show and let them know they are free to come rummage through my entire house any time they want. All offers will be accepted. I’d love to make some money off the old junk I have sitting around! Check out www.expertsatellite.com to see when you can catch the show.

Mommy Tips Monday

2012-01-23T07:01:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to the MageeMommy guest contributor today - the 10+ year veteran flight attendant SkyPixie. Here's more information about SkyPixie: SkyPixie is a retired flight attendant who still loves to travel. She is an avid reader and has traveled all over the world - literally! She lives in a small town in Texas but loves the lure of the big city.

COUPONING...

Just found out that target and walmart have coupons on their websites that you can print and use. Walmart also accepts competitors coupons. I have found if you bring a copy of the stores coupon policy that the cashier doesn't give you any grief when checking out. Be sure to check the expiration and the restrictions to make the checking out go quicker. It also is beneficial to hand the coupons one at a time when checking out if you have a stack. That way none of them get skipped. (had it happen once) Happy couponing to all of you savers!!!

History...

2012-01-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was given a couple photos of my grandparents. As I like to make my blog posts into books at the end of each year, these just had to be added to MageeBaby for posterity's sake.

My grandmother (my mom's mom) in her senior prom dress...

My grandmother (my mom's mom) in the yard at her parents' house when she was between 10-13 years old maybe between 1937-1940? Notice the turkey hen and her chicks to grandma's left? My greatgrandma "dude" (actual name Birdie Lee) rasied chickens and turkeys to feed the family. Also in the picture is part of the shed where the washing was done.

My grandpa (my mom's stepdad that she calls daddy and has had him as her dad for over 30 years). This is him in Austria with the Alps in the background in 1945. He was in the AirForce during WWII and I'm not sure if it was then that his plane was shot down and it broke his back or a later time. He survived the crash and even could walk after healing. Oh, and at some point he even got to meet and have a beer with General Patton.

A piece from my grandma's china (my dad's mom). For some reason I have a fuzzy memory of this pattern. I'm guessing we ate on these dishes when visiting...

Warts and All...

2012-01-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

To dream the impossible dreammmm... This momma of three made it to a nearby town 45 minutes away with 3 little ones 3-1/2 and under. Went to little Princess's dermatology appointment, held her with a nurse while a doctor removed a wart from her middle tiny finger and while MageeBoy was doing his best to protect her, then went to JoAnn's Fabrics with all three kids, then to sonic and back home. And survived! wahooo! Ok, I not only survived but we all had fun! On the way home, all three babies were asleep at one point. HUH??? Ok, who out there was praying blessings on me and my kids yesterday? THANKS! :)

Today has been a giant adventure as well... MageeDaddy took us out to breakfast at McD's which was alot of fun and exciting. Then we got a whole family haircut trip(except MageeWT). Then to the post office for stamps. And thennnnn... we got a wild hair to go to Union City nearby and had a great time trying to locate a music store that ended up being out of business, then to a pawn shop, and after that Goodwill where we found a cool Thomas the Train toy and Piggy Bank. And you know what we did for our late lunch? McD's again. LOL This one has an awesome indoor playland! MageePrincess kept saying "paay palaayy" over and over. So she and MageeBoy went and played while MageeDaddy and MageeWT enjoyed sitting just outside the play area with the quietness of the rest of the resturant while we ate. Perfect!

Now we're all home relaxing, watching videos, and snacking. Life's good!!! Hope your weekend is going great!

Cute Britches!

2012-01-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Cute Britches! :)

Fun With Olives!

2012-01-21T07:56:00.000-08:00

It was snacktime o chen tfor MageeBoy this past Monday and so I put out some olives and then kept working. In one of my passes through the kitchen dining area, I catch MageeBoy playing with his food... pretty funny! :)

7 Weeks!!!

2012-01-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

And even more adorable...

Special cuddle time with daddy while watching old episodes of Equilizer. :)

The Facebook Blast!

2012-01-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

I just signed up for the Facebook Blast hosted by SasonandPobi.com and guess what! The giveaway will be $100 to Amazon.com. :) wahooo!
It will be Feb 1 at 9:00 am EST to Feb 15 12:01 pm EST. And I'll have the rafflecopter form posted so keep your eyes out for it. If you're a blogger and would like to participate, check out the link here. :)

Thankful Thursdays!

2012-01-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's Thursday again already! I know. I can hardly believe how fast this week has gone too. So much going on in the last week... babies sick, babies to doctors, babies well, MageePrincess and I on a girls only shopping spree to the dollar tree on Saturday, MageeDaddy getting sick :(, playing in nursery at church, MageeDaddy jamming wiht the worship band Sunday, MageePrincess to doc again on Monday, figuring out I could take 3 little ones to an appointment and only be 5 minutes late wahoo!(thank you Lord for the strength!!!), cleaning house Tuesday and 4+ loads of laundry, spending Wednesday at home for the first time with just MageeWT(initials for sweet tiny babies real name), and making it to Bible study with my little babies and MageeBoy having so much fun he refused to leave. LOL

So with all this business there is so much to be thankful for... MageeDaddy changing out the seating in the surburban to make it easier and safer to get the kids in and out, thankful for having two vehicles that run, thankful for clean water(something we talked about in Bible study), thankful for educational videos especially while we've been sick last week like the Really Woolly ones or My First Bible, thankful for the ladies at the preschool/mommy's-day-out and their sweet and patient attitude towards my kids!, thankful for little MageeWT not getting too sick(just slept alot one day), thankful for so much!

What are you thankful for today?

(ps I'll try to reply to all the comments last week... been a little sickly so haven't had a chance yet. Please know I appreciate you visiting and will try to reply back asap!)

Calendar Quotes: Inspirations for Life

2012-01-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

Our local electric company is so nice to give us a calendar each year. This year the title is Inspirations for Life by famous people. So I thought it would be fun to post these at the beginning of each month.

(This post is a little late but look for these on the first of each month.)

So for January...

"Happiness is not a matter of events, it depends on the tides of the minds." Alice Meynell

Rough Weekend...

2012-01-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

I remember the days when that would mean I was either up all night on Friday and Saturday at a party, or going to late night movies, or just hanging out with friends until the wee morning hours. Ohhh how times have changed! LOL This weekend MageeDaddy was getting over whatever it was that all the rest of us had during the week. So he needed lots of R&R(rest and relaxation). MageeTinyBaby didn't do a whole lot of sleeping at night the entire weekend. And MageeBoy and Princess were a slight bit fussy. I'm thinking those stinky teeth are someday going to finally breakthrough the gums some day but alas, not yet!

So it was a long weekend but good. And I shouldn't complain... I mean look who I get to snuggle with whenever I(or he) please... :)

A friend made a note about him when we were out to eat with the girls. She commented about loving how little bitty babies like to scrunch up their tiny legs. It is so fun and sweet to hold a baby like this. Can't believe he was still growing in my belly just under 2 months ago. But so glad I can hold him in my arms! :)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

MrChewy.com Review and #Giveaway!

2012-01-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for it! Another giveaway!!! Thanks so much to a very fun site just for your favorite kitty or puppy - MrChewy.com I was so excited when they contacted me to review the site and offer MageeBaby readers a $50 giveaway to the site! Exciting!!!

So what is MrChewy.com??? It's a site that delivers dog and cat food and treats directly to your door. And with over 70 brands to choose from you'll most likely find your fuzzy friend's favorite treats! What's also great is there is free shipping on orders over $49. Not only is all that great but there is a subscription based ordering.

There's so much I like about this site! While MageeDog is home(he's on vaca to Grandmama and Papa Al's for winter), he eats LOTS of dog food. Because of that it only makes sense to buy the giant bags at a time. It would be sooo much easier to just have it delivered to our house! Saving money, time, and backache from lugging a giant bag of dog food home sounds like a great deal!

MrChewy.com also offers dog treats, cat food, cat treats, litter, flea & tick, and potty pads. Just about everything you need to keep your pet happy! And you can use my referral code WEST9684 to receive 10% offer your first order. What does my referral code do for me? Well, I don't receive monetary compensation but it makes me feel great to know because of the referral a donation will be made to a charity that MrChewy.com has partnered with such as Best Friends Animal Society, Bideawee, or North Shore Animal League America.

Now have I got you super excited all you pet lovers about MrChewy.com??? I thought so! :) Bet you're wondering about how to win the great $50 coupon to the site...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this giveaway but so glad to get to offer this giveaway to my readers by the generous folks at MrChewy.com Opinions are 100% mine.

1 - 1/2 Years Old!

2012-01-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, if I thought 6 weeks was fast... whooosh... There goes a year and a half! My sweet MageePrincess spent yesterday dressed up for church, ate powdered sugar donuts and other various donuts, playing, napping, and getting lots of hugs and kisses. :) Seems like a pretty good half birthday to me!!!

Her she is in her cute outfit with the adorable sweater we picked up shopping together for mommy/daughter time on Saturday...

Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

2012-01-15T15:01:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ok, for anyone that knows me, you know I heart Walgreens! I probably go there a several times a month. One of the things that helped us decide which town to live in when my husband was relocated was which towns that were options had a Walgreens (and a Dairy Queen). Walgreens is so high on my list of favorite places to shop I own stock even.

So I was bummed out when I heard about the Walgreens and Express Script split. It's like a good relationship gone bad. From what I understand Express Script is like a middle man matching pharmacies with company's human resources and insurance. And due to disputes between the companies regarding pricing Express Scripts dropped Walgreens. Apparently that would not have changed the pricing that customers would have seen and Walgreens was negotiating to keep the same rates flat with the contract between them and Express Script but were still dropped like a girl being dumped at prom.(oh, wait, I'm having some weird high school flash back from 11th grade and have digressed)

Anyway, it is not just painful for Walgreens to lose the business opportunities from this. It is painful for all the people that use the convenience of 24 hour pharmacy service at lots of Walgreens locations and the convenience on the amount of stores available. So to ease the pain of many of Walgreens customers that will be effected, they are offering a special discount on annual membership for Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. For $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, and individuals may join for $5. This will provide discount prices on your prescriptions. Other benefits include savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications; discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers, and diabetic supples.

I'm hoping this breakup doesn't damage the stores to a point of some of them closing... especially the one in my little ol' town. I'd hate to have to move over a store closing. LOL So I'm going to go ahead and support Walgreens on Twitter and Walgreens on Facebook and hope you will too! :)

Blink - There Goes 6 Weeks!

2012-01-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

And getting more adorable by the minute! :)

Stretch and Grow...

2012-01-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

From the living room in our house, there is a straight shot into the kids' bathroom. I just noticed MageeBoy turn on the water on his sink without his stool. He's growing.

Yesterday, MageePrincess walked up to the kitchen counter and grabbed her baba off of it. When did she get tall too? She's growing.

This morning, MageeTinyBaby's sleeper was too small. I couldn't snap the bottom snaps. He's growing.

I'm not completely ready for any of them to grow. It's funny how, of course, I am with them day-to-day but sometimes all the sudden notice I notice things like they are taller, or speaking complete sentences, or are able to grasp my finger with their teeny hands. There is such a sweetness to little children. I'm so thankful for them!

Sweet Baby...

2012-01-12T20:04:00.001-08:00

Video of my little guy being cute...

Our Little Man

2012-01-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, MageeTinyBaby and I took a trip to Memphis for my post baby birth appointment and then in the afternoon the kids and I went to MageePrincess's doctor. At both offices, everyone kept talking about how cute my little guy is and about the sweater vest he was wearing and also kept commenting about how "He looks like a tiny man." fun! I love my baby! :)

Things Toddlers Say

2012-01-12T19:13:00.000-08:00

MageeBoy and I had a conversation today when he came in my room to show me the big plastic rings he has put on the plastic beads that he plays with so much...

MageeBoy: Mommy, I put rings on the beads so I can fly. (as he started to twirl them around a bit)

Me: Oh, that's neat.

MageeBoy: I can be in sky and see butterflies and put them on trees where they will be happy.

Cute. I'm glad he's wanting to help butterflies be happy. :)

MageePrincess's Vocabulary...

2012-01-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

...is expanding quite a bit! I know I'm bias being her mommy and all but wow she already has a great vocabulary and can pronunciate words quite well for her age(like puppy and baby). But I do love to hear her baby talk and trying to say words she hasn't yet mastered like the ones below...

bap - giraffe
yiiyaaat - MageeBoy's name
yay yun - MageeTinyBaby's name
ah ah owwwl - Papa Al
up peas - Up please
peeeees - pleeeease

Thankful Thursdays!

2012-01-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

Oh, so much to be thankful for!

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

I'm thankful to live in a country with such great medical care and knowledge of the general public. Yesterday, when picking up MageePrincess and MageeBoy from Mommy's Day Out, the director let me know that the bump on her finger could be trouble and I might should get it checked out ASAP. So I went right to the doctor's from there(which were so nice fit her in). Turns out it wasn't anything as terrible as it could have been (looked just like the start of staph but had been there over a week and ended up just being a little infection that had to be drained - OUCH!). So I'm thankful that the director told me to get it checked out(I was going to wait until her 18month appointment in Feb because I thought it was maybe a wart? eww) and thankful that it was not a big deal after all and thankful to be able to take her to the doctor and thankful that antibiotics for it are available. So much to be thankful for! OHHH! And I'm thankful for how good MageeBoy was in the doctor's office and that MageeTinyBaby was so good at the doctors too.

WHEW! As all of our family(except MageeBoy) have been sick over the last week and a half(me last night blaaaa), I'm especially thankful for all the medical care available in this country - like doctor's, pharmacys, and groceries stores with gatorade and yogurt. whew!

Here's hoping everyone has a great Thankful Thursday and hoping your families are healthy and feeling good!

Mommy Tips Monday

2012-01-12T06:13:00.000-08:00

(reposting from last year on WestTNfamily.com) With the little kids around here sharing germs like baseball trading cards, this time of year is a great time for cleaning cleaning cleaning those toys! Or getting a giant bubble for your child to live in. LOL So today's Mommy Tip Mondays post is from none other than MageeMommy the owner of this blog. Last year there was finally a break of when my little ones had been 24hours+ without a fever so it was time to tackle cleaning up the toys!

But how to clean all those pesky tiny millions of plastic toys without spending all day wiping each one individually?

A toy bath! That's how!

Ingredients - water, cleaning agent, toys, stir, rinse, rinse again, and rinse one more time just to feel safer, and drain. Viola! Oh, plus, having a toddler at preschool and one taking a nap so I didn't have to worry about anyone getting hurt helps too! Be sure to keep your kids far far away from the bathroom while doing this!

Do you have a tip that would help others out? Anything from finance, to travel, to housecleaning, organizing, car maintenance, etc??? I'd love to feature you and your idea here! Just email at MageeMommy at gmail dot com. :)

Where's MageeBaby Been?

2012-01-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

...well, we were super busy this weekend and then dadadaaaaa... we've been sick! MageeDaddy hasn't felt so good the last week and this weekend I felt a little sickly but just figured it was from lack of sleep. Then it hit. Yesterday, it hit hard... Poor Princess. Late afternoon, I went to pick up MageeBoy from playing at extended care and not two houses down from our driveway, Princess made a noise. A noise I thought was her downing a bottle really fast. Strange, I thought as I didn't remember giving her a bottle after buckling in her carseat. Well, that's because I DIDN'T give her a bottle after buckling in her carseat. A second later she starts wailing and crying and a sicking familiar smell of puke filled the car and my nose. One word: Eew.

So after somewhat cleaning her carseat, cleaning Princess, and putting her back in the car, we picked up MageeBoy. Then round two of throw up occurred just as we got into the house and luckily near the kitchen trashcan.(whew!) Also thankfully MageeTinyBaby slept through all of this and didn't wake up until after MageeDaddy got home!(thank you Lord!)

Got MageePrincess into the tub, cleaned up, put on footed PJs and all started watching videos while drinking pedialyte or gatorade. Then round three. Eewww! And the worst was running her into the bathroom, the floor being completely covered, and me slipping and falling on my booty into the puke. I know, "Gag!"

