Dan and Stephanie

The night of December 20th was cold and snowy. Most people in the Portland area were most likely hunkering down, watching the weatherman and sipping hot chocolate. We however ventured out into the winter wonderland for another purpose. To see Dan and Stephanie come together and commit their lives and love to one another. The streets of the city were quiet and white, as if it all belonged only to them. Inside the warmth of the Treasury Ballroom, where the ceremony took place, was the soft glow of candlelight and the romance of an abundance of red roses. The groom, proud. The bride, flawless. The family, so happy to see these two joyful, in love, and becoming one. I watched my little brother truly become a man that day. It really was something special. I'm so grateful that all of us could be there to welcome him on this new journey in life. Dan and Stephanie, I love you both so much. Congratulations!

Jesse, Matt, Dad, Dan, Mom, Sarah, Steve together again! The Young Crew So happy together!Maryn and her cousin Cole sharing a dance!

Flower Girls

I knew the day of the wedding would probably be a whirlwind and I wanted to document the girls in their flower girl dresses. So I sat them down a few weeks ago to take their pictures. Here's just a few of my beautiful daughters!

Christmas Eve

Technically it's Christmas day since it's 1:00 in the morning, but since I haven't slept yet it's still Christmas Eve to me. I've finally found a moment of quiet to just sit and think. The noisy children are nestled snug in their beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. My rowdy brothers have calmed it to a dull roar in the theater room and the rest of the house is finally at peace. It has been a whirlwind week and even month for that matter. I haven't had time to reflect on the Christmas spirit too much this year unfortunately. But I don't want this time to pass without acknowledging how grateful I am for the true meaning of the season. As gifts were wrapped and stockings were stuffed tonight, I had the feeling that that was all fine and good. But what I found myself truly grateful for is my Savior, for His birth, His life, and all that He has given me and taught me.

This year because of Dan's wedding all of my family is back together again for Christmas. All four of my brothers, my two sister-in-laws, my parents and my nephews. Being around my family has been so good. Sure we make each other a little kooky. Okay sometimes a lot kooky, but what families don't. I am amazed at how different each one of us are. Different lives, different paths, different personalities, and yet we are the same in that we all have the same blood that runs through our veins and we share the same heritage. My brother Dan said awhile back to my parents "I love being a McLean." I have to say I second that. I'm grateful that because of my Savior, my family can be together forever and that as a family we can work on and encourage each other towards that promise and that blessing. Because of my Savior and His entrance into this world on this day so many years ago, everything that I have and hold dear is possible. So with that said, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. May the spirit of the season and the significance of Christ's life touch your life and heart as well.

Whew!

In this picture, Maryn best describes how we are all feeling right now! It has been a wonderful few days in Portland, but we are all pooped! Dan and Stephanie tied the knot yesterday in a very beautiful ceremony, we've enjoyed the fun and the perils of navigating the most snow and ice Oregon has seen in quite some time and we've had a blast hanging out as an extended family. Many more pictures to come when we finally get to my parent's house in Roseburg for Christmas, but for now we're just going to take a minute to finally catch our breath!

All In A Week!

A week ago today we found out Justin was part of the lay offs at Yahoo. We were keeping our chins up though, knowing if we had faith good things would come our way. Here it is just one short week later and Justin already has a new job! We get to stay in Georgia, Justin gets to continue working from home, he won't have to travel as much as before and he still gets to stay in Basketball! Basically from my point of view very little has changed besides the fact that I get to see my man more! The kicker on top of that is that we still will receive our severance package from Yahoo. We leave this afternoon for Oregon. It's so nice to know while we're gone there's no need to worry about anything. We get to enjoy ourselves and know that when we come home there's a new job just waiting for us! We are so blessed!

JibJab '08

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Poor Grammy

Because she's a good sport, this is what she gets.

Elvis Is Watching!

What comes in a box, fits in the palm of your hand, and is Mom and Dad's new best friend? That would be our new elf, Elvis! The Ensign's came over tonight bearing gifts and our new, little buddy was one of them! He came with a book that told us about him.

We were instructed to immediately give him a name and place him on a shelf somewhere in the room. Then Elvis sits and quietly watches all day to see if the girls are being naughty or nice. The girls can talk to him and tell him wishes and secrets, but they must never touch him or he loses his magic. At night, after the whole family has gone to bed, Elvis magics himself out of our house and flies to the North Pole to give Santa the daily report on if we had good little children in our house. Then before everyone wakes up, Elvis magics himself back to our house and finds a new place to sit and watch for the day. When the kids wake up, they have to try to find his new spot! The girls kept telling each other before bed 'Listen to Mom, Elvis is watching!' I can tell already that Elvis and I will be dear friends!
We decided that maybe since Elvis is little, he is probably cousins with our leprechaun O'Malley, that visits our house on St. Patrick's day! We know one thing for certain though, we are so very happy Elvis came to our home and now will be spending Christmas with us every year!
Thank you Jonathan, Tracy, Connor, and Ansley!
We love you guys!

