Binkie Wars...

and silly faces!
Having 4 kids is like having your own stand up comedy show troupe. Yesterday was particularly entertaining as I got to watch Mercy repeatedly steal Charley's binky, which Charley promptly stole back. In the midst of this, my frighteningly smart 3 year old is spelling out my name (not Mom, Tiffany...) on her leapster while Mercy attempts to put in her own letters and eat the leapster pen. All accompanied by Max's maniacal laugh once he got involved and got Charley going on the "spit out binkie with projectile force to make Max giggle" project. This was later followed by the "push and shove" contest to see which mini mac could attack Mommy first. I must say, Max is no longer taking Mercy' crap. He plows right over her if the mood strikes. Ah, the complexities of twindom. Things are getting very interesting...

Here's some cutie patootie pics to prove my kids are adorable...

Mercy...making a "can I make it to open this cabinet before she catches me" face. Either that or it's the poop face.

Mercy...making the "look, I'm smiling for the camera" sploosh face. THIS is why I have no smiling pics of that little terd.

Eva & Charley making the "it snowed, we're cold and we conned Mom into hot cocoa, marshmallows and cookies...what can we get out of her next..." faces. :-)

Max...the "seriously, you are going to take a picture of this?" face.

Proof that these little terds NEVER let me take a pic with 2 smiling babies.


ah... "self portrait with favored stuffed animal of the moment..." by Eva

What happens when your kids steal your camera. :-)

well...that's it for now. Gotta post on the mini mac birthday and all the latest for our clan. I'll get there....
love,
clan mac mama + 1

Febrile Seizures are horrible.

As Charles and I now know firsthand. Yesterday afternoon, our little man suffered one when he spiked a high fever. Charles was home alone with the minis and Charley when Max had the seizure. Thank the Lord he had the presence of mind to stay calm, dial 911, keep Mercy from heading downstairs alone and follow the 911 operators instructions while waiting for the paramedics. I can't honestly say I'd have been as calm.

Praise God that he seems to be fine. They ran some tests yesterday at the hospital and sent him home in the early evening. After an hour or 2 of lethargic crankiness, he seemed to perk up and be back to his usual happy, hungry and silly self. I never thought seeing the smile of one of my children could make me get down on my knees and Praise God for His goodness while I sobbed.

To my friends Michelle and Brian: I am in awe of you both. How you have stayed strong and faithful while each of your children have dealt with 22Q and cancer, respectively, I will never know. What amazing parents you are. Yesterday opened my eyes in a totally new way to a world of parents who have to dig to the depths of their souls to stay strong enough to raise sick children. One febrile seizure and I was ready to fall apart. And I'm still a little shaky. Fell asleep thanking God and woke up tearful this morning, still thanking God. Charles looked at me last night and said, "I think it's going to be a while before I can get that image of Max out of my head." I feel so horrible that he went through that alone. Just another testament to the strength and grace of my husband as a father. You are amazing, Love.

My children are my life. It's not always an easy life, but it is one I wouldn't trade for anything. Nothing. Not one single solitary thing could change my love and desire to be their mother. Thank you Lord, for keeping my baby safe. Thank you for my husband. Thank you for every amazing person who has walked through my life because of these beautiful souls you have given me.
Thank you God. For keeping my Max safe.

Honing in on the beacon...

that locates me. Hoping that regular blogging will return me to myself. Might try to sew a seam or two, turn off the tv, call a friend...
I used to think that I'd always find the time for the things that define me, the things I enjoy. I read some of my friends blogs and they are filled with wonderful crafts, family adventures, traditions, books to read, you name it. And I wonder if they have clones I'm unaware of, nannies hidden in the rafters? Hmmmmm.
But really, I think I'm just pregnant (AGAIN) and really really really really tired. And being so sick certainly didn't help.
Is it sad that I count the years until the younger 4 are like Eva? Self sufficient, willing to eat what I make, able to dress, wash, wipe, brush, fix food, use the remote, find stuff for me? I do appreciate the wonders of the little years, but sometimes I think they just get lost in all the crazies of many children under 4.
Ah, the day has flown by in a whirlwind of activity and this blog has sat...lonely and neglected, until it's owner has returned. Too tired to write anything else and ready to stare at the tv in mindless wonder.
send me home when you find me. :-)

love,
clan mac mama + 1

Down the rabbit hole...