With this MageeBoy from the doorway says to me, "It's ok, Mommy! You're ok." LOL Um yea. I'm still not so sure. But I am glad to say MageePrincess seems to be ok with no puking episodes by my sweet baby girl today and hopefully it was just a 24 hour thing. So far so good!

Hope your day's not been as stinky as mine yesterday and hoping your kids are puke free!!!!! LOL

5 Weeks and Feeling Groovy!

2012-01-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

What a great 1st week to the new year! MageeTinyBaby is growing growing growing! We've gotten to spend some time outside with the unusually nice weather, MageeBoy and MageePrincess went to Mommy's Day Out, MageeDaddy has had one day off from work (but unfortunately had to take a sick day or two because of a nasty cough he has; we do like having him home but wish it wasn't because he's sick!), MageeDaddy got to practice with the worship band, MageeMommy(moi) got some Mommy time with a bunch of other mommy friends last night and also started back to Bible study, and most of all MageeTinyBaby has been smiling and smiling which delights my soul! Here's my groovy little guy in one my favorite baby shirts I've put on my kids... :)

1 Month Checkup!

2012-01-04T23:13:00.000-08:00

WOW! Time is flying! My sweet little baby boy is growing so much! Today was his 1 month physical. Luckily, there were no shots for this appointment but he was still a little irritated by being poked and bothered and woke up from a good nap. So far he has grown 1-1/2inches and has gained 1 lb 11 ounces (so he's now 22inches long and 9 lb 11ounces!). WHEW! I have a feeling it's going to be tough keeping our kids fed as teenagers! LOL

Here's a picture I took at the hospital of our sweet baby... :)

No Guts No Glory!

2012-01-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

I love how my dad has had saying, antedotes, and stories that he's shared with me growing up....

No guts no glory.

The only limiting factors in life are time and yourself.

Do bears mess in the woods?

You have to spend money to make money.

(when asked how are you?) Fine as frog hair and that's pretty fine!

I like all these sayings. I like how my parents have encouraged me to follow my dreams. I've held back alot of my life though. Time to employ "No guts no glory" and see where it takes me! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm a day late but it's still a new year! I mean only 2 days old so far. And what a great day! I GOT A NAP! woot woot! MageeDaddy had today off from work and although we didn't do every thing we had planned, we did talk about the fabled new year resolutions. Do you have any? I don't always make a resolution list each but thought, why not?! :)

I resolve...

1. To lose the baby weight. I've got about 20 pounds left to be back to where I was prepregnancy with MageeTinyBaby and another 10 pounds left to be back to where I was prepregnancy with MageePrincess. So total goal = 30 pounds.

2. To not give in to rage and cuss. Ugh. Yep, did that tonight after breaking an ordament... in front of my babies. So this is definitely on my resolutions list.

3. "To give up being sad." I have a (almost) lifelong friend(known here since I was 12) that made this comment to me in a message that she had finally had decided to give up being sad. What a great idea! I get a little weepy thinking about how fast time is flying with our babies. But like the guy from the movie Courageous had to learn, am I going to be sad and angry about the time I'll miss with my babies or be grateful for the time I DO have with my kids. I'll pick the later. :)

4. To complete some artwork. I've got some cool ideas especially after talking with my mom on some projects to start ASAP and am so excited!

5. To have my bloggy site professionally designed. I thought I could get this done myself but still haven't figured out how to do the HTML editing completely and with three little ones don't have the time to figure it out right now. So time to call in the professionals! I'd also like to do this to monetize my blog more. I enjoy posting about my babies and daily life and also getting to do product reviews and giveaways for all you fellow bloggy friends. So a professional design seemed like the next logical step for this site. :)

I've got more to work on this year but those are what comes to mind at this point. I'd also like to start back in a Bible study and make sure to spend time in God's word and with Him daily. I haven't been as purposeful as I have in the past and it's obvious that not having time with God daily affect me (see resolution #2 sigh).

I'm excited about this year to come. MageeDaddy and I will hopefully be taking leaps of faith with our future and that's exciting!

So Happy New Year and here's to wishing everyone excitement and joy in the months to come!

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

2012-01-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

Although I didn't reach my goal of 1500 followers through the big goal setting giveaway, all of you wonderful readers helped me sooo much with this dream! THANK YOU! There were over 2800 entries!(whew thankful to have rafflecopter now instead of google forms - took a while to go through and verify all the entries) ~~A winner has been chosen and I'm awaiting a reply -~~ NICOLE HAS RESPONDED! CONGRATS ON THE WIN!!!

Will announce the winner as soon as I hear back.

Thanks again everyone!

Mommy Tips Monday

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do you have a tip to share? Some great advice to give? Please email me your submission post including a link to your blog and short bio to MageeMommy at gmail dot com THANKS!

Today, I will be offering some sick baby advice.
Last year, some unfriendly viruses were hanging around our house. Well, maybe they are friendly as they want to be close to everyone, especially our little ones around here. Unfortunately, that included my little boy. :( After church one day, we realized he had 103deg temperature! YIKES!

So my tip for today has to do with keeping medicine handy. I'm so thankful that my husband had stocked up recently on fever medicine for babies and toddlers. So we didn't have to waste time going to the store for more. That's tip #1 Always make sure you have medicine on hand regardless of your kids being sick or not already. Tip #2 Make sure the medicine isn't past the expiration date or hasn't been recalled. Tip #3 When in doubt, call your doctor! If he has a 100deg temperature, sometimes I've called the doctor. We live in the world's best country for medical care, take advantage of it!!! Tip #4 Give that baby fluids(we called the pedialyte “koolaid” to get him to drink it this afternoon) and give him cuddles. It's no fun to feel sick!

Hope that everyone in your families are well! Any extra advice for sickly kiddos? Let us know in the comments below.

Happy New Years Eve!

2011-12-31T21:08:00.000-08:00

I couldn't have come up with a better way to spend the last day of 2011. Our little MageeFamily had such a wonderful day! We slept in until 8am(yep, that's sleeping 2 hours past our normal wake up time) and had breakfast, played inside, MageePrincess and MageeTinyBaby took naps around 11:30am, MageeMommy went to WallyWorld(all by myself!), MageeDaddy looked online while MageeBoy played with his traintable and some stickers. Then I picked up Taco Bell on the way home and we had a picnic in the front yard! Yep, it's almost January and we were outside in sunshine and almost 60degrees weather! wahooo! We spent all afternoon outside playing, cleaning out the garage, cleaning camping chairs, and just having fun! IT WAS GREAT! MageeTinyBaby supervised us from his bouncy chair. :)

After getting cleaned up a bit from being outside, we headed to McD's to the drive thru and quickly ate some dinner in the car while going to church. Tonight they had a movie night with Courageous! It was such a GREAT movie!!! We set on the back row because our babies were in the nursery just behind our seats and everyone was sleepy from the big day we had. Still it was great getting to spend some time just with my husband watching a movie together even if we had to stop a bunch of times to go check on the kids. :) I love my husband and how he cares for our babies. I'm so lucky. I'm so thankful for being blessed with my family, with love, with kindness and patience from my family and my husband's. I'm thankful for seeing my little baby boy smiling for the first time recently. I'm thankful for salvation from Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for a new year and how it reminds me of God's compassions are new each morning.

Lamentations 3: 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

Praise God for this new year and refreshing start! Praise God for this past year and all His wonderful blessings like our healthy little boy, our sweet beautiful baby girl, and our sweet handsome growing son.

I can't wait to see what's going to happen next in life! God is so good to us.

Happy New Years everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 Month Old Already!

2011-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that one month has already passed since our sweet youngest came into the world. Here he is last night celebrating his one month birthday by staying up late and cuddling with MageeDaddy until around 12:30am...

MageeTinyBaby is already starting to show his personality. Lately, if he is awake in his bouncy chair and if everyone for some reason leaves the room he lets us know that's not cool with him. Also last night while I was holding him in my lap and looking at my sweet baby, I could tell he was purposely trying to touch my hand with his. His arms were making small windmill movements and he seemed satisfied when his hand would actually land in mine. It's fun that something so "normal" can be so amazing. I love my sweet new baby.

Italy Part 9 - Last full day in Italy... Spent in the Alps!

2011-12-30T22:02:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.
For Italy Part 3, click here.
For Italy Part 4, click here.
For Italy Part 5, click here.
For Italy Part 6, click here.
For Italy Part 7, click here.
For Italy Part 7 continued, click here.
For Italy Part 8, click here.

Italy Part 9 - Roncone and the Alps! That's right folks! Well, I guess officially I should say we were in the Dolomites. MageeDaddy had to go to a small machine manufacturing facility in Roncone. So we woke up bright and early at the Palace in Brescia and hit the road. Well, the roadway system in the mountains are well maintained but generally two laned and pass through small villages and under giant mountains. We didn't anticipate the lack of road signs for directions and the amount of time it would take to traverse through these beautiful mountains!

We eventually started driving on a road through villages in a long valley and made it to the facility. I dropped off MageeDaddy and took our map of Italy for my mini-adventure! I decided that I wanted to get to see Lake Garda which I did along with lots of tiny villages, a castle perched on the side of a mountain, some small lakes, and treacherous roads. IT WAS GREAT! Here’s some pictures from what I got to see… Amazing!

View from a small roadside park I found at the entrance of a village I stumbled upon - ville del monte...

The castle that was just hanging on the side of road and hanging on the side of the mountain...

A view of Lake Garda...

I was so happy to get to drive through the foot of the Dolomites while MageeDaddy was so good to work for us! I made it back around lunch time to his work and called him up to get a status update and they were ready to break for a meal. And a MEAL IT WAS! The owner of the company and two other upper level guys took us to a restaurant for lunch.

Ok, when I say a restaurant, I might have thought of something like Applebee’s or maybe even thought of some quaint European café. Um, no. Nothing like I could have imagined and probably my favorite meal of the entire trip. We hopped into a car with the three Italian older gentlemen, and they drove south on the main road to the next village. Then the vehicle turned between some buildings down what I thought was an alleyway. The alleyway street gave way to a country road, and that gave way to a long long long rocky drive in between a small valley then up a hillside to what looked like a halfhouse halfrestaurant structure which for some reason in my memory reminds me of a fancy hillside barn/house. It was cool. The view of the mountains lush and green with white caps from the parking lot (aka their driveway) was amazing! There was outdoor seating under some type of balcony or overhang and on entering it was obvious the owner was a collector of World War II memorabilia. Turns out he was a collector specifically of Stalin memorabilia(eek). Also turns out that the owners of the restaurant were also hunter/gatherers of the food they served.

And what they served was delicious! We had several family style dishes including wild boar stew, grilled deer steaks that tasted more like beef steaks prime grade(sooo delicious), two or three delicious pasta dishes, polenta cakes(shaped like triangles), French fries(which kind of cracks me up), and I can’t remember what else. It was also interesting that two of the three men ordered wine with the lunch. Definitely not something most people in the states are accustom to doing while on lunch break with their boss. LOL

Oh, I think I've found info about the restaurant on google... Ranch'S Dean - Ristorante Bar Localita' Paul, 38087, Lardaro, TN, Italy. So glad to have found this! Not sure if we'll ever make it back here but if we do, we'll be eating here again!!!!!

After the wonderful meal, we made it back to the facility and MageeDaddy and the men went back to work. There wasn't much more than an hour of work for him to have to do so I took the car and went back down the road to check out a little village and after a little over an hour went back to pick up MageeDaddy. For some reason I had the bright idea of trying to drive to the Swiss boarder over the Alps. Oh, not so smart on my part because it looks like only 2 maybe 3 hours to drive up to Switzerland, then back down one side of Lake Como, then to the Milan airport. Just because it looked like 2-3 hours of driving time on the map doesn't take into account the tiny switchback roads, the onelanes through alleys between old mmidevil structures, and the lack of signage throughout the region that would get us turned around and backwards.

I'm still not sure where in the world we drove to and through but know we made it to the top of one of the giant snowcapped mountains. We also made it through a couple snowskiing villages which was still not quite up and running for the season just yet. We noted just past one of these types of villages on one of the switchback type roads that their were these tall markers every couple feet on either side of the road and MageeDaddy figured out these were probably markers so snow plows would know where the road was and keep themselves on the road instead of tumbling down the mountains. crazy!

Here's some pictures of our drive...
A main road through a village...(tiny!)

A giant ski lift that we happened on...

After about 4 hours of driving and not being sure where in the world literally, we were getting a little tired of driving and realized we were still far from our comfy room at the hotel attached the airport. sigh. Somehow MageeDaddy got Miss GPS working again on the phone and after driving what seemed like forever we made it to the airport! We made it just early enough to turn in the rental car before they closed and had been lost in the Alps for about 6 hours!!! LOL

After we got settled into our room, we ordered room service! Can't have that enough in one lifetime. LOL :) We had pizza and creme brulee which were yummy and I think watched a little TV then were off to dreamland.

It was so handy staying at this hotel attached to the airport. Our flight out wasn't until around 11am but it's a good thing we stayed on site because even getting to the checkin counter at 9-9:30 we just made it up to our gate as the last people were boarding! At the checkin counter the ticket agent was SO nice to upgrade us to economy comfort level(sooo worth the money though if we had to have paid!). She was a bit scared about me being so pregnant and I'm guessing that's why we were upgraded! Then as we made our way through the terminal we did a little shopping where MageeDaddy got his cool new watch and I got some last minute gifts of pasta that are shaped like famous landmarks(the duomo, gondolas, etc). I had seen these a couple places in Italy and had meant to pick up a bag or two. Then we made it to our gate and boarded a little bus that took us what seemed like 10 feet to the airplane(seemed silly to not just walk to the plane but works our as a fellow passenger took our picture on the bus...

Sigh! Our last picture in Italy. :) It was a happy one! We were ready to get to come home to see our babies!

What a lifetime dream come true of a trip!!!!! Thank you MageeDaddy for making my dreams come true and thank you Lord for these amazing blessings!!!!!

MageeTinyBaby's Birth Story Continued...

2011-12-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

Have you read about MageeTinyBaby's Birth and the Wild Ride? It was a doozie! He made a dramatic and grand entrance into the world. I haven't quite finished posting about our time in the hospital so here goes......

After MageeTinyBaby entered the world and MageeDaddy and family came into the delivery room, I was holding him for the very first time and MageeDaddy started snapping pictures. :)

Here I am holding our little guy after everyone had cleared out of the room...

Here's MageeDaddy holding MageeTinyBaby for the first time also after everyone had cleared out of the room...

His big sister and brother weren't sure about everything because by this time the doctor had also came into the delivery room after them (I told ya the delivery was fast!) and she started to help with the second part of birth(eew) and making sure I was all ok. While taking care of things in that regard, she made a statement about how she got there as quick as she could and still had on her PJs under her scrubs and didn't have time to put in her contacts as she was still wearing her glasses. LOL Yep, good thing she was wearing a pants set type of PJs. haha!

Some of the nurses in the room helped hold our other little ones while MageeDaddy took more pictures and then the kids hopped on the bed with me after I was taken care of. Then what seemed like a flash, everyone was gone except the nurse making sure MageeTinyBaby was ok(measuring and charting and things like that) and we were alone for the first time as a family. Neat! It was a shock for his brother and sister. I think MageeBoy somewhat understood that this little baby belonged to us but MageePrincess was in complete shock by the entire ordeal. My poor sweet baby girl!

MageeTinyBaby took to nursing with no trouble by this point as he was very hungry even after such a draining ordeal. He also didn't keep his eyes open very long and was so sweet to hold. It's hard to believe how tiny he was (and still is even though he's already grown over 3/4 in already).

After all the craziness of the early morning started calming down, the kids were so tired and starting to get hungry as they had been up since at least 4:30am! Luckily, MageeDaddy's brother(and sister-in-law) were soooo nice to help us with MageeBoy and Princess and Uncle JA drove all the way over in the wee morning hours to pick up the kids to watch them overnight! (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!)

Proud MageeDaddy with his newest addition and MageePrincess was sooo tired at this point while Uncle JA held her...

More pictures of baby being held by MageeDaddy...

and by Uncle JA...