Come What May, and Love It

It's early. The house is dark and quiet. The rain is falling softly on the windows and I've been thinking. I've been thinking about how blessed I am. So much so that it brings tears to my eyes and it fills my heart so much that it feels like it's going to burst.

Yesterday Yahoo laid off 1,520 of it's employees. As I watched it on the news, I wondered if people realized what the lives were behind those numbers. Now I know, because Justin's job was a casualty of the cuts as well.

I've said it a million times and now I believe it more than ever, the Lord doesn't give us obstacles that we can't handle. He has the ability to make hard things, good things in our lives. I think Justin and I were both being prepared for this without even knowing it. Justin missed General Conference in October because he was traveling with work. So when the Conference Ensign came out, he has been pouring it over and reading it. One talk that he was particularly drawn to, and that he said he's read about nine times in the past few weeks was Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's talk 'Come What May, and Love It'. He said "The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life." Everyone is faced with challenges in their life, but I think the real challenge is how we allow ourselves to react to them.

My little brother Jesse is finishing up his last week of full-time missionary service in South Texas right now. He has loved the work and he has loved his time spent as a missionary. I know coming home and starting a new phase in life will be different for him. So I wrote him a letter telling him not to be afraid of the unknown. I told him that the best time in our lives is something that continually evolves. The Lord's plan for us is happiness and it's always available to us if we seek it. Now it's time for me to hear that. Don't be scared of the unknown. The best time in our lives is the current moment if we allow it to be.

Soon after Justin told me the news yesterday, I went upstairs to change Lauryn's diaper. As I stood at her changing table I felt my eyes welling up with tears and my nose starting to stuff up. I was looking at Lauryn's face and she was just grinning ear to ear at me and kicking her legs and so happy. I was crying looking at her not because I was sad, but because I felt like the Lord was saying, I may have taken one thing away from you, but your family I have promised you forever with. That will never be taken away. And truly, that is what matters and I am humbled by that blessing and that promise.

Justin and I prayed together last night and we stayed up late talking, and both of us just feel at peace. And in a strange way, we feel like a burden has been lifted. We know if we humble ourselves and have faith in Him, the future He will lead us to will be an even better one than we ever could have planned for ourselves.

Burning 'Em Out

This is the happy face I love to see!

I would just like to preface this entry with the fact that I love Maryn's school and I love Maryn's teacher. Yesterday when Maryn got home from school I was looking through her folder at her homework. Yes, that's right folks, Kindergartners have to do homework too. Every night we having blending practice (Maryn has to read lists of words to me), we have to read two books together (which isn't a bad thing), and then on occasion there will be worksheets in addition to that. Yesterday, there was extra worksheets. Maryn's bus comes at 6:55am and she gets home at 2:30pm. That's a long day for a little five year old. Especially when they get very little recess and then to heap three homework assignments on top of that, there's just not a lot of time to be a kid. Yesterday it was too much, her brain was fried. She held her head in her hands and said "I'm just tired of doing all this boring work!" Lately she's been saying a lot that she misses Preschool because she actually had time to play there. I just think it's sad that right from the very beginning the school system puts so much pressure on these teachers to get these excellent test scores. Which translates to heavy workloads for these little kids. I'm all for smart kids, but not if it sucks the joy right out of learning.

When Maryn was starting Preschool, I was researching play-based curriculum versus educational based curriculum, and one study I read said that you can teach a three and four year old these more advanced educational concepts, but in the long run children who are exposed to heavy academics early on burn out on school more quickly than those children who were exposed to play-time, art and developing fine motor skills in the beginning. So it breaks my heart to see that right out of the chute Maryn is feeling that pressure. Her teacher has told me she is one of the smartest kids in the class. I know Maryn has great potential, so it concerns me seeing her feeling this way so early in the game. I remember fourth grade being the year I realized school became stricter. I think it's sad my kid now feels that way her very first year in the school system. Kindergarten now is what 1st and 2nd grade used to be. We were reading the Berenstain Bears book where Sister Bear goes to Kindergarten and there were toys and painting and clay... not anymore, that's Preschool stuff.

Luckily a week from today, we'll be leaving for Oregon where she'll get a good break, play with her cousins, play in the snow (hopefully!), drink hot chocolate and just get to enjoy being a little kid again!

Mutiny = Motivation

Okay, so as I was saying a few days ago, I've been feeling pretty unmotivated lately. My friend Hayley said I was in a funk, and well it was true. Today though, I found my cure in the most unlikely of ways. The girls were absolute turds today. Sorry, there's just not a better way to say it. Sassy, rude and defiant. On top of that, Justin is in Washington D.C., so it was my pleasure to wrangle my little darlings to church flying solo where they're supposed to well... not act like a pack of wild animals.