I have gone. Sometimes I think that I've completely lost myself in this crazy busy life. I don't write, I don't sew, I don't sing, I don't teach. Where Have I Gone? If you find me, can you send me back? I miss Me.
Me has been replaced by a short order cook, chauffer, maid, incubator, maid...etc...
I wear the same clothes all the time because I am pregnant AGAIN and nothing is comfortable.
I am too tired to do anything but stare at the tv when I am not fulfilling previously aforementioned roles.
I forget birthdays.
I don't answer emails.
I don't buy cards for people.
I don't remember to call people back.
I don't remember to be nice as much as I would like to be.
I don't have any idea how I am going to function after June.
Ugh.
I'm going to stare at the tv.

Women's Healthcare Associates of Jacksonville...

is irresponsible and incompetent. Following are the details of my letter to the head of the practice.

Mrs. Tiffany McCawley
303 Trappers Rd
Hubert, NC 28539
Phone (910) 333-0461


February 8, 2010


Dr. Timothy Edwards
Women’s Health Associates
…..
Jacksonville, NC 28540


Dear Dr. Edwards,

Today I received a registered form letter from your office, terminating my care. To say that I was taken aback by such action would be an understatement. Frankly, I am utterly shocked that as a physician you would take such action with consulting with me first. I feel that the events that occurred this week in connection with my medical care have been extremely distressing, to say the least.

If you have reviewed my chart, which I doubt, you would have learned that I am pregnant with my 5th child, and that my other children are aged 7, 3 and 1 year old (my twins.) I have been ill for over a month and have done everything in my power to get well. I have rested, I have taken approved medications, I have consulted doctors. You would have also learned that I have a history of HELLP syndrome, which I experienced with my second child. In my previous pregnancy with the twins and with this pregnancy, I was warned by my maternal fetal medicine specialists to be especially aware of any time I was ill, since bacterial infections and illness can increase the risk of an occurrence or reccurence of HELLP. At my most recent appointment with Dr. Middleton, I was prescribed Augmentin (my second course of antiobiotics, the first was Zithromax just 2 ½ weeks earlier) for a sinus infection. By the time of my visit with Dr. Wright 12 days later, I was still not well and had finished my course of Augmentin. Dr. Wright told me that I needed to get my sinus issues under control and recommended I get a referral for ENT. He also told me that I should be vigilant for signs of HELLP. While I had a few days where I thought I was on the road to recovery, by Saturday of last week, I was back to feeling terrible again. I spent all day Sunday and most of Monday sick in bed. On Tuesday my husband put in for leave so that I could see the doctor and hopefully find a solution to put me on the road to recovery. I called your office to make an appointment and was told that I could not be seen in the office because I might “contaminate” it. I explained to both the receptionist and the nurse that I did not think I had the flu, but that I was continuing to have issues with my sinuses. I was told again that I could not be seen in the office and that I was to go to either the urgent care clinic or the ER/L&D. I finally just gave up and said I would go to the ER/L&D. I wished to be seen by my OB to ensure that everything was still ok with the baby and that my body was not having any adverse reactions to my extended illness. Due to my history of HELLP and my 3 miscarriages, I tend to be a bit on the skittish side. If you had made any effort to communicate with me prior to the letter you sent, you would have been aware of this.