By this time the kids were starving and severely tired so MageeDaddy and Uncle JA took them and loaded them in the car to go to a breakfasty type resturant(I don't remember if it was Denny's or Perkins or where but some sort of place like that for breakfast). While they were at breakfast, I got some special alone cuddle time with our sweet baby and we were transported upstairs to the 4th floor maternity. I barely remember the wheelchair ride up there holding my little boy but do remember how nice and happy all the people we passed on the way were to me. Congratulations were being doled out to me like candy thrown from parade floats and I eagerly snatched them up smiling happily!

Not long after settling into our room, breakfast arrived! I don't know why hospitals get such a bad rap on food. This was delicious...

After eating, MageeTinyBaby and I fell asleep. I'm not sure how long I was out but not long after MageeDaddy returned. Uncle JA had dropped him off at the hospital and took the kids to LR to spend the night.(thanks Uncle JA and Aunt B!!!) MageeDaddy had brought back a rose for me, some snack supplies for our stay, and the Magee traditional stuffed animal for our new baby.
Pretty rose...(we used these kinds in our wedding!)

So he had to take the traditional hospital photo that we have of all three kids as newborns in the little hospital baby crib...

A couple hours later, Mamaw and Papaw had made the long drive from the other side of Arkansas and stopped in for a visit before driving to our house... Although worn out from leaving their house around 4:30am and driving 8hours, they were still super excited about seeing MageeTinyBaby for the first time...

We had more time to relax and get to know our new little sweet baby. Took naps, ate dinner, and then were so happy that Grandmama and Papa Al drove over for a visit!

I don't remember much about the first night with our little guy except maybe being woke up for pain medication and to feed him. The next day so much happened... His first photo shoot...

A check up from the peditrician. Lots of visits from the nurses. The circumcision(ouch!) and subsequently lots of sleeping...

MageeDaddy had some time to go to the giant all drum store while we were in town and the baby & I slept lots while he was out. Then a visit from the pastor of our church(thank you so much for driving so far to see us!). Then the exchange of our kids from Uncle JA and Aunt B to Mamaw and Papaw...

Still weren't so sure about this new baby and why in the world mommy and daddy were in the hospital...

The crazy events of day 1 and business of day 2 with our new little guy were fun! Day 3, Sunday December 4th, we got to bring home our baby. :) It was a bit of a blur but I remember the new nurse on duty happened to be one of the nurses that was at the hospital when we had MageePrincess a year and a half earlier. At that time she was just newly pregnant with her second baby(when we had just had MageePrincess our second) and now is pregnant again with her 3rd after we had also just had our third! Small world!!! I also remember about the coming home day that MageeDaddy switched out the carseat cover to the blue fabric and then loaded the car up with all of our luggage and things. (thanks MageeDaddy!) Then we got some pictures of us and our baby, him in his take home outfit, him on his very first car ride, and a picture when we first got home of our babies all together for the first time at home! :)

And for the ending of the post for MageeTinyBaby's birth story I have to say I'm thankful. I'm thankful for such a perfectly healthy little boy, that we made it to the hospital on time, for MageeDaddy being such a calm man and so loving, for our families taking care of our babies and knowing they are safe and loved and for visiting us, for God's blessed hands covering us and our families and how He loves us. He loves.

MageeTinyBaby's Official Hospital Pic!

2011-12-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

Ouch! Oh his cuteness is sooo cute it's painful!!!!! Ouch!

Was Jesus a Liar?

2011-12-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

I don't think so at all. He said things like...

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

So it's always weird to me when people say they are Christians(aka Christ followers) but say they think there are other ways to Heaven than Jesus.

Italy Part 8 - Milan Castle, Brescia, and the Palace

2011-12-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.
For Italy Part 3, click here.
For Italy Part 4, click here.
For Italy Part 5, click here.
For Italy Part 6, click here.
For Italy Part 7, click here.
For Italy Part 7 continued, click here.

Italy Part 8 – Wednesday, October 28th, 2011 Milan Castle, Brescia Italy, and our night in the Palace

Oh, when I write about this it makes me happy! Milan… aaahhh Milan! For our last official siteseeing day in this city, we visited Sforzesco Castle and it’s museums. How amazing! We woke up that morning and both went to the buffet breakfast which again had an amazing selection of food and treats. Then we walked one last time to the Duomo square with hopes of taking the subway to the castle. I think we eventually figured it out and made it to our stop. On the surface we came out at the very front of the castle which was handy and cool to see!

Last time to check out the Duomo square and cathedral...

The main entrance to the castle...

Complete with giant metal gate...

At this historical site, there are many museums which house all sorts of artifacts - architectural, military, and art. My favorite was having the opportunity to see like the very last sculpture that Michelangelo worked on just days before his death. Here’s some info about it from the museum website… Michelangelo Buonarroti, Pietà Rondanini, marble, dated to 1564, acquired from Roman family Vimercati Sanseverino, in 1952. Named after one of the owners, Michelangelo's last work is quite unusual to some extent, as it depicts Virgin Mary standing with Jesus in her arms on a funerary altar dated to the Roman Age (late 1st century AD). The base, which was probably readapted to better support the sculptural group during the Renaissance, portrays Roman emperor Marco Antonio and his wife Giulia Filumena Asclepiade.

We also got to see some artwork by Leo, you know… Leonardo da Vinci! :)
Originally planned as a reception room, Sala delle Asse features a vaulted ceiling covered with a fresco depicting densely flowered branches of 16 trees entwined with a long golden string, trompe l'oeil details revealing the sky, the Sforza coat of arms in the middle and blue banners bearing traces of golden inscriptions in the four pendentives. Painted by Leonardo in 1498, this magnificent fresco was found by Paul Muller Walde in 1893 and subsequently restored. A fragment of a monochromatic fresco depicting a tree trunk and roots penetrating into the rocks, of which Leonardo has been referred to as the author, was found within Sala delle Asse, in 1956 This room was decorated by Leonardo da Vinci, who had been commissioned, together with Italian architect and painter Donato Bramante, by Ludovico il Moro (ruled over Milan 1480 through 1499) to embellish the city according to the distinctive features of the Renaissance style.

Here's more pictures from seeing the castle...
The moat (complete with cannon balls)

Old stuff...

More old stuff...

Me being seriously pregnant. Hmmm what were we thinking traveling to a foreign country while I was a giant beached whale??! YIKES! No wonder people kept thinking I could "pop" anytime!!! LOL Really, I wouldn't have passed up the opportunity if I had known for sure I would have birthed MageeTinyBaby in the middle of nowhere on a backroad in Italy!

did I mention we saw old stuff? LOL

Famous sculpture by Michelangelo...

So happy to have seen the sculpture!

Me thinking, "More stairs?"

"Really? I mean really? MORE STAIRS?!"

Hang drum player...

More of the moat...

More pictures of the castle! So cool!

Yep, those were the two most amazing things in the giant museums that we saw among other amazing ancient things. Plus, we didn’t even see the Egyptian exhibits and some other antiquity exhibit. Just not enough time! So after visiting the castle and listening to a nomadic guy playing a hung drum at the other exit to castle we made our way back to the hotel using a taxi. Then to the central train station to take the express train to the airport to pick up our rental car.

Rental cars in Europe are small. Even the “upgrades” are a little funny. I don’t remember the make or model of the “upgrade” that we got but to Americans that are used to giant everything – supersized food, SUVs, and county fairs that celebrate overgrown veggies – the upgrade was laughable. (although it was a nice well maintained vehicle!)

So MageeDaddy started the GPS program he had recently uploaded to his work phone just for the trip to the work facility and we made our way onto the road system for Italy. We took the A4 almost the entire way and went through a couple tolls. Luckily, it was still light out when we got to what we thought was our exit. Well, we were wrong. Or Miss GPS was wrong.

Somehow we ended up through a little village on the wrong side of the interstate and kept following Miss GPS’s advice which led us to a dirt road with giant potholes and running parallel at one point to an open dirt mining type pit. I was pretty sure we were going to get stuck in one of the deep muddy ruts in the road at one point but MageeDaddy managed to push the car through and Miss GPS somehow directed us to a paved road eventually as we could see the interstate but not figure out how to find an on-ramp.

Eventually, we made it to the Villa Fenaroli Palace Hotel and checked in. This was a nice spread in it’s hayday and was still a very cool place to stay! All the lighting was sculptural glass fixtures from Murano(Venice) and several of the main rooms for meetings or the bar or welcome room still had original fresco’ed ceiling. Statues lined the main entrance hall and were spotted throughout the hotel. Too cool. And my favorite part is knowing that I have spent a night at a palace and felt like a princess getting to step out my room onto the large 2nd story wrap around balcony. So cool!

Pictures of the Palace... :)

After checking in and getting situated, it started getting late so we drove back out the excessively long entrance driveway to the main street and began a search for a restaurant opened late on a week night. There were a couple pizzerias around and while driving in this not so remote area, we passed a couple hookers at an intersection. They looked maybe 16 at the oldest. UGH. Which made me a little sick to my stomach. This wasn’t a “bad” area. The night or two before this we had watched a documentary special on CNN regarding child trafficking and seeing these young girls well made me sick. We had quickly gone through that area but I still regret not going back and trying to rescue them if they would have let us. Not sure what we would have done though? Surely the local police knew they were there. It was a high traffic area and like I mentioned not a “bad” area. Double UGH. Not sure what the right thing to do was but am pretty sure I wimped out.

So after all that drama, we drove around enough and had found a nice looking candle-on-the-table type restaurant – La Pina. The restaurant was a bit desserted since it was getting close to closing but they were nice to go ahead and take us. We had a full meal complete with appetizers, main dishes, dessert, and espresso for MageeDaddy. YUM! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves… (it was such a fancy place they even had dishes specifically made just for the restaurant!)

So after a yummy meal, driving back through the intersection (now void of the girls) to see if there was something we could do, and making it back to the hotel, we stopped at the bar for bottled water and coke and then off to bed to watch a Steven Segal movie (yes, apparently very popular on the English channels in Italy as this was not the first night one of his movies was playing during our trip. LOL).

It was a full fun day in Italy!

The Day After...

2011-12-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is after opening a ton of presents, discarding wrapping paper and packaging, and cleaning up and putting away several items! WHEW! We have a toy path right now just so we stop falling and tripping on things. LOL We are ridiculously blessed! Here's a pic from after cleaning up...

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do you have a tip to share? Some great advice to give? Please email me your submission post including a link to your blog and short bio to MageeMommy at gmail dot com THANKS!

Today, I will be offering some sick baby advice.

Last year, some unfriendly viruses were hanging around our house. Well, maybe they are friendly as they want to be close to everyone, especially our little ones around here. Unfortunately, that included my little boy. :( After church one day, we realized he had 103deg temperature! YIKES!

So my tip for today has to do with keeping medicine handy. I'm so thankful that my husband had stocked up recently on fever medicine for babies and toddlers. So we didn't have to waste time going to the store for more. That's tip #1 Always make sure you have medicine on hand regardless of your kids being sick or not already. Tip #2 Make sure the medicine isn't past the expiration date or hasn't been recalled. Tip #3 When in doubt, call your doctor! If he has a 100deg temperature, sometimes I've called the doctor. We live in the world's best country for medical care, take advantage of it!!! Tip #4 Give that baby fluids(we called the pedialyte “koolaid” to get him to drink it this afternoon) and give him cuddles. It's no fun to feel sick!

Hope that everyone in your families are well! Any extra advice for sickly kiddos? Let us know in the comments below.

MERRRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

2011-12-25T23:36:00.000-08:00

Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

WHAT A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS DAY! It was so great relaxing, eating yummy foods, MageeDaddy getting to play at church(we stayed here though as me and MageePrincess were sniffly and severely tired), taking a 2 hour nap, caroling and visiting with neighbors, and watching our kids open presents and be delighted with all the toys and clothes and things that family near and far were so nice to send for them(and us). Thank you everyone! There were so many presents that it took until early evening the day after Christmas to finally open them all!!!! WHEW! We are sooo blessed not just with all these things but that they are a reminder of the love we are bless with from family and friends. :)

Here's some pictures from our very first Christmas to spend at our own home and as a family of 5!!!

Stocking hung by the fire with care...

The loot as seen by each baby as they enter the room...

It was so much fun to watch the kids check out their loot from "Santa"! MageeBoy kept saying, "Whaooooo, look at all this stuff! MageePrincess LOOK at all this STUFF!" Very cute! MageePrincess was so funny and adorable with her facial expressions and tried out the leggos and piano right away! FUN! MageeTinyBaby didn't say as much haha but was adorable in his little footed PJs and coo'ed a little and cried a little and snuggled with me as we watched the big event unfold...

Even more presents! And these we get to open???

More cuddling with our best present this year... :)

Hmmm, what in the world could this be???

I couldn't have asked for a better gift...

Dressed up in a "my 1st Christmas" outfit... :)

More cuddle time!

The grillmaster hard at work for our family dinner...

WOW! That's a lot of food!!! Complete with cake to celebrate Jesus' birthday!

Ending the day with one last photo of the tree after watching A Christmas Carol(the one with George C Scott). Great ending to a great day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

*I'm posting this the day after Christmas just want it to show up in my blog book on Dec 25th. :)

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone!

2011-12-24T19:29:00.000-08:00

Wahooo! Tomorrow is our very first Christmas at home with all of our babies. I'm hoping to get the "Santa" gifts out in about 30 minutes and then head off to bed. :) When we got home from church we got a picture in front of our little artificial tree tonight... :)

This is just before all the babies started melting down due to being overly tired tonight! MageeBoy really could have used a nap today (and so could I) but just didn't work out! I'm hoping tomorrow after church is filled with naps, movie time, and a full day of eating treats and cuddling! :)

Hoping everyone's Christmas is Happy and lots of fun!!!!!!

3 Weeks Old - woosh that was fast!

2011-12-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

I remember being pregnant with MageePrincess and a friend telling me with each child life seems to go by even faster. Well, she was so right!

How is it that three weeks have flown by already with my precious little baby boy? For his third week 'birthday' MageeTinyBaby got his very first official bath! (ok, he's had 'baths' with washclothes while getting new diapers but not an official bath in the sink)

So here's some pictures of MageeTinyBaby's very first sink bath!

Not cool mommy!

Getting ready to go in the little mini tub...

Scrub-a-dub!

Whew! Just about all done! :)

Low Entry #Giveaway Ending SOON!

2011-12-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

ONLY 29 Entries in the MyMemories.com Software Giveaway - A $40 Value!!! Please stop by and check it out before it ends at midnight Eastern on Christmas Day. :)

Thankful Thursdays!

2011-12-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

WOW! Only 2 more Thursdays left in this year! So much to be thankful for over this great year!!! Our newest addition - little MageeTinyBaby. :) Thankful for all the blessings that we've been given. Thankful for my sweet husband and how great of a daddy and husband he is for me and our family. Thankful for great neighbors and friends that have helped so much by stopping by and visiting and bringing dinners. Thankful for advice from family and friends - especially to hire a babysitter to just let me sleep for 1.5-2 hours a day during the early weeks of having a new baby. BRILLIANT! Thankful for the college aged girls that are home over Christmas break and willing to help babysit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are sweet angels. OH, and thankful for the official Angel "M" who is my friend and so good to me!(love you!)

Speaking of Angel "M"...

And here I am holding my little guy yesterday; he's just so sweet and tiny! (and I'm thankful that the baby belly won't last forever! can't wait to get a treadmill and start working it off but until that time comes... bring on the Christmas cookies!!! LOL)

Italy Video!

2011-12-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

One of our days in Milan, we visited a castle. Yep, the real deal, complete with a now defunct moat and everything! In the museums at the castle, we got to see works by Leonardo di Vinci and the last sculpture that Michelango worked on just days before his death. It was AMAZING! After touring the museums and castle, we made our way through the entrance leading to the giant park/gardens and this guy was playing a hung drum. It played music that made me feel like we had stepped back into the Reinassance times. Check out this neat music...

Italy Part 7 Continued

2011-12-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.
For Italy Part 3, click here.
For Italy Part 4, click here.
For Italy Part 5, click here.
For Italy Part 6, click here.

Italy Part 7, click here.

I initially wrote "part 7" without my computer and without the photos to be able to remember what we actually saw on our full day in Milan. Turns out we saw the castle on Wednesday, Oct 28th so there were some descrepencies in that post... oops! Well, here's more on the time we spent in Milan. :)

Tuesday, October 27th – our full day in Milan! And when I say “full” I mean we packed in a lot of fun stuff! When we woke up that morning I was so excited about getting to go inside the Duomo that I bounded out of bed! LOL MageeDaddy was a little more tired than I and so I went to check out the Brunelleschi Hotel breakfast. It was the best breakfast as far as selection was concerned for our entire trip in Italy(the fanciest being the breakfast in Venice at Cai dei Conti). There was a big buffet with an ample meat selection, fruit, cereal, coffee, and bread selection including jams, spreads, and NUTELLA! Yum!

I went back upstairs and MageeDaddy was ready so we headed to the Duomo. It was rainy and overcast so we opted to skip going to the roof again which worked out because from the inside of the church we could see streams of people walking on the roof path in front of the stained glass. I realized how fortunate we were to be on the roof by ourselves and not having to navigate the slippery marble path with others!
Here’s some pictures as we walked up to the Duomo in the daylight…

I guess I didn’t take as many pictures as I thought I had of the interior. I remember either seeing or thinking I wasn’t suppose to take pictures inside but then saw tons of people taking pictures so I did too! We walked down one side of the interior of this enormous structure with stops along the way for me to rest. One of the first pitstops I remember glancing over my shoulder and seeing the front of the church and just wanting to cry that my dreams had finally come true to get to sit in the church where it is thought that my greatgrandparents had first met and fell in love. I was also so overwhelmed by the beauty of the church – the architecture, stained glass, carvings, sculptures, marble inlay floor, tapestries, just amazing.

We sat for some time at the front of the church looking at the altar and the wooden carved choir loft(amazing) and the ceiling vault behind the altar. It is said that a nail from Christ’s cross is housed in this vault(see in the picture the little red light high up toward the ceiling. On the Saturday closest to September 14, the nail from Christ’s cross is brought out of its home in the crucifix on a ceiling vault behind the altar. Crazy.

Here’s a picture of the altar area with what might literally be the world’s largest stained glass in the background. This is where we could see people filing past the stained glass on the rooftop pathway.

Another picture from where we were sitting – the giant 15foot or taller candelabra with Buddist monks in the foreground.

We then made our way down the other main side aisle toward the back of the altar and visited the Cathedral Treasury and somehow managed to see the tomb of Cardinal Borromeo. The treasury was a tiny room but packed with all sorts of jeweled old stuff which was interesting. The tomb room was somewhat elaborate but what was odd was at the back of this room was a door way with bars over it and we could peer inside a highly decorated room where mass for a small amount of people was taking place. It was unexpected to see people taking communion under the giant altar area in the crypt area in this secret room and that we could view it from behind the bars. I’m still not sure how in the world they got in there.

So after seeing the underground type area we walked back up to the main level and back down the opposite main side aisle and galked at all the amazing décor and headed outside. It was getting to be lunch time sooo we stopped at the McDonald’s near the taxi station on the opposite side of the palazzo from the Duomo. Yep, McD’s in a foreign country. LOL This was the best view I’ve ever seen from any McD’s though….

For the remainder of the afternoon we decided to head towards the “poor man’s” shopping district – Buenos Aires Boulevard. And also to a high fashion outlet tiny store nearby. WHEW! Even at discounted prices things like Armani’s are expensive!(think $100+ for a shirt at the outlet). Needless-to-say, we didn’t buy anything at the outlet and spent some money on Buenos Aires Blvd. It was also fun to go to a baby/maternity store. Wow! It is expensive to buy baby gear in Milan. Just the umbrella strollers that we pay around $20-30 for were I think $100 or something crazy there.

After doing some shopping down the boulevard, we found a large underground grocery store and picked up a bunch of snacking type food for the room. We were both worn out from all the walking and siteseeing(ok I was mainly the one about to fall asleep lol). So late afternoon we went back to the hotel and I got a nap. It was great! When I woke up it was dark out and I realized that I didn’t have a room view photo yet so got that…

Then we ordered room service! Oh, room service is sooo much fun!(and delicious) MageeDaddy tried a new pizza – some sort of ham, veggie, and cheese concoction. I tried a chicken and potato dish that was excellent!

After the yummy meal, and maybe this is the night we watched the movie we had bought the night before(not sure which night we watched it), we drifted off to sleep. As I’m about to do now! Hope everyone’s week is going great and the Christmas festivities have been wonderful so far and to come for you! I’m hoping to get to enjoy some Christmas light cruising soon with our little ones. Maybe just around our tiny neighborhood which would be fun! Merry Christmas everyone!

Grandmama and Papa Al Visit!

2011-12-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was so great! We got Santa pictures, MageeBoy got a haircut, MageeDaddy got a big nap on Saturday and I got one on Sunday, MageeDaddy got to play with the worship band at church on Sunday, and we even got to go to a Christmas party on Sunday night.

But the best part of all about this past weekend? We got to see Grandmama and Papa Al!!! They drove in on Saturday and just got to the mall as the Santa picture was being taken. (Thank you Grandmama for buying the pictures!) Then we all had a dessert at Pepper's at the mall(woah the chocolate cake there is sooo yummy!). Then headed to our house and they unloaded a crazy amount of presents from them and also Uncle J and Aunt B.(THANK YOU!)

Sunday, MageeDaddy had to leave the house early to setup with the band and Grandmama was sooo nice to watch the kids while I got a shower!!! wahooo! Completely uninterrupted shower. A REAL SHOWER! (oh, thank you sooo much!) And she and Papa Al watched the kids while I took MageeTinyBaby to meet daddy at church and then made a pit stop at Wally World on the way home.

For lunch, MageeDaddy cooked up some steaks via the broiler and stovetop. They were yummy and served on our Christmas dishes. :) Then we hung out with Grandmama and Papa Al for a little longer and then they had to go back to their house. :(

But they were also so nice to take MageeDog to his "winter home". LOL Our/Their dog has stayed with them a couple times during the winter months. At our house he is an outside dog but at Papa Al's he's an inside lap dog. You know our tiny laborador/australian shepherd mix. hahaha I think MageeDog was elated to get to go with Papa Al and I'm so glad they were so willing to take him. He hasn't gotten much love and attention the last couple months between me being a beached whale pregnant gal and the 3-4 months of MageeDaddy working 24/7, MageeDog hasn't gotten hardly any attention. So it's so great to know that he'll get the love and attention he needs while visiting his granddoggieparents.

It was such a great visit seeing Grandmama and Papa Al! Here's some pics from this weekend... :)
Grandmama and MageePrincess playing peek-a-boo at Pepper's.

Papa Al gathering MageeDog's supplies...

Giving Papa Al goodbye kisses...

MageePrincess playing with MageeDog just before they go...

Even MageeTinyBaby gave goodbye kisses to Grandmama and Papa Al. (ok maybe MageeDaddy helped him lol)

First Official Family Photo!

2011-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

Our very first official family photo with all 5 of us(plus santa lol). This Saturday(Dec 17th) was picture day with Santa for us. When we got in line it wasn't looking so good for the kids to want to even be near the stranger in the red suit. So after much bribery and other words trying to get our little ones to just stand beside him, we decided to make it a family portrait and I have to say I'm so glad we did! MageeTinyBaby didn't seem phased at all by the entire ordeal and slept through it all. :)

(note: I'm not sure why blogger is acting so weird and rotating my photo.grrr)

Today's Adorable Photo...

2011-12-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

Ouch... I know MageeTinyBaby's so cute it's almost painful. LOL Ok, I'm bias.

And can you guess who this is??? MageePrincess after bathtime. She seems to look much smaller cuddled up in her towel.

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today's tip comes from my mom. It's more of a quote that I've heard here and there and talking with her one day reminded me of how the trials of our lives can be used later to comfort other people that may face those same trials. She mentioned that everyone is given a ministry in life. Some are called to a ministry and some are called out of tragedy for a ministry.

Romans 8:28(KJV) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

If you would like to share a Mommy Tips Monday, please email me to be featured on MageeMommy.com. Send articles, a short bio, and your website links to MageeMommy at gmail dot com

Christmas Preschool Music..

2011-12-16T10:16:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things they do for the Christmas preschool music presentation is when they hand all the kids the jingle bells. Too cute! Here's our MageeBoy in the red sweater vest with fire truck and christmas tree...

More "First"s for MageeTinyBaby

2011-12-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

AND for the whole family!

This past Saturday was a first for the MageeFamily... our first adventure all together! To get MageePrincess's hair cut and shaped. She's still pulling her hair out(although not as much as she had been) so it was time to get her hair cut and shaped. The trip didn't start out well as you might can guess from the photo LOL but ended up pretty good! :)

Miss Blue Eyes...

Here's MageeTinyBaby's first time to get to go to church. This also happened to be the first time for all three of our kids to go to a movie theater because our church is meeting there until we move to a nearby building in the shopping center next to the theater. OH, and this was also the first time for MageeDaddy to get to play with the worship band.(MageePrincess also tried to play in the band- cute!)

MageeTinyBaby being adorable today(wed. 12/14)...

And yesterday! :)

More adorable photos to come and more about being at the hospital with MageeTinyBaby and even more posts about Italy! sooo much to write about sooo little time!!! :)

What I Want

2011-12-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

That was the title to the daily devotional in the children's devotional book, Jesus Wants All of Me adapted and illustrated by Phil A. Smouse, that we try to read at breakfast every morning. This last year I've been struggling with wanting to know where we are suppose to be living and when we'll be living in a home that we own and knowing it's "safe" to put down roots because we'll be staying in a town for a while. I guess it's a way for me to feel "in control" of my life and feel like I can anticipate things that will come our way better.

Ok, stop snickering at me. You must have seen those billboards on highway 51 on the way to Memphis. You know the black ones with bold white lettering saying(almost shouting), "GOD IS IN CONTROL." I know it's not me ultimately that is in control of everything. LOL Acts 17:26 tells us, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." It's interesting that I don't take comfort in that more and just let go of my worry and controlliness and trust the true Creator with my life.

So when I read the short devotional in the children's book, I had to laugh at myself. Here's what it says,

There are many things I want. There are some I want right now. But what does God want? God wants the very best for me. When I give God my wants, He will give me what I need!

I know this is true. I know from the many answered prayers He has given me during bad and good times. But still I struggle giving over my controlling nature to Him. I'll keep working on it with His help! In the meantime, I'll remember to be thankful for the blessing of the home we live in, the closeness that our family has being squeezed in our house with all the babies and their toys and gear and smiles and giggles, thankful for the neighborhood we live in, thankful for such a peaceful time in our lives without major upheaval.

Thank you Lord for your patience and love and mercy for me. I love you too.

Matthew 19:26 "With God all things are possible."

Not much time lately!

2011-12-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

WHEW! Between taking care of our three babies, decorating for Christmas, recovering from having the little guy, and life in general, it's hard to find time to post on this here blog! :)

I've got some cute pics and videos to upload of our kids dancing while Daddy practiced the drums Saturday, pics from MageeTinyBaby's first visit to church which right now meets at the movie theater so that means pics of his and his brother and sister's first time ever in a movie theater, pics from MageeBoy's preschool Christmas recital(so cute), pics of MageePrincess in an adorable outfit from Grandmama, and of course more pics of our cutie in the bassinet. So be on the lookout for these pics and videos in the next couple days!

In other baby news MageeTinyBaby's umbilical cord thingy finally fell off today. Well, I cleaned it off completely as it was barely hanging on. Made him pretty mad and he didn't sleep good all day long but made up for it this early evening and tonight. I'm so glad that thing is gone, it would bleed a little and every once in a while I'd accidentally move or bump it which I know couldn't have felt good. Poor little guy!

Also other family news, MageeDaddy pulled out all the Christmas decoration boxes and trees tonight! He's at WallyWorld as I type buying LED lights for his big light wreath he hangs on our front door. Sweet! I'm not sure if he's ever planning to get sleep again in the next 18 years. ME? I can't go without it! LOL

He was so happy to make the trip so why not? :) Our tree is up, the mantel is almost decorated, there's a wreath in the dining area window, the chachkies are out and about, and the bright light wreath will soon be on the front door. So fun!

Today, MageeBoy and MageePrincess and I made construction paper chains and "ordaments"(I cut out things like the manger scene, stars, snowmen, etc that they colored) that we'll decorate the tree with. Not really putting any ordaments on the tree except these and the cotton stuffed cloth ones. Luckily, the tree is "pre"lit so we dont' have to worry about them pulling lights off either. So even if the "ordaments" get pulled off the tree it's no biggie! :) Ahhh - here's to stress-free holidays and fun times!

Hope your Christmas time and New Years Eve are stress free and fun! Like Papaw likes to say, "Life is what you make it." Wise words. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today's tip comes from none other than MOI, the owner editor/owner of this blog! I hardly have time to get everything done around the house and pampering moi is last on my list. So a while back my superhero husband watched the kids so I could have “spa time” and learned something invaluable. Pedicures are not as pretty 6 or 7 weeks afterwards. When it's time to remove that flaking, grown out polish, sometimes it doesn't want to come off. That's what occurred during my spa time(ok getting to lock myself in the bathroom for a shower without being bothered).

Anyway, my nonacetone laquer remover wasn't working on the industrial strength nail salon polish. So I thought, Well, I'll just have to paint over it because it was looking icky. Then I messed that up and decided to wipe it off. GUESS WHAT? And here's the tip... if your nail polish remover isn't working, swipe some more polish over the old and then wipe it off with a cotton ball. For some reason the wet new polish took off a lot of the old crusty polish with it! wahooo! How handy was that. It didn't remove the old polish 100% but enough that it doesn't show through with this new coat I put on. So I had pretty feet in sandals for Easter this year and didn't scare anyone with flakey ol' polish.

FUN!

If you would like to share a Mommy Tips Monday, please email me to be featured on MageeMommy.com. Send articles, a short bio, and your website links to MageeMommy at gmail dot com

A Week of Firsts!

2011-12-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

Only a week old and already so many "first"s...

First time out of the hospital... Sunday, December 4th

First car ride...Dec 4th

First doctor's visit...(not so happy about being there; had to go to the hospital to get blood check for jaundice but thankfully he's ok!) Tuesday December 6th

First shopping trip (looked at some furniture)...

First time trying out the bouncy rocking chair...

Get Back Here!

2011-12-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hey! Hey! Where do you think you're going???!!! Waaaahhhh! Don't leave us! Come back! Ok, those thoughts might have been running through my mind as my parents packed up the little trailer this morning and headed back home. I really appreciate all their help this past week with the house and the kids and laundry and restocking my pantry and pushing the shopping cart at the grocery store and dishes and cooking and how my house has never been this clean(I mean even my comforter has been washed). Thank you Mamaw and Papaw!!!

1 Week Old - Already?!!!

2011-12-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

How is it that my sweet little baby is already a week old??? Did someone hit the fast forward button on my life? Well, if it was you, please hit the play button! It's all going too quick. :)

I'm loving our newest addition! His sweet little coos and crys, how he barely cracks an eye open to check around the room and then shuts it when he makes sure someone is snuggling with him, his little hands and fingers and feet and toes, his cute fuzzy hair. I just love him so much!

Here's a photo from today with Mamaw... :)

One Wild Ride - MageeTinyBaby's Birth Story...

2011-12-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

HUH? He's almost a week old already! It's amazing how time flies when your head is in a sleepy coma cloud. LOL So wanna hear about how our sweet little baby made his dramatic entrance into the world? I thought so! :) But first an adorable photo...

So last Thursday I kept having what I thought were 'fake' contractions that seemed somewhat painful for being fake. These lasted all afternoon and until early evening when they finally slowed down and stopped. Why would I think they were real?! Looking back I feel silly for not hopping in the car and heading out then but c'est la vie!