As this is my 5th child and 7th pregnancy (in 3 different states and 1 foreign country), I have seen several different Obstetricians both on and off base. Each of those physicians has been caring, concerned, thorough and patient. After my first visit to your office and with Dr. Middleton, I was under the impression that I had again found a good fit for my situation. I came to your office from the Crist Clinic, which I left for 2 reasons. They are not child friendly and abortions are performed in office, which I am uncomfortable with. I did not leave due to any conflict or lack of acceptable medical care. Especially with my limited options here in Jacksonville, I am distressed that you would take this action without having spoken with me or researched this matter any further. If Tanya or Peggy was offended that I was so upset, I apologize. However, I think you have to understand that I have been extremely ill and by now, quite concerned about my health. I was very sick in much this same fashion during my pregnancy with Charley and that was when I developed the HELLP syndrome. To add to my stress and concern, I was refused an appointment because your staff was told they could be fired for allowing a patient with flu symptoms to come into the office (which I tried to tell them I did NOT have), I was sent to L/D where I was told to go home, rest and “get a babysitter,” then given misinformation regarding follow up care. (I was told that Hazel would try to get my referral pushed through and that she would try to see if she could help me get an ENT appointment right away.) In addition, during my visit to L/D Peggy told me she didn’t understand why I was even refused the appointment and that if I was not better by Friday, I should come back in to the office. I called your office on Friday to find out that status of the referral request and ENT appointment, as I was told when I spoke with TriCare that they had no record of a request. When I called I was informed that Hazel was not there, that there was no record of any of this in my chart and that there was nothing that could be done to help me. I asked why I was not called and told that they could not help me with the referral or ENT and was told that no one in the office knew what the situation was and that they could not help me as they were just “stuck in the middle.”
I am sure that I could continue to address this issue further, as I am quite upset with this situation, but I feel that I have made my point. Your actions and the actions of your office were irresponsible and unacceptable. I will be sending a copy of this letter to TriCare, Onslow County Memorial, the State Board and to the Naval Hospital. At the very least, I feel that I deserve an apology for your unwillingness to research this issue before you took it upon yourself to terminate my care. As my chart should have told you, I am high risk for several reasons and your actions only served to exacerbate my stress. Although pregnancy is a wonderful and joyous celebration, there are times when it can cause or increase levels of stress. As a physician, you and your staff should be aware of and understanding of situations that increase or contribute to those factors. As a physician, I thought you took an oath to “first do no harm.” You may want to reread that oath when dealing with patients already under great stress.
And just in case you were wondering, I got rest and a babysitter, as well as my husband taking almost a week off of work. And I am still sick. Do you suppose an ENT referral and a visit with a doctor who actually addressed my symptoms might have been helpful had I been afforded that opportunity? And just for your information, my OB in previous pregnancies addressed any and all illnesses that arose that might lead to an issue with myself or my unborn child.

Sincerely,



Tiffany M. McCawley

Riddlelove and a free ergo baby carrier...

are on this great blog: riddlelove
I subscribe to the newsletter for the homegrown family, and received a blurb about an ergo baby carrier giveway. SO, I decided to pass the word on (welul, it was my way of entering the contest AND passing the word about 2 great blogs) to those of you who might be in need of a baby carrier. Which, based on the fact that I am one of the only people left still having children, is probably about 3 of you. :-) But, hey, 3 peeps is better than none!
SO, check them out for great recipes, great baby gear and great blogging.
Enjoy!
Clan Mac Mama

The bottomless pit and the human brick turn 1...

with, unfortunately, a minimum of fun. :-( Poor Maxman was sick and not up for cake, so we decided to forgo any cake crazies until the big party. Which, I PROMISE, I am planning. I refuse to give my children reasons to see a therapist later in life, so a big 1 year party it is. LOL

Shock and awe. Pretty much sums up year 1 of the mini macs! Well, I could also say it was amazing, beautiful, challenging, tiring, energizing, surprising.... so many things. Have you ever looked something up on microfiche in the library? As you look through the reel it just zooms by, a blur of headlines, faces, pictures and words. THAT is what year one of the mini macs felt like to me. An awesome blur of big moments, little triumphs, helpful faces, beautiful images, sweet sounds and words of memories that flit by at the speed of "microfiche."

We started in an amazing series of moments that brought my little beans safely into the world, where they were surrounded by the love of an amazing cast of helpful characters who kept Mommy and kiddos (all of them) alive and fed while Daddy had to depart for far away places once again. We threw a few moves in there to keep things crazy, fell over from shock when we found out "five" was on his way, decided that building a house to move into the same month we meet five was a smashingly good idea and have spent an amazing year watching all of our children become the most fantastic little unit.

I'll never forget the fear I felt when I laid down on that table in my doctors office, just waiting to hear if there was even a heartbeat of the baby we thought we were having. I thought I was going to fall off the table when the nurse quietly smiled as she looked up and told us, "well, it's good news! both babies look great." For the first time in my life, I think I was utterly speechless. Sometimes I get that way all over again, when I'm struck by how much joy and light these 2 little miracles have brought into our lives.

So Thank You God, for my babies. All of them. Here's to you and your blessings!!

And now on to the update...