Then early Friday morning, 3:30am, I woke up to tinkle(sorry for being so descriptive) and had a twinge of a contraction. It wasn't the worst feeling in the world but thought hmmm this could be it. Then realized after the contractions happened within 8-10 minutes each that YIKES! It was time to make the 90mile drive to the hospital. I know I know, 90 miles? Yep, it's hard to find an all female practice in these here parts!

By the time I was convinced that it was time, MageeDaddy had already started loading things and children and me into the car and pulled out of the driveway around 4:35am. At first he wasn't going so fast. And then I started yelling... at him, at other motorists, at our sweet babies in the backseat(sigh, mommy guilt). I know that 70-75mph is fast even on a fourlane highway, but it wasn't fast enough for me.

About 20 or maybe 40 miles into the trip, I called the doctor's after hour number and talked with nurse Jackie. In the middle of the call I had another contraction(now around 4-5 minutes apart) and handed the phone to my husband. He listened intently and hung up. Mrs. Jackie suggested that he "put his foot on the gas"; in which he promptly did. Now we were going about 80-85mph and sometimes faster, weaving in and out of traffic or ran red lights while he honked, had on the flashers, and flashed the lights. We even passed a police car on the side of the road but didn't get pulled over. WHEW!

Halfway through the ride, we passed the one hospital I knew where was located. I started to scream for MageeDaddy to turn around I wasn't going to make it this baby is coming out! He calmly(how in the world does he stay sooo calm?!) said we can make it; I think we can make it. HUH?! But I trusted him and when I thought we were never going to get to the turn onto the interstate, he got out the GPS while driving like a maniac and figured out we only had 5 or 9 miles to the interstate and then only like 5-10 miles to the exit for the hospital. WEEEWWWHHHHHHEWWW!

As we were in the left turn lane for the interstate and I was cussing other drivers in our way, I screamed that the baby was coming and there was no stopping him! My oh-so-calm-should-work-for-the-bomb-squad-or-some-other-crazy-job, leans over to the driver's side door, gets some handsanitizer and lathers up, and says, "Ok, I'm ready." Looking back that's hilarious. At the time, I somehow found comfort in his demeanor and take chargeness.

We make it to our exit and MageeDaddy makes a left into the hospital complex behind two cars. He starts honking and flashing the lights and one of the cars moves over for us. The other slows down and when MageeDaddy goes into the left on-coming lane to pass the mustang, they speed up and literally drag race us. IDIOTS! Oh, the "careless" words that slipped out of my mouth. I was not so graceful with my speech but thankful and surprised that MageeDaddy put the idiots down considering their motor verses ours.

He peels up to the entrance by around 5:45am. I get out and he says what about our kids?(who were in the backseat stunned by all that had transpired in the last hour). I suggested locking them in the car and walking me to the elevators(which can be seen from the front door). I know, mommy guilt set in later about me suggesting to just lock our kids in the car - sigh! So I just left my husband and kids sitting there and screamed I'm going!!! or something like that. Somehow, I made it to the elevator(oh and by now we had timed my contractions at about 3 minutes or less apart).

In the elevator another contraction hit. It was a doozie! As it was going on, I stepped off the elevator into the checkin lobby for laboring mommies and tried to yell Help! but it only came out as a whisper. Then the contraction was over and I really yelled HELP! where two expectant waiting daddy's ran around the corner and the checkin nurse came out with a wheelchair.

MageeDaddy and crew showed up as I was being wheeled back. They took a seat in the waiting room while I was wheeled to triage. I put on the latest hospital fashion, suffered through a couple more contractions and was checked. Turns out by this point I was at 8-9cm and just about ready to push. HUH?! Does that mean no epidural? Noooooo. I begged the nurse taking all my information on some computer form. At this point they realized they didn't have time to take all my information in this room and had to get me to a birthing room STAT. Wahhhh! No epidural??? I screamed during contractions.

All three ladies glanced around the room with noted pity on their faces. Until the brave one spoke up and lied(completely lied) oh, well if we get all your information input and the blood work done and your IV in time then you can have one. I'm not getting one am I?!!! with tears streaming down my face. "You might, we might get it all done in time." the brave one lied again as I was being wheeled down the hall.

Now things really began moving fast. It seemed like a giant team of people converged on the room all at once as the brave one continued to take information, someone else took some blood, another person put an IV line in my left hand, and people started flipping the bed around to be setup for birthing. Then, IT happened. As the brave one took more information the weirdest feeling came over my tummy. It's hard to describe. Maybe like a water balloon bursting in my womb and a rush of fluids and an urge to push that I couldn't stop. My body just somehow took over at this point and I just screamed a bunch more with the Brave One saying DON'T PUSH YET!!!

After that horrid contraction was over they got me to flip from my side to my back and then it all happened even faster. Maybe 3 contractions and our new little guy was there! Thank heavens for one of the medical team that was there, especially this woman...

I'm not sure if she was a nurse, doctor, or a stranger they pulled from the street but to me she was my rock! Through the very end of the delivery somehow above all the other's voices telling me to stop screaming, or push, or don't push, her voice was the only clear one. She told me what to do, then when to push. I kept crying that I can't and the most motivating thing came out of her mouth... Do you want the pain to stop? Uh, DUH! Then do this and that. So I did this and that, and out pops our sweet baby! (Was there a halo on her head in the above photo???) The pain was over and my little guy cried. Who knew with each new baby a heart grows in love. :)

While I was going through all the delivery craziness, MageeDaddy and kids had gone to move the car to the parking lot and when they got back through the front door, a nurse had tracked them down to hurry up to delivery! They had been standing outside the door for the last one or two contractions and all the screaming. So they just barely made it for MageeTinyBaby's entrance to the world at 6:10am. As soon as he made it out, MageeDaddy and our other little ones came in the room. MageeBoy was scared and hid behind his daddy while MageePrincess was being held and also scared. All five of us were exhausted as we had been awake since 3:30am(for me and MageeDaddy) and 4am(for MageeBoy and MageePrincess)! As we all are right now. :) I'll be writing more soon! As of now, I'm going to need a nap... night night all!!! :)

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!

2011-12-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

MageeTinyBaby arrived at 6:10am on Friday, December 2, 2011 weighing in at 8pounds and was 20.5 inches! Baby and family are doing great and still resting up from the exciting ride to Memphis. I can't wait to post all about it and our newest handsome addition to the Magee Family. Until then, here's some photos of our cutie...

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today's tip comes from one of my favorite people... AuntFave from Life of Aunt Fave.
Easy Bake Cake!

Baking a chocolate cherry cake sounds like something that should be reserved for those who have gone to culinary school doesn't it? But wait, you too can pretend to wear a fancy jacket funny hat combo in your spare time! A chocolate cherry cake is simple to make and it tastes like you spent a ton of time on it.
All you have to do is add a can of cherry pie filling and take out the oil from the recipe of a boxed cake mix. Bake the cake as it is on the box. Let it cool and use already made icing in the can!!! If you put it in a throw away pan you don't even have to ask for your dish back!!! How's that for easy bake cake?!!!

If you would like to share a Mommy Tips Monday, please email me to be featured on MageeMommy.com. Send articles, a short bio, and your website links to MageeMommy at gmail dot com

MyMemories.com Software #Giveaway - A $40 Value!!!

2011-12-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

Do you love scrapbooking? Are you like me and have made many, many digital photobooks? Well... do I have a site for you! MyMemories.com!

The software My Memories Suite is rated #1 by Amazon and TopTen Reviews. Using this software, anyone can create digital scrapbooks, photobooks, cards, calendars and gifts without having to buy expensive and complicated software programs.

I've never had the chance to use a digital scrapbooking software before when making my photobooks and in the past have only used the printing retailers online plainjane pages - booorrrring! But now that I know that this actually exists and is only $40, it's time to get to play! MyMemories.com has sooo graciously offered me a complimentary copy of My Memories Suite V3 AND has sooo graciously offered a copy of My Memories Suite V3 to one of my readers for a giveaway! wahoooooo!

Prior to binkie coming down with a cold, I did get to download my complimentary copy and play with the software a bit. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything saved just yet as I was getting used to it. These screen shots are from MyMemories.com's website just to give you an idea of some the fun pages you can create using the digital scrapbooking kits available to use with My Memories Suite V3...

A Pea in the Pod Boy Album (ok I had to highlight this with little baby boy on the way soon)

This would be a fun page to use for some Christmas pics... (and it's one of the free kits! wahoo)
Snow in Love Quick Page

Maybe you have some summertime memories you'd like to put on a page... check out this free download kit... Scenes from Summer

I know - adorable! And these are just a miniscule glimpse into what is available as kits, not to mention what your own creativity came come up with just creating your own pages using the different graphics available or your own pictures, plus page embellishments, backgrounds, imprints, shapes, and page layouts from one convenient sidebar. I also think it's cool that you can add background paper as photo object or paste in background papers into shapes. It's almost like the possibilities are endless and this isn't even the expensive software packages that some people are using that aren't specific for digital scrapbooking software. So it is easier to use for digital scrapbooking plus costs MUCH LESS!!! There is an extensive list of features that this software can be used for on the Full Feature List page. OH, and not only can you use this for digital scrapbooking but also for making cards to print or have printed, photobooks, videos!

I can't wait to get to start using this and getting ready for my yearly photobook I wrap up to print each January. This year it will be much more dazzling! :) Ohhhh and I also always put together a photobook with each new baby born... this is going to be ADORABLE!

Can't wait for the giveaway to be over before you get your own copy and would love a discount? Click the banner below for $10 off! wahooo!

Or roll the dice and enter to win using the rafflecopter form below! :)

Can't get enough of giveaways? When the MyMemories FB page gets to 10,000 fans they are giving away an iPad, you only have to LIKE their page to be eligible to win! Plus you get an entry into this giveaway when you LIKE their page. Let them know MageeBaby.com sent ya! :)

P.S. Check out the MyMemories blog for fun tutorials, scrapbooking challenges with prizes, and more! :)

Thankful Thursdays!

2011-12-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

So thankful for all my blessings... salvation, love, hope, family, food, clean water. Here's some things that MageeBoy has told Jesus he's thankful for lately... sonic(thought you'd like that Aunt CB), toys, good food, his sister daddy baby brother and me, his dresser. cute!

I'm also thankful for getting to go to Italy, for the new baby that is just about to arrive(please please please), for electricity and that we can pay for it, for binkie being repaired and none of my files and photos being lost(wahooo!), for safety, for peace and comfort during sad stuff, for a really nice place to live and being able to have heat during the winter and ac during the summer, for our dog(even though I'm not a good doggie mommy), for my friends, OH for being able to read my Bible anytime anywhere in this country, for being able to voice my opinions regarding my beliefs, for my doctor, for being a 2 car family so we don't have to juggle our schedules like crazy, for a seperate room for our toilet(brilliant idea), for delicious food, for having all the baby equipment ready to go, and for fun with my little ones on Wednesday putting up a small Christmas tree in MageeBoy's room and then playing with the two felt Christmas tree toys with my two kids and watching them have lots of fun. :) Oh, there's so much more to be thankful for but whew this post is getting long - and that's something to be thankful for too! God is good and I am blessed. Hope everyone's Thankful Thursday is going great!

Such a Tease!

2011-11-30T21:37:00.000-08:00

Today was my last official checkup before my little guy arrives. Either by natural means or the scheduled induce date late next week(ohhh let's all hope he goes ahead and decides to arrive before that). I'm feeling whiney... the doctor said that I'm 3cm and effaced(did I spell that right?) and even checked with surgery scheduling to see if the hospital had any openings for tomorrow.(They have to have an opening to be induced but doesn't mean C section - just checked to be induced.) Alas, no opening available. I even called back after getting home to see if anyone had cancelled. Of course not. waaaaaa... So what does any pregnant gal feeling whiney and at the end of her rope do? Call my mommy. That's right. I called. I whined. I need my mom.(and dad too) Ok, maybe with a little more sleep and a little less time in the car for the day I would have restrained myself, but after MageeDaddy had to work late and I had to give two cute but squirmy kids their bathtime and bedtime all by myself with only 4 days until my due date, I had to call my mom.

So thankful that my parents are going to come and spend time with us and help! Ohhhhhh so thankful. Now just to wait out the time until they arrive and hope that there is some perfect coincidence with their arrival and MageeTinyBaby's arrival. :) We'll see!

In the meantime, I'll be the gal surfing the net while eating chocolate and ice cream - a pregnant girl's got to do what a pregnant girl's got to do.

39 weeks 2 days

2011-11-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture from when I was 39 weeks 2 days pregnant with our newest little addition...

39 weeks 2 days

2011-11-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

My belly looks like I'm hiding a basketball under my shirt at this point. Today it is doing lots of contracting(don't worry Mamaw if you're reading this, I'm pretty sure that it's just BraxtonHicks although they are starting to hurt a bit more). Yesterday, it was fun lying on our bed and just watching his little hand or foot move across my belly. MageeBoy and MageePrincess watched and put there hands on my belly and MageeBoy kissed my belly. So sweet. It is so neat to see this(and a little painful as he is getting so strong already). I am wondering though when he is going to arrive. I'm hoping he doesn't wait until December 9th and today feel like it'll be no later than this weekend but that's the thing with life. It's so uncertain. That can be part of the fun and that can be part of the pain just depends on how full my glass is that day. :)

Today, my glass is half full. I'm feeling optimistic. I'm feeling blessed to have friends and family that pray for me and will help me if needed. I'm feeling blessed to have my babies. I'm especially feeling blessed to have a husband that would move heaven and earth for me and that provides for us, not just monetarily, I'm talking emotionally even when he is going through so much right now. I'm just one blessed, lucky woman.

Thank you Lord for all you give me!

Milano!, Italy Part 7

2011-11-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.
For Italy Part 3, click here.
For Italy Part 4, click here.
For Italy Part 5, click here.
For Italy Part 6, click here.

Since my binkie(aka laptop) is soon to be released from the computer hospital, I'm still borrowing a laptop and hence... no photos to upload yet.(nnnnoooooooo!!! LOL) Let's see if I can make another post without photos... :)

So on Tuesday October 27th(has it already been a month since then?!!!), we woke up in Milan! WONDERFUL! MageeDaddy slept in a bit while I went downstairs for the included breakfast. IT WAS FANTASTICO! The breakfasts at all the hotels were so different. In Venice, I ate on china and had food served from silver serving pieces and overlooked a tiny canal. In Bergamo, the breakfast wasn't included and cost 10Euros for a slice of lemon cake, orange juice, and a small assortment of bread items. Then in Milan, it was almost like a nice cafeteria with a meat section, coffee bar, fruit selection, lots of different bread items and spreads and jams, and cereals, etc etc. It was GREAT!

Then I headed back upstairs and we got ready for our big sitseeing adventure! First was back at the Duomo! We probably spent a good 2 -3 hours inside the Duomo. We went to the tiny museum and tomb under the altar after we had walked around the outter edge of the cathedral taking in the paintings, architecture, sculptures, tapestries, wood carvings, and all the amazing magic of just being there. I remember first laying eyes on the altar and tables and thinking that might have been where my great grandparents had met or might have been a table that my greatgrandmother's handmade lace clothes once adorned. Amazing.

Also amazing was sitting and looking way above the altar at the stained glass and the red glowing light in the center of one of the stained glass circles. Apparently there is a safe of sorts up there and once a year the priest(not sure his rank - bishop???) is lifted up to it, opens it and takes out what is suppose to be one of the nails that was used on Christ during the cruxifiction.

Near this stained glass was more and we realized watching some of the stain glass at the very top we could watch shadows of people walking on the rooftop. I was so glad that we had gotten to go the night before because it looked like a lot of people were up there and it was raining pretty hard! We are so blessed!

So after sitting and staring and walking and galking our way through the Duomo, we decided to go have lunch. Can't remember if this was when we went to McDonalds at the opposite end of the square from the Duomo. It was yummy though whenever it was that we got to eat there(they had a pastry type shop in McD's!).

After that we decided to go to the Castle SForzesco . I never thought I would get to see something by Micheangelo AND Leonardo Divinci in my lifetime but did here in one place! The castle was cool just in itself but then the artwork and furniture and treasures within the castle's museums were AMAZING!

After going through the castle we ended up exiting from the otherside and as we were nearing the exit, there was a guy playing a hung drum. The music reminded me of what the midevil time periods music must have been like. I'll try to up load the only video that I thought to take during our entire vacation in a later post. :) We bought a CD from this world wanderer and talked with him for a bit. He told us his conspiracy theory about 'the man' trying to controll the frequency at which music is allowed to be transmitted on the radio and how it it just off from the frequency of the universe. Interesting to hear him talk about and a little odd. Who knows, there might be something to it. :) Regardless, the music from this drum was soothing and perfect for the setting.

Then we walked around the castle and decided to take a taxi to the normal shopper's street - Buenos Aires.(NoGucci or Armani there - we actually wanted to be able to afford something LOL) We did try an designer outlet store near this shopping area but even those clothes were expensive at 90% off! We also did some shopping on B.A. and I found a cute sweater to stretch over my ever growing belly. MageeDaddy found a cool hat and I think a scarf or sweater? We also got to check out a baby store and WOW are strollers and car seats and accessories expensive! Probably 5 times higher than in the US. yikes! Our last shopping stop was a grocery store in the basement of one of the buildings. It was sooo much bigger than the one in Venice and the prices were a little bit cheaper. We loaded up with junk food and chocolate(not junk food in my book) and fruit and waters and cokes then headed to the taxi stand, went to our room, and watched Italian TV. MageeDaddy spent some time preparing for his business meeting in two days and I spent time relaxing and reading about some of the sites we had seen.

It was a wonderful day in the city I've dreamt of seeing for over half my life. I couldn't ask for it to have been better! I'm so lucky and thankful for what I've gotten to see and do and for being loved by God and for being loved by my sweet husband. I'll never forget this trip and the wonderful time we had in Italy!

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to the MageeMommy guest contributor today - the 10+ year veteran flight attendant SkyPixie. Here's more information about SkyPixie: SkyPixie is a retired flight attendant who still loves to travel. She is an avid reader and has traveled all over the world - literally! She lives in a small town in Texas but loves the lure of the big city.

Leftovers

Have you ever thought I wish I could get rid of these leftovers without having to eat them yourself. I have a great network of neighbors... We get together and exchange our left overs... that way it is new to our families. So it takes care of the how do I hide the leftovers from our husbands and children. We let each other know what we have and see if the exchange would work for our families. When that doesn't work I get creative to find ways to disguise what's for dinner. Keep it simple for the first meal and that way it makes it easier to recreate the next day for lunch or dinner.

If you would like to share a Mommy Tips Monday, please email me to be featured on MageeMommy.com. Send articles, a short bio, and your website links to MageeMommy at gmail dot com

Give thanks to the LORD

2011-11-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:8-11

I'm so thankful for what God has done in my heart and my husband's and how he restored our marriage. Tonight after having prime steak(yep, not "choice" but the gold standard "prime) that my sweet husband cooked me, we are all in the living room. My belly is full and ready for this little baby to arrive. My children are surrounding and playing with the trains on the train table while my husband is pretending to be Sir Tophamhat from Thomas the Train. Who would have known a little over 5 years ago that our marriage could survive devestation and now be more than I would have ever dreamed it would be? God did!!! And I'm so thankful.

On another note, please be in prayer for my husband and his family as a family member passed away today. She wasn't doing so good but it is still difficult and sad to lose someone you love.

Another Day, Another Serving of Turkey and Ham

2011-11-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

:) And I'm sooo happy about it! :) Loving that second and third helping of Thanksgiving Dinner! Enjoyed it lots for lunch this Friday afternoon and all afternoon my little ones snacked on plates on the coffee table when taking breaks from playing with trains, flopping on beanbags, or clobbering their daddy. Ahhh post Turkey Day fun! We also had a family outting to Wally World to see if they still had the jumbotron 60" TV MageeDaddy thought about purchasing. Alas, those were one of the first things to go at the starting time of Black Friday electronic sales. Sigh.

It's probably a good thing though. I'm afraid my little ones are becoming couch potato junkies and sometimes can see their sweet eyes glaze over as they chant video time, video time. (Yes, I am exaggerating out of mommy guilt for the hours of videos they have watched lately due to trying to get things done while being tired, desperate, and pregnant.) Anyway, so it's probably a good thing that the jumbotron was sold out! Plus, I'd hate to cause flight interference at the local airport everytime we would have turned the thing on. LOL

(PS I'm hoping to get my laptop back from the "shop" on Monday night so I can start posting with pictures again and I have a new giveaway coming up with MyMemories software valued at $40! yahoooo!)

CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz: Win $25 to Storkie.com! #CouponCabinHop

2011-11-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

This is a sticky post and will remain at the top of MageeBaby blog until November 25th. Please scroll down for daily postings and fun! :)

Welcome to CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz! This multi-blog event is hosted by Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA and is sponsored by CouponCabin. This is the biggest event the blogosphere has seen with over 400 giveaways each at $25 value or more plus a huge giveaway with some major prizes like a MacBook Air, iPad2 & Visa Gift Cards.
You can find all the giveaways from the participating blogs by visiting the host blogs, Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA. Each host blog will feature a different set of giveaways for you to enter!

No matter what type of coupon you're looking for, you'll find it and over 100,000 others at CouponCabin.com, a leading destination for coupon codes, printable coupons, deals and more. Now with a new and improved grocery coupons section and the largest selection of coupon codes that are guaranteed to work, CouponCabin is the best place to start your search for savings. This holiday season, CouponCabin is dedicated to making holiday savings as easy as pie by bringing you the best deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can also download our CouponDetector and we'll let you know when the site you’re shopping has coupons and deals available. Never pay full price again with help from CouponCabin.com!

CouponCabin is giving away the following fabulous prizes:
• Grand Prize: MacBook Air (11-inch, 128GB; ARV $1,199)
• 2nd Runner Up: iPad2 (16GB, with Wi-Fi +3G; ARV $629) & $200 Visa Gift Card
• 3rd Runner Up: iPad2 (16GB, with Wi-Fi +3G; ARV $629)
• 4th Runner Up: $300 Visa Gift Card
• 5th Runner Up: $200 Visa Gift Card
• 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Runner Ups: $100 Visa Gift Card each

Please visit Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA to enter the giveaway and make sure to say MageeBaby.com referred you! You can enter on all three sites or just one- it’s up to you! If you enter all three giveaways that just means more chances for you to win.

My giveaway sponsor is the fabulous Storkie.com! Check out the sponsor highlight post with some great pictures of Christmas cards you can order from the site. Like this adorable card that can be used like an ordament!

Also here's a little more about Storkie.com:

Storkie has been helping families for over 20 years, providing high quality printing at affordable prices. We are all about invitations with style! We'd love for you to experience "the Storkie Difference". Regardless of the special event or occasion you are celebrating, let Storkie Express be your stationery source. From unique baby shower invitations to wedding invitations, Christmas cards to birthday invitations, and everything in between, Storkie.com has it all!

Storkie is giving away $25 to spend at Storkie.com to one lucky reader! It’s easy to enter using the Rafflecopter form below…

Open to US/Canada and 18 years and up. The giveaway ends on November 25, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected at random and have 72 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected. Good luck!

Enter the other blogs' giveaways in the CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz by visiting the links below!

MageeTinyBaby

2011-11-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

...let me have a pigout style Thanksgiving! If he's holding out this long to arrive I'm glad he waited until after a DELICIOUS Thanksgiving celebration at some friends' house! They were sooo nice to have us over and cooked a yummy turkey, ham, deviled eggs(yuuummmm), pears, sweet potatoes, salad, and then there was more I can't think of plus the sides we brought and my granny dude's rolls recipe. I'm stuffed just thinking of all of it. OH, and there were oreo truffles. yummmmmmm! Thank you so much to our friends' for having us over and doing all that cooking and work and our kids having so much fun playing with your friends(we are still talking about it!).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE! And happy thanksgiving to my sweet little boy kicking in my belly. Can't wait to hold you. :)

MageePrincess Vocabulary...

2011-11-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

She is saying more and more words...

Ook - book
Poop - poop
winkle - twinkle (while singing twinkle twinkle little star)
baby - baby
piaprrr - diaper

Also if I wasn't 1 week away from my due date I would sooo be trying to potty train our little girl! She knows when she needs a new diaper. She'll point to her diaper and say piaprrr or poop or pull her britches down and try to take her diaper off herself. Oh, if i just had the energy to take care of potty training right now!!!!!!!! C'est la vie! Soon enough! :)

Things Toddlers Say

2011-11-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

Looking out window at our kitchen at our backyard earlier this week -

MageeBoy: There are no sheep.
MageeMommy: Yes, there are no sheep.
MageeBoy: We go to the store for more sheep.

Also lately at random times -

MageeBoy: Backtalk don't go round here.

38 1/2 weeks!

2011-11-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

So we are down to around 10 days until my due date for our littlest baby's arrival! Today we went to the doctor and had a big family day in Memphis. :) Can't believe he is going to be here SO soon!!! Yesterday, MageeBoy, MageePrincess, and I spent some time at Kroger and stocked up on wipes and bought a couple packs of diapers. Today, MageeDaddy put our little guy's carseat and hospital bags in the car. AND the big news... today my doctor gave us an induce date!!! wahoooo! So there is an end in sight to our latest pregnancy... December 9th. I have mixed emotions at the end of each pregnancy. I love it. Love to feel the little baby moving in my belly. Love to watch our other babies pat my belly and exclaim "Baby! Baby!" Love it see his little foot or hand or elbow moving around as he hears his daddy's voice. sigh.

I'll miss this stage in life with my new baby and am so excited for the time I get to hold him in my arms. To hear his tiny little cries and coo's and all those sweet sounds. To smell that sweet baby smell. I'm even excited about changing those tiny tiny diapers and dressing up the newest little baby doll. :) And whew! I've got enough clothes for this little guy to dress him in something new everyday for a month or two. LOL (yahoo for yardsales and consignment sales!) Today, though, I did pack his brand new, take home, Italy purchased, warm and fuzzy footed outfit. Had to get a new outfit for taking him home from the hospital! :) And I can't wait until when I get to put that little outfit on him and take him home!!!!!!!

Please keep praying for our family in this special time! Hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!!!

MageeTinyBaby

2011-11-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't had a whole lot of posts about this pregnancy compared to my other two. Just busy busy busy the more babies that we are blessed with. But this sweet little guy has been busy two. For the last several weeks (sometime beginning mid October), he has been kicking and punching and rolling around and moving across my belly. It is so easy to see his little hand or foot or elbow more and more the closer we get to D day!(that's delivery day)

Last night he was up for about 2 hours moving around and about wore more out. Then this morning when we were all cuddling for wakeup time, he really got moving and MageeDaddy commented it was like he was doing acrobats in my belly. LOL Definitely felt like it!!!

Today(I'm preposting on Sunday) marks my 38th week. That hopefully means only 2 weeks left! I'm wondering if I'll get to be induced this time again or actually go into labor and MageeDaddy get to make a race to Memphis(we live 1.5-2 hours away). It'll be exciting either way! Can't wait to see and hold this tiny little boy. Can't wait to hear his little noises and play with all then tiny clothes and diapers and cuddle times.

Please keep our family, the doctors/nurses, and our families as they come to visit in your prayers! I'm so thankful for God's protection and faithfulness and blessings like our newest tiny addition. I love him so much already. :)

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to the MageeBaby.com guest contributor today - the 10+ year veteran flight attendant SkyPixie. Here's more information about SkyPixie: SkyPixie is a retired flight attendant who still loves to travel. She is an avid reader and has traveled all over the world - literally! She lives in a small town in Texas but loves the lure of the big city.

Wet Smelly Shoes...

Do you ever have wet shoes when caught out in the rain? Well if you need the shoes to dry but lothe to put them in the dryer there's help. Just place wadded up newspaper in the shoe or boot. Pull it out after about 2 hours and repeat the process. The newspaper wicks the water out of the shoe and voila dry shoes and no dryer going thump thump thump. If traveling and don't have newspaper put the shoes under the aircondition/heater. The heat coming off the unit will help dry them in time for departing the hotel.

If you would like to share a Mommy Tips Monday, please email me to be featured on MageeMommy.com. Send articles, a short bio, and your website links to MageeMommy at gmail dot com

Crash and Burn...

2011-11-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

WAAAAHHHHH! My PC got got a... cough cough... virus and is pretty much wiped out. Let me tell ya the good news: I hadn't deleted the Italy Pictures from my camera yet. THANKFULLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would be one MAD woman right now if I had. I also think I backed up files about a month ago so I might had lost pictures from October and part of November but since I have this online journal aka blog... I've uploaded most pictures that I would want to definitely keep. WWEEEEEHHHEEWWWW!

Still a bummer that the computer crazhed and burned. Hoping to scrub it clean and reload all my software and not have to get a new one. If so, wahooo for black Friday laptop deals!!!!!!!!

(thankful also to get to borrow a laptop to post this!!!)

Lecco and Milan, Italy Part 6

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.
For Italy Part 3, click here.
For Italy Part 4, click here.
For Italy Part 5, click here.

Monday, October 26th we took the train from Bergamo to Lecco – a small village at the southern tip of the famous Lake Como... where famous Hollywood peoples have bought villas and Steven Spielburg filmed for one of the latest Star Wars movies and decided he didn’t need to tweek the surrounding digitally for the movie.

It was a little foggy or overcast when we visited Lecco and being Monday turns out most everything was closed. Bummer. But it was perfect for a quick stop for lunch and to get to see part of the famous lake. We walked from the train station to what we guessed was toward the lake. Then walked around the lake shore area and shops for about 30-45 minutes. It was beautiful even with the overcast and not being about to see all the layers and layers of Alps. Still amazing and pretty. We found a small bar/restaurant open for lunch and I tried the ham and pasta dish on special and MageeDaddy tried out a pizza. Both very yummy. After lunch we headed back to the train to go to Milan! Here's some pictures of this town and the lake...

Ohhh Milan! The Station Centrale was busy busy busy again when we arrived. It was amazing with just the architecture in the main hall to the platforms. It’s hard to initially notice with all the people coming and going and the over the top ads everywhere but look up and there’s neat stuff to see!

Somehow we made it to the taxi station and hopped in one to take to the hotel. In route we drove past the famous opera house and down the main drag for the fashion center and… I got my first glimpse of the Duomo! Magical!!! After checking in, and dropping everything off in the room, and maybe having a nap? We headed back out to see the Duomo! It was dark already but the area we stayed was busy with people and traffic and seemed relatively safe and clean… minus seeing a guy peeing on the street on the way to see the famous square and cathedral. LOL After walking for a maybe two blocks, we turned a corner from around a building and there it was!

Ok this picture does the duomo no justice AT ALL but I'll be posting more from the daytime and it'll give a better idea of the amazing workmanship that went into building it!

It was almost 7pm and the rain had stopped so we made it to the elevator lift for the roof. I guess because it was late, had just been rainy, and they were about to close at 7:30 there was no one in line and when we got to the top of the roof. There was no one. I mean no one on the roof with us. I just kind of figured at least a guard or someone working for the Duomo would be there but nope… just us! How perfect! At the street level below someone was playing something like O Solo Mio on a saxophone - magical.

The roof of the cathedral was a bit slick but it just made all the sculptures and finales and stain glass and architectural details all shiney and even more amazing. I can see why it took 600 years to complete this amazing building that can hold 40,000 people! At one point of walking on the path, I thought I saw a pigeon being strangely still near my feet and called to MageeDaddy; then realized that this “pigeon” was another sculpture that was just hidden kind of like a neat secret to find near some marble leaves. That’s how amazing all the marble carvings were; they looked real! My words aren’t doing this justice and these pictures won’t either but it’ll give you an idea…

We were just amazed by all the detailing!

It's not obvious from the pictures but see the angels and people sculpted from marble? Yep, they're about 5-6feet tall each. These aren't teeny sculptures like it might appear from the pictures. They were life sized and incredible! How in the world did they get this sculpture up there!...