The bottomless pit...
I know you're thinking this can't be Mercy, that dainty little thing! HAH! That child might be tiny, but she is anything BUT dainty. She shovels food by the fistfuls, speed eating her way through every meal, where she manages to scoot herself far enough over to steal her brother's food (to which he responds by pulling off her bib and grabbing her hand..."hey, that's MINE!") or she pushes herself far enough back from the table to reach down and forage in her seat for all the food she has scattered down there during the shoveling process. I have no earthly idea where all that food goes, but man can she eat!
She is still a petite bean, but I think the food she eats is increasing her lung capacity daily. I thought Charley had a set of lungs. HOLY COW, this child is DEAFENING. And the frequency of which she voices her displeasure (quite often, I might add) is the "pluck mommy's last nerve" one. The upside to this? There will never, ever, ever, ever, be a bully stupid enough to mess with my Mercy. Add the screaming to the size of her brother? Scary!
So what, pray tell, has this little bean been doing of late? Well....
Speed crawling to the nearest "object de intereste." The speed increases if she thinks her brother will get to it first.
Dancing. On her butt, on her feet, in her seat, in the air, she is dancing everywhere! IF there is music in any level of earshot, she is a movin' and a groovin'. It's FABulous. and hysterical.
Pulling up on every imaginable stable and unstable surface she can get her grubby little hands on.
Cruising the hallways with her new walking toys, as she has deemed this is more efficient than actually learning to walk.
Checking out her hair, especially when her hands are covered with food... Punk.
Teething, teething and more teething...especially at 3 am. Ugh.
Smiles, Kisses, Hugs, tons of laughter and endless love for all things McCawley, especially her big sisters!

And now, drum roll please..........
The Human Brick.
And yes, I do mean brick. Carrying that little caveman is like hefting a cinder block around all day. I have NEVER met a baby that solid. Even my brother, who was definitely a big boy as a baby, had NOTHING on the stay puff man. Solid, ankleless and wristless, with shoulders like a linebacker, I have not one shred of doubt that my little man is headed for big boy land!
I have also not ever seen a baby eat that deliberately in my life. I think he's just trying to avoid smearing his ever present green snot into his mouth, so he is VERY careful about how he picks up and ingests his little bites. And as for eating? What a picky little terd. I must say, he has definitely inherited my aversion to anything green and healthy. Thankfully, he has also inherited my love of anything fruity and healthy. So, we might not eat too much green, but holy cow we tear through some fruit.
Butt bouncing like Tigger is his hysteria inducing trait. I just want to dress him in orange and black and attach a tail! :-) He also LOVES to plow over his sister in any effort to get to a toy first, get her toy, take her binkie, knock her over and NOW, steal her food too. And he does it all with this great, big, sh*t eating grin. It keeps the rest of us extremely entertained!
A ham, he is the most photogenic of all the clan mac minis and I am pretty sure he has never taken a bad picture. If there is a camera in a 30 feet radius, he is either looking at with a silly grin, a funny face or a serious "uh, what's up here?" look OR he is attempting to steal the camera to eat it. :-)
Speaking of eating things, he is the ultimate tiny taste tester. He will put anything, and I do mean anything, into his mouth. And he does it with lightning speed. Tends to send me into fits of screaming "open your mouth, spit it out, what the heck is that? DON'T EAT THAT!!" Watching my kiniptions is almost as comical as watching Max crawl over and yank Mercy's binkie from her mouth and pop it into his own. (Another favorite twin terror tactic.)
He will sleep through a surprising amount of chaos and always smiling when you pop the door open in the morning.
All boy, he other favorite pasttime is beating, throwing and banging just about anything he can get his hands on. He and Charley have a most wonderful time attempting scar up the few nice things I have managed to keep the military from wrecking over the years!

These twin terrors are certainly nothing like I expected, everything I love and, quite possibly, the best thing to happen to every member of this family. They have taught us patience and perseverance, they have increased our love in this family more than I ever thought possible and they have made me believe that I can do anything, including have yet another little bean!

Happy Birthday my sweet sweet sweet baby beans.
We Love You!!!
Here it is... Your very first birthday poem!

On January 20, 2009...
at just about a quarter to nine,
they told us that you'd soon be here.
So with just a bit of fear, we let out a great big cheer!
Mercy arrived at 1:02,
followed in a bit by baby two.
Little Max took his own sweet time,
arriving later at one one nine.
Thus began life as a family of six,
a crazy, kooky, wacky, maniacal mix!
In the whirlwind chaos of your 12 months,
you grew into such adorable runts!
Completed our family is what you did,
your effervescent joy made us flip our lid!
Happy Birthday to Mercy,
Happy Birthday to Max,
Our wonderful, adorable, twin mini macs!!

Putting it in writing...

For 2010!
I promise to TRY very hard to....

1. not be late for stuff with my kids (this may necessitate shaving my head and not wearing make-up. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our spawn.)

2. make it to the gym 3 mornings a week at 8:30. (this is necessitated by preggo state #5, my dropping behind and the crap I crave on a regular basis.)

3. live on a budget. (I REALLY WANT MY OWN HOUSE. enough said.)

4. get my God MOJO rolling again. (This means all my GOD MOJO mamas need to move here... so get packing Nancy, Cheryle, Vanessa, Shannon, Franca, Holly & Emily!)

5. be even more organized. (Yes, I know this is a sickness. But I do NOT wish to be medicated. It just makes me happy to be a complete neat freak. and organizational freak. and...well, I'm just REALLY type A.)

6. appreciate my children right now. in this moment. even when I am ready to go all bonzo on them and my fun meter is pegged. :-)

SO... what about you? What will you do in the New Year?

Love,
the pregopotamus

The little bean makes the Christmas letter green...

Well, thanks to PITR, (I'll let you decipher...) the Clan Mac Christmas letter is officially paperless and (pat myself on the cloth diapering back...) green this year. If I really like all of you, I might still send out the photo so you can see how ridiculously cute the kids are this year. Can you tell I'm a bit punchy at this point? Up till 2, 4 kids in my room at 3:45 am informing me that it's Christmas, to which I responded something I will not put in print, up again at 7, then 7:45 and finally down to Santa's goodies at 8:30. Opening til TWELVE (and more when the m-n-m's woke from their nap,) cooking, snacking, chatting... and well, I am just plum exhausted. As is the rest of this extended clan.
My family all joined us this year for the holidays and we are blessed to be able to celebrate this important day together. So many members of my extended family are celebrating alone this year and many friends are celebrating without their husbands, so I feel especially blessed to have more than my share of family to revel in the joy of Christmas with.
And now, without further adieu, the clan Mac Christmas letter...

December 13, 2009

HA! I’m doing it! I am writing this Christmas letter AND sending a picture. THAT is a true Christmas miracle. Considering the demographic of our ever expanding family, the fact that we even took a picture in matching clothing should be enough to elevate us to superhuman status. So enough patting myself on the back and on to the more important things in life!

2009 has been a year that will live in infamy for the clan mac. I feel like I just survived a war or something. Well, I guess we sort of did! Deployment, promotion, 2 babies, 3 moves, stolen jewelry, 6 new teeth, solid feeding, cloth diapering and a whole list of other crazy stuff! But in the midst of all that craziness, I find myself extremely grateful and blessed this Christmas season as we celebrate with our bigger, better and soon to be expanding clan! Yep, in case you hadn’t heard yet, clan mac mini #5 is due June 17. I was reassured today by a mom of TEN that it all kind of runs together after #3, so I think we might survive. We are (finally) very excited and praying fervently for a healthy, happy baby… nope we don’t know yet! And yes, we will find out, since I must be high to think I can possibly wait. I am WAY too impatient for that!

The kids are amazing. I can’t believe how much they have changed in this last year.

Eva...

My 1st baby girl, is now a 1^st grader, learning like a maniac and loving (almost) every minute of school. Her new school is wonderful so far and she has settled right in, making new friends and becoming an expert on all things Queens Creek. Still in gymnastics, She has now taken up horseback riding and loves her weekly time with Mr. Butch and Becky. But, I have to say that by far, Awana is Eva’s favorite activity each week. She loves learning her verses and spending the extra time at church. I really get the riot act from her when we miss Sunday service! Ever the social butterfly, she adores playing with her new friends and going on (rare) outings with Mommy. Over the last few months, she has really turned a corner and really loves to help me with the babies, the house and... CHORES!! How do I perpetuate this attitude into the teen years? If you have the secret, I'll pay dearly for it... :-)

Charley...

has grown like a weed in this last year. And not just physically! She has gone from toddler to preschooler in the blink of an eye. Sometimes I just plain forget that she can conversate with me on the level of her first grade sister and am surprised at the compound sentences she spews at me randomly. While she may have left toddlerhood in the dust, she has certainly not left Mommy in the dust and prefers to spend most of her time with me. Although, She has finally decided that a weekly 3 hour gymnastics/craft program and a standing playdate with Haley are an acceptable break from the Mom, she still has not ONE ounce of desire to spend her days at school. And she certainly doesn't need the instruction, since she has managed to teach herself just about any skill you can think of, to include ABC's & 123's (by sight, almost written and definitely phonetically,) how to work my camera, Charles' phone and the overly complicated dish network remote (just to name a few!) She adores helping Mommy and Daddy, playing with her sibs and jumping like a bean all over the house (to include the furniture...ARGH.) She and Eva are obsessed with Scooby and fill their limited tv time with the adventures of Scooby and the gang. And finally, what would Christmas be without a funny from Charley..Last night as we left the church proper and headed over to pick up the bigs, Charley came tearing down the hallways with her big sis and cousin. When I had the audacity to instruct her to put on her coat, she promptly told me to "put a sock in it!" While I'm pretty sure I don't say that regularly, I must have uttered it at least once. Oops.