Almost dizzying with so much to see!

So happy my dreams came true! Amazed by the beautiful building! Feeling like the luckiest wife in the world!

Here's to being 32weeks pregnant and on the rooftop of the Duomo!

So at 7:30 we headed back down the elevator and then cruised around the square(Piazza del Duomo) for pizza to go and ice cream(of course lol). We also checked out the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. What is that? Probably the most beautiful covered shopping center I’ll ever see.

From wikipedia… The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a double arcade in the center of Milan, Italy. The structure is formed by two glass-vaulted arcades intersecting in an octagon covering the street connecting Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala. We checked out a media store and bought an American movie with Italian subtitles. It was amazing to me to see that mainly the only movies and TV series and music was only American. Eek. (Scares me about the stuff that is put out at Hollywood and shipped all over the world.)

By this time I was thoroughly worn out and we headed back to the room to watch out movie and relax and that’s what I’m about to do now. :) Whew! Hope everyone’s Friday and weekend goes great!!!

Thankful Thursdays!

2011-11-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted this in a while but had to post a Thankful Thursday! The big turkey day is just a week away and I'm so happy and thankful that we've been invited to a friend's house for the big day!(thank you!!!!)

Let's see something I'm thankful for this week especially is God. I'm thankful for Him changing my messed up heart and for saving our marriage almost 5 years ago. Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. I'm thankful for my sweet husband bringing home roses, my favorite candy bar, and a sweet card for our anniversary and then taking me out to a DELICIOUS dinner at the best place to eat steak in our little town. I'm thankful for him holding on and for me holding on through the rough part of our marriage. I'm thankful for God blessing us so much!

I'm also thankful that God doesn't need a day off from His kids. He is always here for me and His other 6 billion people on earth. Hmm that's hard to grasp. He loves everyone... John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. WOW!

When I dropped the kids off for Mommy's Day Out on Wednesday, all I could think was I need a break! I love my babies but had gotten up at 1am with MageePrincess and never really went back to sleep. whew! Being human and worn out, I need breaks and to refuel. It's amazing to me that God doesn't. He doesn't want breaks from His creation. He is ready and wants each and every person in the world to know Him as Lord and Savior. He loves me and He loves you. I'm so thankful!

Things Toddlers Say

2011-11-17T18:57:00.000-08:00

With the time change the sunset is happening sooner so while we eat dinner it's already pitch black outside. Tonight, I hadn't pulled the shades just yet and MageeBoy informed us, "The trees are sleeping!"

I also talked with one of his teachers today at preschool and found out he told them the name for our little guy is "Little Brother". LOL

More of Bergamo Citta Alta, Italy Part 5

2011-11-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.
For Italy Part 3, click here.
For Italy Part 4, click here.

Bergamo Citta Alta… what a neat place! On our second day in Bergamo we saw lots more sites. By taking a tram we went to the very tippy top of Citta Alta in search of a castle. I’m so glad we didn’t try to walk! LOL It was a great view up on the top and giant mansions were hanging on the sides of the small mountain.
(on the way to see this we also saw the world's smallest delivery truck - maybe it even was using a gocart engine lol)

We could see the castle and tried figuring out how to get to the entrance and somehow made a wrong turn(I’m pretty sure was my fault! Oops!) and walked around the backside of it. Then somehow we managed to walk all the way down Citta Alta on this hidden street that looked more like a hiking trail with all the wooded area. It eventually opened up to a street and we walked down it to a park with an old church and the giant wall that fortified the upper city centuries ago. WHEW! It was quite a hike! I’m glad we got lost because it was so cool seeing this giant wall they had built so long ago probably mainly by hand which is amazing… Here’s some pics…

Here's one of the "gates" into the old city just outside this park area...

So I was thoroughly worn out at this point and MageeDaddy and I found a bus and hopped on – without a ticket. OOPS! We just figured that we would pay as we got on but apparently you have to buy a ticket at a bus stop with a ticket window or something? Still not sure how all that is suppose to work but remembered that EVERY single train ride our tickets were checked! Luckily, we only went two stops and took another tram back to the main street(which our hotel was on).

It's hard to believe that the capacity for this little things is 50 people! whew!

Just at that tram station and around a corner or two is a historical site – Rocca. It’s a fort also close to a tippy top point of Citta Alta. We paid the 5E each for the museum which houses information on the history and founding of Bergamo, but it’s all in Italian. LOL I didn’t get much educationally from the museum but it was interesting none-the-less and it had clean flush toilet public restrooms! Ha! Then we climbed up several steep staircases to check out the top of the fort and see the terrific views! I’m wondering on a clear day if we could have seen Milan from there. You guessed it… :) Here’s more pictures…

Mostly I remember being tired by the time we reached this place and having to take lots of breaks because of the stairs stairs stairs! LOL

Here's the stairs up to the top of the Rocca that went completely around the fort... MageeDaddy bounded up the stairs with no problem and all I could think was really? more stairs?

So I get to the top of these stair and am facing the turret calling out MageeDaddy's name because I couldn't figure out where in the world he was when I hear him call me from above... LOL

So guess what? Yep, stairs to the top of the turret! LOL It was worth it for the great view up there though!

My personal comedian... I asked MageeDaddy to pose for the camera back on the main outter top of the walls. LOL

That's better! :)

See the tower on the far left? It's part of Plaza Vecchia in Citta Alta. Maybe the one we could see from our hotel window...

At some point on either this day or the day before we tried out this very interesting pizza place with some of the largest pizzas I’ve ever seen! I think they were literally about 2ft x 3ft rectangles and the women working the 30ft or longer counter had to cut the pizza with heavyduty scissors. Wow! And they had any sort of pizza you could think of with amazingly delicious topping. My slice had something like two yummy cheeses, tomatoes, and olives. I don’t remember what MageeDaddy ended up getting but think there might have been giant mushrooms involved. So ordering at this place kind of makes me think of the NY stock exchange… people jostling for position, making bids, trying to get the attention of sellers. It was energetic and also exhausting! I’m so thankful that MageeDaddy got in there and fought for a piece of pizza for each of us. Then we sat on the library steps with tons of other people and ate our lunch. It was SO YUMMY! There was also entertainment by watching a guy make kids balloons near the fountain and this "living statue" entertaining the people walking by. Here’s some pictures…

Earlier, there were a group of men singing their hearts out and marching in some sort of parade down the main street near our hotel...

Later in the day while we were sitting and enjoying our pizza, a couple of these guys came singing along this main road again and delighting everyone around us(and cracking some people up too)... just a whimsical thing to see and hear while enjoying the sites and sounds of the square...

Hmmm I guess I was already ready for my gelato on this day as I found this picture next in order... it was DELICIOUS. I think this was maybe another hazelnut chocolate one and had a wafer on top. Funny picture here... my preggo belly and cheesy grin in contrast with the Italians that look like they just walked out of a fashion magazine...

We started wondering through the little streets and alleys of Citta Alta again. Now after all that food and being so crazy pregnant I couldn't keep up too good with MageeDaddy. So I sat on a rock window ledge at a closed shop while he explored one of the small side streets and walked up around the corner. I hadn't thought to see where I had chosen to sit because I was so tired and was checking out the neat old buildings across the street in front of me. Eventually, I turned to look in the windows of closed the shop I was outside of... Turns out this was a studio for people learning how to carve marble. Of course it was. LOL Neat huh?

Other things we saw that day was the interior of the church off of Piazza Vecchia. I just sat in a pew and stared and stared and stared at sites like this...

Then I got up and walked around the walls to take in the tapestries, architectural detailing, centuries old paintings and sculpture, and the wood carved confessional which was amazing. Have you seen Meet the Falkers? Do you remember the scene of the wacko ex-boyfriend who carved the alter for the wedding ceremony out of a single piece of wood? For some silly reason it came to mind when I looked at this amazing master piece. LOL It was amazing! And being that MageeDaddy has handcarved a rocking horse, it was much more appreciated. I know how long just carving that rocking horse took and the skill involved. I can’t imagine how long this took…

And I thought this sculpture was amazing...

I don’t remember what else we did that day but remember at some point stopping at a tiny baby boutique and getting coats for the kids for this winter(now excited that it’s turning cooler so I can play dress up with my little dolls). And am pretty sure this was a two gelato treat day!

The next day(Monday) was checkout day for us. We slept a little later, packed our things and headed to the tram that we had came up the day before. On the way there, probably by 11am or so, we stopped at a pastry shop just near the tram and after waiting for a bunch of kids ordering their pizzas(I’m assuming out of school to get lunch), we ordered some OH SO DELICIOUS treats!

MageeDaddy enjoying the delicious donut... (hmmm I'm hungry all the sudden LOL)

I had some sort of mini nutella pie and strudel. MageeDaddy had a donut and also a strudel. We made it down the tram, waited for our bus to the train station, and made it there with a little time to spare for the next available train to Lecco. Where’s Lecco? Tune in tomorrow and let me tell you about having a quick lunch at Lake Como and then getting my first glimpse of the Duomo in Milan! Ohhh the cliff hangers! :)

Happy 14th Anniversary!

2011-11-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Here's to my sweet husband who stays with me through thick and thin, who has the "patience of Job"(as his mom pointed out this past weekend and she is SO right), who loves me and makes me know I am loved, who is the best husband and daddy I could ever ask for. I love you sweet husband. I'm the luckiest woman in the world!

Happy 14th Anniversary!

The NeverEnding Roadtrip!

2011-11-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

WOW! Today was a long long day! It started somewhere around 5am with a little one needing to peepee. Then as soon as he was just about asleep; guess what, MageePrincess woke up and was ready to go go go play! So by around 7am we all started to get ready for our roadtrip to Memphis to go see my OB and MageePrincess's doctor.

We made it out of the house in our target time to make it to our appointments on time... well, that is until after our suburban broke down on the way out of town. waaawaaaaaa(insert SNL debbie downer noise here LOL). I'm so thankful that it broke down on the way out of town so the tow back to our house was just a couple miles! whew! Thank you Lord!

So unfortunately, that meant I wouldn't make my OB appointment. They were sooo nice to fit me in though in the afternoon just 30 minutes after the appointment for MageePrincess. So, we loaded back up in our other car and headed back out again. The entire drive down, our kids were completely wound up! I don't think I've ever heard the word "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" more in a 2 hour period in my whole life! But we finally made it to Memphis. So now we had almost 2 hours before MageePrincess's appointment and decided to go to Aldi's and do some stocking up shopping before our newest little guy arrives. The shopping went well and even picked up some Christmas presents for the kids - Mega blocks and Thomas the Train items!

Now MageeDaddy was starting to feel sick and we had to make a Uturn through a Kroger parking lot anyway. So he went inside to get some medicine and came out with some snack food for the kids and I since by this time it was 12:45 and we were all getting a bit hungry. We all chowed down on bananas as we drove to MageePrincess's appointment. Luckily they didn't have to do the scope down her throat and the doctor said the little flap thing seems to have grown properly and no more acid reflex to worry about! whewww! So that was great news but it was still hard that we had to upset her so he could really hear what was going on with her breathing. Not cool. But the doctor was thorough and a good doctor and even checked her eardrums and MageeBoy's eardrums while we were all there.

Another thing to be thankful about was we were out of there in time to make it just in time for my moved appointment. I feel like God was watching over us the entire trip. It was so nice that my OB squeezed my appointment in this afternoon! So after this appointment, we drove through Wendy's for a late late lunch (3:30 or so) and headed home.

So now we've been up for almost 12 hours and it was starting to get dark as we were on our drive home. That's when it hit... the smell of what I assumed a cattle type farm near the road we were traveling. I even made a comment to MageeDaddy that I smelled a farm or something but didn't see any near the road.

I also noted subconciously in my mind that our little babies were awful quiet in the backseat. Oh, no! Pull over Pull over! I started almost yelling to MageeDaddy. Poo was coming out either side of my little baby girl's diaper and it was going everywhere. EVERYWHERE. MageeDaddy was sooo nice to clean it all up after quickly pulling over on a dirt road off the main road. EEW! Oh, I am sooo thankful for two things: 1. MageePrincess was in a cute little dress so there were no pants to have to take off and make poo go even more all over the place. 2. I'm thankful that I'm married to such a good man that helps me, takes care of me and our children, provides for us, and will even change poopy diapers.

At this point, MageeDaddy and I were ready for the day to be over. WHEW! And our kiddos were ready as everyone started crying and being upset and starting to say "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" about a million stimes again. Eventually we made it home and the babies are tucked in and we are relaxing watching House Hunters. WEEEHHHHWWWWWEWEWWW! Hope everyone's Monday wasn't quite that long but if it was hope it was a long day full of happy surprises! :)

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to the MageeMommy guest contributor today - the 10+ year veteran flight attendant SkyPixie. Here's more information about SkyPixie: SkyPixie is a retired flight attendant who still loves to travel. She is an avid reader and has traveled all over the world - literally! She lives in a small town in Texas but loves the lure of the big city.

In the Freezer Section

There's hardly anything better than fresh baked cookies. Well maybe except for fresh baked cookies with a chilled glass of milk. YUM! Make cookies and eat them as they come out of the oven I say.... they taste oh so much better when warm and served with a ice cold glass of milk. I keep mugs in the freezer for just this occasion that way the milk doesn't get watered down from the ice cubes. These mugs can also be helpful if someone in the house has a booboo. Just wrap the mugs in a towel and hold them on the booboo. Speaking of taking care of booboo's... try a bag of frozen peas. Just break apart the peas while in the bag and hold it in place. A bag of frozen corn can work well for this too!

Got a great Freezer Section tip for our readers? Let us know in the comments below. Or you could also have your blog featured here by writing a Mommy Tips Monday post. Please submit posts to MageeMommy at gmail dot com

MageePrincess

2011-11-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

I love my baby girl so much! Today she was all dressed up for church and before going was having fun giggling, eating a Krispy Creme donue and watching our puppy out the window... I'm bias I know but whew, she's adorable! :)

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

2011-11-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

What a great deal! I love Melissa & Doug toys for the kids! They have just about everything you could think of!!! Have fun voting and Happy shopping everyone!

Ohhh...Puke!!!

2011-11-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

That's right. Yesterday, I picked up MageeBoy from preschool for poopy pants issues; hoping that was just due to the giant bowl of grapes he ate two nights before. Well, I was wrong. Soooo wrong.

On the way home my poor little 3 year old, power puked. I pulled over as fast as possible with part of the bumper still hanging out in the road. Jumped out of the car, and pulled him out of his seat into the grass while he was still puking everywhere. Generally, I can stomach this with some dry heaving, but no, I started puking. Which made him puke some more. Eventually a police officer was so nice to pull over and block my car from being hit and I guess this distraction helped us stop with the gross out event! I can only imagine the traffic going by wishing they had taken a different route yesterday. LOL

Luckily, he and I are doing much better today and MageePrincess doesn't show any signs of this bug! It's great what a bunch of sleep and video time does for little ones and mommies to get over yuky stuff like this! Here's hoping you have a puke free day!

New Baby Nursery!

2011-11-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well, it's not exactly his own room but last night MageeDaddy setup MageeTinyBaby's 'nursery' in an area of our room. Well, with a lot of help from MageeBoy and some supervising from MageePrincess. lol For some reason after MageeDaddy sets up the bassinet for each baby, it always seems more real to me that I don't just have a bloated tummy and indigestion! LOL I'm so excited to get to hold and play with another tiny baby that is our own. What a miracle God has given us!

Bergamo Citta Alta, Part 4

2011-11-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.
For Italy Part 3, click here.

So our last day in Venice was spent packing up, saying hello and goodbye to the Austrian couple we met the night before, checking out of the hotel, weaving through long lines of people in San Marco square waiting to see the cathedral, palace, or tower, and making it to the first San Marco’s waterbus station. Whew! Our last views of Saint Marc's square...

When we got to the train station, it was just before lunch time and we had 30 minutes or more to spare before our train for Bergamo left, so we went to the pizzeria/food court and MageeDaddy ordered us some slices. We sat in an area that was actually suppose to be for the buffet(oops! Silly Americans!). And then boarded our train.