Mercy...

by far the most social, most demanding, loudest and quickest of all my kiddos. That child has a set of lungs that could blow out an opera house. And she is SO not shy about using them. All the time. Whenever she feels she needs attention, whenever she wants Mommy, whenever she's hungry... well pretty much all the time. That child is such a stinker punk. Too smart for her own drawers, she is a bit frightening in a not fully babyproofed house. (which is definitely the downside of renting...) She is constantly in motion, whether she is on the move after something or someone or just dancing around. And I do mean dancing. It is the cutest thing I swear I've ever seen. (well maybe not cuter than Max bouncing like tigger on his butt...) If there is music in earshot, she is a movin'! Tiny, she weighs a full 6 lbs less than her (big) little brother. You'd never know how much food she manages to shovel in and how often she "doth protest" when she is hungry. She also likes to snatch Max's toys and thinks his hair is a pull toy. That poor little man...

Speaking of

MAX...

man. my big little caveman. Man of Max. The Maxster. The stay puff marshmallow man. My little brick house. Oh that sweet little man. He is, by far, the happiest and sweetest child I have given birth too. His smiles could melt the heart of the devil. And definitely of every one he meets. He's a bit of a doppelganger for MY "big" little brother, right down to the lewis eyebrows and the silly sideways smile. He taste tests everything in his path and scares the crap of a momma of girls who LOVE toys with VERY chokeable parts. So far, I've popped out a chewed up tag, a rubber ball, a letter dice, and a grape. I REALLY need to update my CPR/First Aid certs. The hazards of parenthood... He loves to snuggle, ADORES his dad, loves to stand up (now that he has finally hauled his chubby butt up) and is, oddly enough, a VERY neat eater!

As for both of them in this last year...

6 teeth for Max

Almost 6 for Mercy

Speed crawling (Mercy)

lumbering slowly with rest stops in between (Max

tried and rejected baby food (both)

LOVE real food

1st visit to library storytime

ear infections

baths in the big tub

BIG wet kisses, sweet huggy snuggles

pumpkin pickin, trick or treating, visits with Santa , a few road trips, 3 moves... and finally...

a new little mini mac to pick on come June.

As for me and the man...

we are tired, happy, blessed, busy, and more in love today than ever before. On the worst of days, I am happier now than I've ever been. I don't have time to read, sew, blog, work out, hang out or even take a shower some days. But I'll get there. And the four (soon to be five) little macs that fill my days with love and wonder make it all worth it.

What a year it has been...filled with wonder, love, turmoil, change, and not a little bit of angst. But as it draws to a close, I am amazed at how it has all wrapped up.

A baby bean.

A wedding ring

the joy my family brings

A simple poem that says it all. I hope this season of joy finds all of you blessed and grateful for what the Lord has provided. I am thankful for each and every one of you that reads this, as you have touched my life and my family and continue to do so. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each of you! And to the Saperstein Family, Happy Hanukkah!

With Love,

The Incubating Pregopotamus and Clan Mac Mama

Turkey, pie and a spark in my eye....

Mommy and Max

Dude, what is up with that hair?
(Mini Mercy is FASCINATED with hair!)

Nana and the minis

Whew! Crazy days of packing, traveling, visiting, eating, shopping, more packing, more traveling, attempting to decorate for Christmas and remember to breathe and eat...
Jeepers. Sometimes I feel like one of those little balls that jumps around in a machine, pinging off all the sides but never stops. Well, actually I do feel like that. All the time. Which leads to my lack of posting, calling, decorating and well, just about everything except keeping my head above the laundry stacks.
I have a sewing room. It has a sewing machine, notions and tons of fabric. It's very pretty. The only thing I ever use it for is to sit at my computer and pay bills or something. Certainly don't use it to blog. LOL
I have a BIG yard. It has toys strewn all over the back of it and we look like the NC version of the beverly hillbillies. I'm sure my neighbors love us.
I have a front yard with flower beds. The shrubs are hideous and I refuse to spend my money landscaping yet another house that isn't mine, so we just keep trimming them back, hoping they don't look as bad as we think they do. Add the never ending weeds and OOOHHHH, I might win "trashy yard of the month."
I have a brain. It's fried. Because of the very cute little people you see below. I might be stupid now, but these kids sure are great, so it's all worth it. :-)

Playroom Chaos...


Playtime!


Ivy and the Max Man


Evie and Aunt Sammy mugging for self shots!


Nana and her littlest diva


Type A mini tiff in training!


Seriously? Who is cuter?
Even with the major snot?


How does she do that? I wanna do it!


Aunt Sammy and Haley with the littlest beans.



Eva, Charley, JoJo & Ivy, proudly posing with Eva's new horse for her Julie doll. This time of year is like a gift-a-palooza for my oldest bean! Happy Birthday!! The best gift of all was her cousins, Aunt Sammy and Nana surprising her for a weekend visit! More on that soon...

And finally, our biggest surprise of all....





Clan Mac bean #5

And yes, there is only one.
And yes, I know how this happens.
And no, we did NOT plan it.
And yes, I will be busy. (am i not already?)
Now taking reservations for live in help for next summer. And well, forever.
Send donations for the suburban fund to...
Wish us luck! and pray for sanity!

Love to all,
the clan mac mama (+1. again.)

Turkey Day is zooming in...

so I guess I'd better post Halloween pics!

Our (doubled from last year!) clan pumpkin picking at Mike's Farm

2 Happy Halloweenies celebrating with face paint at the carnival!

Halloween Storytime with Mason the Dragon!
I TOTALLY conned Charley into wearing this costume because I selfishly still love it, since it was my first endeavor into making stuff for my kiddos!

BIG BABY BUMBLEBEE and his petite little flower...

Our crazy little beans ready for some candy huntin'!


OOOOOOHHHHHHHH....scary punkins!

One VERY scary little ghost and the Princess of the Ice Kingdom
(Makes sense since Charley scares the crap out of me most of the time and Eva has boiling water in her veins.)

The bigs returning from round #2 of treating... Daddy is so much nicer than Mommy. I made them walk, like I HAD to when I was a kid. See, my parents were mean and made me & my sister walk to all the houses. My brother, on the other hand, got a chauffered hayride around the neighborhood. Hee Hee Hee....

Eva, TOTALLY brave, and so not scared of this awesome haunted house. (although...she did have a death grip on my hand...)

SO...
The night before Halloween, we had a great time visiting Mike's Farm. The hayride was a blast for the kiddos, picking pumpkins was a 1st for the kids and they loved it!... the food at that place was UNBELIEVABLE and the little carnival was just right for the night.

And Halloween was fun. The bigs got just enough candy to be happy and not so much that I had to haul it away in a wheelbarrow. Evie got to visit with Lauren, Brooke, Shawn and the gang after treating while Mommy raided her candy stash and hung out with my pals. I DO so miss the camaraderie and craziness of trick o' treating on base. These last 6 years have been so much fun and this year was definitely different... I think next year we'll just head over to Mandy's neighborhood for our crazy fix! That place is hoppin' on halloween!

Charley had a blast BOOING everyone and Eva was quite the Princess in her finery and high heel shoes. Mercy did some treating with her sisters for a bit while Max handed out candy (somewhat appropriate I guess... the tiny one goes on the run and the caveman grunts and chucks candy at kids...) with Daddy. Next year should be REALLY interesting with FOUR little tricksters running around!

It was so wonderful to have our whole family together for such a fun weekend! Can't wait for next year...I'm planning the costumes already!

Enjoy the pics!
love,
the clan mac mama

Eva Grace is now seven...

crazy bigs at outback to celebrate!

what a gift she is from heaven!
Funny, sweet and silly too,
Help is what she loves to do!
Growing up, but not too fast,
I hope these years are not soon past!
So much joy my firstborn brings,
I especially love to hear her sing!
It fills me to the brim with pride
whenever she is by my side!
Such compassion and grace are in her heart,
She'll never set others apart!
Her laughter tinkles like the sweetest of bells,
Especially when a joke she tells!
Oh, my sweet little Eva Grace,
you make this world such a better place.
Thank you for the love you share,
and how often you truly show you care.
We love you more each and every day,
and are awed by your sweet and sunny rays!