Turns out we got first class tickets(not too much extra and nice for the additional room), but somehow sat in 2nd class. That is until some young Italian guys told us we were in their seats and that’s how we figured it out. OOPS! I thought it was a bit snug trying to fit my giant belly between the seat and the tiny table in front of it. So we headed up to the first class car and what a difference! A lot more roomy that’s for sure!

Somewhere along the train route we switched from the express type Italia train to a regional. Luckily, the trains were sharing the same the platform at the town we switched as we didn’t have a large amount of time – maybe 10 minutes. So onto the not as fancy regional train. Speaking of not as fancy, I was surprised at how much graffiti was all over the train stations and surrounding buildings and overpasses when getting close to the train stations. Some of the “art” was amusing, some looked like they needed some lessons from the other people spray painting, and some just disturbing. I’m not sure the purpose of all that but we were mildly entertained making fun of it.

Eventually, we arrived at the “lower city” of Bergamo’s train station. The midevil part of Bergamo is referred to “citta alta”. MageeDaddy made the oh so wise decision to just get a taxi to take us directly to the hotel. I kept thinking the entire trip that I would have more energy and being 8.5 months pregnant was no big deal – until I felt like passing out once a day. LOL I thought we could say some cash by taking the city bus to the gate of the citta alta and then wandering around the alleys of the walled fortress area. Oh, silly me. So glad MageeDaddy decided otherwise!
The taxi ride only took maybe 10 minutes and we were dropped at our hotel’s front door…

What a contrast to the hotel in Venice and to the surrounding 12th or 13th century setting. Here’s the view from our room (that's the resturant we ate at across the street)...

I sooo enjoyed each city we got to visit for different reasons. Venice for it’s architechtural charm and mystery. Bergamo for the beautiful views and insight to history and the ice cream! I think I ate more ice cream and tasty foods here than the other places. YUM! I tried the local polenta that is known to be a regional food but it wasn’t my favorite. We ate at the restaurant across the tiny street from our hotel and the selections I made weren’t so great but loved all the other tasty treats we ate here. Here’s some photos of the Piazza Vecchia and also one of the neat ice cream and chocolate stores directly on the Piazza Vecchia that we visited I think 2 or 3 times…

I know my mouth is watering! The Piazza Vecchia is the main square of citta alta Bergamo. There’s the cathedral which we never could make it in to visit due to several services going on at different times, biblioteca which was also closed due to it being Saturday when we arrived and our full day being on Sunday, The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore which was AMAZING, and the Colleoni chapel attached to it which was a personal mausoleum built by and for Bartolomeo Colleoni, and the Palazzo della Ragione.

The Palazzo della Ragione was the seat of the administration of the city in the age of the communes. Currently it houses a selection of paintings from the Accademia Carrara. The giant room that this was held in had amazing frescos above the paintings and one was of the Last Supper. I know there is a much more famous version of this in Milan but it was amazing none-the-less and after seeing it, I didn’t need to see the one in Milan. There were other frescos scattered along the walls toward the ceiling which were amazing and then looking at the paintings in the small museum were amazing! It was funny to me that the paintings that were I think 600 years old were the ones actually behind glass enclosures. It seems like the whole place should have been behind glass enclosures! LOL So beautiful!

Let’s see what else did we see? Hmmm I don’t have in my mind very well what we did each day specifically and the sequence of events but do remember most of what we saw and how great of a time it was. :) I guess one of the first things we saw was the Colleoni Chapel. It was possibly 20ftx20ft and completely decorated by sculpture, marble, paintings - you name it. This small chapel just attached to the church was amazing with all the detail craftsmanship within it. I can’t imagine how long or how many people must have worked on this small space to pack in such a punch.

I’ll have to pick up again tomorrow with this blogpost as I’m running out of time! There’s so much to say about what we saw in this small town.

Wordless Wednesdays!

2011-11-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

OOPS! I forgot to ever post about our MageeFamily tradition of carving pumpkins... :)

Slim pickin's at the pumpkin patch on October 30th...

Hmmm these are interesting...

Whewww too heavy!

MageeDaddy picks out his pumpkin...

MageeBoy checks out the pumpkin I picked...

Our pumpkin haul so far...

MageePrincess picks out her choice...

More for the wagon! :)

Who can resist playing on the display?!!! :)

Helping daddy with the design...

Someone, anyone, give me oragel NOW!

More interested in soccer for a couple minutes...

Helping mommy with her pumpkin guts...

The Venice Exercise Program…(Italy Part 3)

2011-11-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.
For Italy Part 2, click here.

So day two on our wonderful adventure, we woke up just before breakfast was not being served. It was conveniently located just outside our door in a beautifully appointed room. There was a big buffet with pretty silver and china serving platters. At each table was a tablecloth with china and silver settings. WOW! So I started off breakfast just right and MageeDaddy enjoyed napping a little longer.

Then we got our map and headed out to wander. Venice is a giant maze and like little mice we chased the cheese of siteseeing. The night before we had asked the front desk about where the local grocery store was. She told us of “the largest” grocery store in Venice and how to get there. I thought it would be fun to see how locals live and we made this our first destination.

Ok, in my mindset of being an American, when I think about the largest grocery store, I think of things like Sam’s club or Costco where I can buy a wheel of cheese that can double as a spare tire. When Venetians think of largest grocery store, they are thinking of something the size of a large America gas station convenience store. LOL There was a deli where we got sandwiches for later and there was all sorts of sections like we divide our stores in the States but much less selection and much more stuff crammed together and much higher prices for some things less prices for others. Something else interesting about grocery shopping was how a shopper could label their produce by weighing and then entering the item number and a label with the price prints out. Neat! So we picked up a couple things to go with our sandwiches and checked out.

Near this grocery store was another square that I was wanting to check out which turned out to be quite large and had a big church and outdoor eating for a couple restaurants and was busy with people cutting through or selling scarfs or sweaters or the people we watched for a while that had backpacks and stood in front of a storefront window going through a daily hygene regimen. We peopled watched at this square for a while as we sat on a bench next to a canal and gondola stop and ate our giant sandwiches from the deli.(mine was so yummy and literally as big as my head LOL) It was fun to watch this seemingly homeless traveling couple unashamedly putting on deodorant and primping and other prepping for their day and to watch the gondoliers drumming up business and laughing and texting on their phones and wearing their cliché gondolier stripey shirts and funny hats.
Giant sandwich...

People watching...

Pigeon invasion!

After finishing the sandwiches, we decided to try to find the famous Rialto bridge. We made our way back out of this square over a canal bridge and down a tourists packed alley. Somehow we ended up at the bridge that was literally lined all the way up with shops of different Venice and Italian and Chinese made souveniers or Murano glass or sparkly jewelry or carnival masks or just about anything you could want. Nearing the beginning of one side of the bridge was a showroom for a local Murano designer, Anitica, that caught our eyes and we went in to look at all the sparkly glass. So pretty!

Here’s some pictures of us at the beginning of the bridge. That’s me sitting down which I did about every 20 minutes while siteseeing on the entire trip! Whew!!! There were so many bridges with stairs and up and down in Venice that it just about wore me out!

We made it over the bridge and came out the other side of the shops to see this view… Cool!

We turned down the Grand Canal promenade, to see a shop with authentically Venetian made Carnival masks like these… (so neat!)

They also sold and rented costumes for Carnival that you could dress up in for a picture shoot for a mere 50Euro per person! Whew! No thanks! We choose to blow that money on Italian cusine and I’m not talking hot dog pizza, people! It was still cool to see the costumes and masks though. Continuing on the Grand Canal past a bunch of outdoor cafes with seating lining the water, I got winded again and we found a place to sit right on the Grand Canal and ate grapes from our grocery shopping trip and took lots of pictures, like these… fun!
MageeDaddy with Rialto bridge in the background...

Gondola's were coming out of the little canal just across from us...

Venetian ambulance...

We thought it was kinda funny seeing a kyak amid the boating chaos...

We made it a little further down this promenade which dead-ended so we turned with the road to the right and made another right turn and ended up back toward the other side of Rialto bridge and headed to go back over to where we started. On the way, we stopped at a W.C.(wash closet – aka public bathroom). At the Venice train station this only cost something like 0.50 or 0.80Euros, near the touristy Rialto Bridge it cost 1.5Euro! Then back to the road leading to and over the Rialto Bridge where there was booth after booth of souveniers and Murano glass and carnival masks. We stopped at a booth and picked up some pretty glass “candy” and some other fun trinket. Then back to the bridge just as sunset… Bellisimo! (more pictures of course LOL)

See the giant boat passing just below the bridge? That's the local bus!

Back on the other side of the bridge we stopped again at the designer shop and MageeDaddy spoiled me with a handmade glass necklace! So pretty! I’m so ridiculously spoiled! Then we meandered our way to San Marco square stopping along the way for gelato and chocolate treats. Eventually, we made it to a DELICIOUS restaurant somewhere lost in Venice. Now this was an amazing meal! Lasagna, fish, grilled veggies, cheese platter, fried thin pork chop, some other entre for MageeDaddy, and seems like there was something else we tried I don’t remember what! We also ate next to an Austrian couple who were sooo nice! It was hard to communicate but luckily MageeDaddy’s phone has internet and we used google translator. How handy! The couple was so nice and turned out they were staying at the same hotel we did. We found that out the next morning as we were checking out! Small world? Here’s some pictures of our meal and new friends… Yummmmmm!

MageePrincess' Stats

2011-11-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday was MageePrincess' 15 month check up(ok about 2.5weeks late). It didn't go so well... blood drawn out of both arms, shots in both arms and both legs, 3 hours long, lots of tears(from us both). eek! So glad that I had MageeBoy in extended care. We came home and both took long naps after all that!

While there, they were nice to write down all her stats for all her previous appointments. I couldn't remember if I had journaled all these and so had to post them. :)

Date Age Length Weight Head Circumference
7/23/2010 1week old 20.5in 7 lb 13oz(same as at birth) 35.0cm
8/20/2010 1month 22 9 lb 9oz 37.5
9/21/2010 2month 23.75 11 lb 5oz 38.5
12/7/2010 4month 26.5 13 lb 7oz 41.0
2/8/2011 6month 28.25 15 lb 6oz 43.0
5/9/2011 10month 29.5 18 lb 2oz 44.5
??? 12month 32 20 lb 46.5
11/3/2011 15month 32.75 21 lb12oz 18.5inches

No wonder she's been seeming so long lately when I look at her stretched out in her crib! She's already almost 3 feet tall!!! I can't believe how fast time is flying with my little ones growing so much. And can't believe there is just four weeks(hopefully) before we'll hold baby#3 in our arms. CRAZY!!!!!!!

Mommy Tips Monday

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today's tip is simple... Do not, if it can at all be helped, get your haircut while feeling cranky or mad or hormonal. It's a bad idea... trust me.

If you would like to share a Mommy Tips Monday, please email me to be featured on MageeMommy.com. Send articles, a short bio, and your website links to MageeMommy at gmail dot com

Ahhh… Venice! (Italy part 2)

2011-11-04T02:53:00.000-07:00

For Italy Part 1, click here.

Our first official stop on the amazing Italy adventure was… VENICE! What a magical, strange, sometimes smelly, mysterious, confusing, incredible city!!! We arrived by train from Milan. After flying into the Milan airport, we took the shuttle bus to the Centrale train station and then rode the train through northern Italy enjoying the views of the countryside all the way to Venice. Bellisimo!

Here's us about to take off from Atlanta(if I look insanely excited it was because I was!)...

Once in Venice, the train station is directly on the Grand Canal so stepping out of the main building, we loaded up on a water bus to head to the stop our hotel directions gave us. Oh, how arrogant I was to assume we weren’t going to need a map with our great hotel directions! I think that might be why the guy at the ticket hut knowingly snickered when I refused one while buying the bus tickets. Luckily, it was still daylight as our bus toured town the Grand Canal stopping at many stops which was handy for a crazy picture taker like me! What a beautiful city with all the architecture and all the decorated palaces and aristocratic dwellings turned hotels and museums.

Pictures? Of course, I have pictures... :)

(see the giant gold globe with the ornate statue, that was a weather vane. wow!)

Once landing at the second to last or very last stop for our bus(the second San Marco square stop), we disembarked and started to search out what I assumed would be what we are used to being a street sized street. Silly me! Even after purchasing a map from the bus stop, we got lost at many small brick laden alleys or “streets” trying to find our hotel! So since this mysterious street didn’t seem to exist that was part of the hotel directions(ended up being a scoobydoo sized alleystreet with a somewhat hidden entrance from the main promenade), we wandered over a wide pedestrian bridge next to the Grand Canal promenade, and weaved our way through the crowd into St. Mark’s square… WOW! It was huge and ornate and beautiful! Then I’m not sure if we headed back over said bridge or decided to try one of the ‘street’s offshooting from the square but remember making it somehow to a convergence of the street we were walking and what seemed two alleyways just wide enough for two, maybe three, people to pass.

That’s when I realized that these were considered ‘street’s too! It looked like a dead end. But we hung a left and after one or two buildings we were in a small courtyard looking at a century’s old church with not so much decoration. Now we had only one exit to choose from out of this courtyard, it was through a walking tunnel that seemed somewhat eerie and made a slight curve so around the corner would be a surprise. And a big surprise it was as we rounded the corner, and there was our hotel before our eyes! LOL

Here's some pictures of the hotel... the entrance, views from the room, our room, and the breakfast area(with giant chadelier)...

It’s funny that being lost and sometimes virtually alone on these cobblestone streets and alleyways, I never felt scared or that anyone would harm me. Even when we were out at midnight coming back from dinner and siteseeing, it still felt like a safe place to visit. Of course, the fact that my travel companion, MageeDaddy, is a 6ft3 tall giant may have something to do with it! LOL

So we made it to the hotel I think by 5pm local time. It was perfectly Venetian! The façade. The fact that all three sides of the hotel are flanked by canals. That there are two bridge entries over the canals to go into the hotel. The décor of our room was just what I would have expected a Venetian hotel to look like. Period furniture, soaring ceilings, Murano glass light fixtures, and windows opening to a narrow canal view complete with boats and people hanging clothes to dry opposite the hotel building.

We woke up hours later as our internal clocks weren’t yet set to Italy time and decided to try to find our first official Italian meal. We weren’t too hunger so it seemed logical to find a bar and pizzeria and try the local fastfood – pizza! Back down the alleyway streets that we had trod earlier were a handful of restaurants and pizzerias and a mini liquor store/grocery. We picked on of the pizzerias that was probably the size of some American’s living rooms. Actually I think the bar and seating area was the size of our living room, with a teeny tiny balcony seating area just above that circled the outer edge of the restaurant.

MageeDaddy I believed ordered a pepperoni pizza and I decided to be adventurous and try the wurtzel pizza, thinking it was just a fancy name for sausage pizza. Nope. Around those parts, that means a hot dog pizza! Ha! So my very first meal in Italy was a hot dog pizza in Venice made by the Asian men running the joint. Funny. Not exactly what I had in the back of my mind as authentic Italian cuisine but delicious none-the-less!

After finishing up our meal, we walked across the street for some room supplies – water, chocolate filled cookies, snacks, fruit. I don't exactly remember but think we might have went nighttime sight seeing and found our way to St. Mark's square somehow. It was virtually empty which was such a difference compared to how packed it was in the daytime. We spent time admiring the buildings and cathedral. And watched street venders still trying to sell odd things like these spinny lightup things they tossed into the air and came back to them. The little rainbows of technology seemed odd juxtaposed with the ancient spirals of the large church. We then wandered our way successfully back to our room; thank goodness for the breadcrumb trail. Haha And after watching an Indiana Jones movie dubbed over in Italian, we were fast asleep. What an exciting and great day!

Things Daddy's Say

2011-11-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday, the kids were so happy to be home and amazed by their own toys they hadn't seen for a week and a half. And so that meant there were toys EVERYWHERE. MageeDaddy referred to the big mess as "Toy Polution." LOL