Happy 7th Birthday Evie Grace. WE LOVE YOU!!

Mommy, Daddy, Charley, Max and Mercy

Birthday baking before the sugar sets in...

And after!!


Mommy and Mercy posing for photographer Charley...
(yes, she really took this. I swear she takes better pics than me!)


My other "set" of twins.
(might be easier to see if Mercy wasn't trying to eat the buzzer, but hey, we were all starving!)

Fall...

is here! And, let me tell you, I am happier than a pig in you-know-what. It has been SIX years since I have lived with seasons, SIX years since I saw leaves change, smelled the scents of fall, went to a real pumpkin patch, rode on hay in a wagon, WELL, you get the picture! I am such a seasonal person and I am SO happy to be back east again. (And yes, I know our seasons here in NC are a bit less dramatic than you lucky ones up north, but I'll take what I can get!)

Life is mach 4 with our hair on fire most of the time. These minis keep up running. We are VERY lucky to have a wonderful babysitter who comes 2x per week, so we actually do get a bit of grown up time now and then. I think I'd eat mac and cheese every night to afford her. (well that wouldn't be too much of a stretch, since I actually love mac and cheese, possibly even more than my kids do.)

My life seems to be settling in to something of a routine. I'm really thankful to have several old friends and a few new ones around these parts, most that are just as crazy as me or are at least entertained by my antics! Our new church is nice, (the kids love it and Charles is clearly comforted by the preacher's words, since he is comfy enough to fall asleep there pretty regularly...) As for me, I'm surprised every day how much I actually like living here again. Never thought those words would come out of my mouth (or from my rapidly typing fingers.) Guess it's the slower pace of life, the lack of plastic people, the salt of the earthness of the locals and the simple weekends that make my heart smile. (Now, mind you, I am still in mourning for my CA shopping and pining for Nordstrom, but I am holding out for a trip home to satisfy my "how may I kiss your butt" shopping experience.)

As for my minis....
Oh boy, oh boy. Is Max a real boy! Truly a caveman, he has hamhocks bigger than my biceps, not a shred of neck, cheeks that are incredibly kissable AND the most devilish eyebrows I've seen since my brother Mark was a baby. (And he really favors Mark & he favors Charles too, so the best of the handsomest men in my life!) He has his bottom 2 teeth now, and seems to be chewing his way across the house, so i'm guessing a few more teeth are inbound. He has FINALLY started to figure out how to get his hefty self mobile, so he is "sort of" crawling/scooching/rolling his way around.

He is truly the happiest baby I have had and could spend hours chewing on some random object while staring at the ceiling fan and laughing. My personal fave is when flips onto his back and "stiffly" waves his arms and legs all over the place. He looks like a bug stuck on it's back, trying desperately to flip rightside. It is hysterical! (It's also reminiscent of boot camp for me, when they would yell grenade and if you didn't dive for cover fast enough, they'd make your roll over and act like a dead bug. Ah, those fondly humiliating memories...)

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. The littlest estrogen member of this clan is most definitely the DIVA. Mostly a very happy little bean, she is prone to random silly crying, all the while staring at Mommy (or occasionally Daddy,) like, "can't you see I'm upset here? PICK ME UP!" This does impede my ability to multitask and do all my maidly duties. So, the laundry and dirt does pile up a bit more than my freakishly clean self would like. She is incredibly mobile, exploring EVERY nook and cranny of this house, squeezing her tiny self through every blockade I attempt to impose.

And tiny she is. Just now 17 lbs, she is still solidly in 3-6 mos and mostly feels like I'm holding air when I sweep her up. (Now, Max on the other hand...that's like holding a bowling ball. or two.) She is also VERY curious and wants to be aware of what's going on in every corner of the house. She has a little loop she makes around the downstairs to check everything out. She is not going to be pleased when she wakes up and discovers the new gates the handy hubby has set up. :-) I really enjoy watching caveman and the diva fight over toys now. Super cute and very entertaining. I also love watching them grab and smoosh each other. AND, finally... imagine my umm.... shock? when I walked into her room and discovered her standing up, holding on to the side of her crib yesterday. Oh, yeah. little terd. Oh, and she does FINALLY have her first tooth, lower left!

As for my bigs? WELL...................

that will have to wait for the next post. I am out of steam and need to attack the 154 piles of laundry awaiting my attention.
stay tuned for more fall adventures and the trick or treat update....

love,
tiff