Now there's something you should know about me. I loathe blatant disrespect. Maryn and Brynna were especially feeling their oats and were dishing out extra helpings of it. They thought they were in control and calling the shots. Ahhh, silly little children. They were quickly reminded that Momma don't play that. So I left church, loaded their sassy pants in the car, and drove home.

When my kids totally cross the line, I use a little method that I learned from Dr. Phil about three years ago. (I don't watch him anymore, but just for this little tidbit, my viewing of him was worth it.) I took my ornery ones in the house and then I silently proceeded to remove every book, toy, picture, lovey and anything else in their room out. Then Brynna's mattress got hauled into the bonus room and they were left separated and with nothing. Cue the weeping and wailing. It may sound extreme, but for our kids it really works. Plus the added bonus is I don't have to yell one bit, the consequences speak for themself. The message to them is loud and clear, naughty choices mean total loss of privileges. The kids then have the opportunity to earn their things back with good behavior. Two lessons I want my kids to learn - naughtiness never was happiness - and every action has a price, good choices yield good rewards, bad choices... well bad ones!

Their closet is now a desolate testament to naughtiness.

I hauled everything into Lauryn's closet where it's in lock down!

After they got over the initial fit of losing their stuff they actually got really excited about good behavior so they could get their things back. Their good behavior after they apologized earned them the right to sleep in the same room tonight, which they were so happy about. (In our house only big girls get to share a room. If you don't act like a big girl, you sleep by yourself!)

Tomorrow, they can work on earning their loveys back, which they also are excited about. The silver lining of all this though, is that disciplining the kids made me get my behind in gear and start moving and organizing stuff. It feels SO GOOD to have their things back in order! The girls and I put up our new word of the week tonight, so hopefully practicing what I'm preaching to them will keep the motivation flowing!

I Love This Kid!

She's been busy with one of her new favorites... sticking out her tongue! So cute!

Calling All Moms

I find myself at the close of yet another day wondering where the heck it went. Life really has become a whirlwind. Lately I have found myself so unmotivated. It seems I always have a never ending list of things to do, yet I'm lucky to make it through the day completing just the basics. At first I thought it was because #3 entered the scene. Before Lauryn was born, I menu planned, I cooked great meals, I only went to the grocery store once a week with an anal retentively organized list, all my closets were organized, I never missed appointments. You get the idea... my life wasn't perfect, but I felt like I had a pretty good handle on it all. But now... sigh. The big wake up call though was, I realized that my current craziness isn't because of Lauryn. She is hands down the most easy-going, mellow kid around. I am beyond blessed to have such a good baby. So what's my deal? Granted I know taking care of her adds to my workload, but it's not like I'm pacing the floors with a crier or up all night with her. What is it that's keeping me from returning to my former, more organized self and getting my act together?

So here's a plea to all you moms out there, I know I'm not the only one to face the challenge of keeping a growing family running smoothly. So please tell me how as your family grew what worked for you. How did you stay organized? How did you stay on top of things? What was the one lifesaver that made things easier? Veteran moms, lay your knowledge on me! I'm feeling like I could use all the help I can get!

JACKPOT!!!

It's really no secret that Justin and I are big fans of some delicious vittles (...and my busy mom's diet of cold cereal and bagel bites the last couple of days has really left me hungry for REAL FOOD!) So just imagine my excitement when I wandered upon this little delight checking my friend Erin's blog! It's a blog that five sisters have dedicated solely to their delicious, tried and true recipes!

I am so excited!!!!

Okay, calm down, breathe, pant, whew... now I'm off to the grocery store for some ingredients, because tonight Fresh Alpine Potato Soup is calling my name!

Gingerbread Night 2008

The Silver Lining

The challenges and adversities I've faced in my life have taught me a very important lesson... that the Lord never gives us obstacles, without knowing we can handle them with His help or grow from them in the long run. It's taught me that in the midst of one of life's speed bumps to seek the silver lining. November has seemed to be one of those month's where there has been many reasons to reflect on that.

As mentioned in a previous entry, at the beginning of the month our car broke down. We thought it was the alternator which would require expensive repairs. The silver lining, it was the battery which was far less expensive to fix. Then my Nana and her stroke. A horrible and a humbling thing to happen. But there has been a silver lining. There has been an outpouring of love and concern on her behalf. And as you all know it gave me reason to go see her, which I will treasure always. All month it seems I've been fighting one sicky or another, leaving me feeling a little drained. The silver lining, is that the kids are happy and healthy as little horses. Sunday morning our basement and back yard started to flood. The plumber came out and tore up our yard. It was looking like it was going to be thousands of dollars to fix the problem and we were going to have to be without water for a few days. The silver lining, it ended up being able to be repaired for $800 instead of thousands and thousands and we were able to have water again by days end.

Even more of a silver lining, what better month for all of this to happen than the month of November. The month of Thanksgiving, the month of Gratitude. Our many blessings have been in the front of my mind as I've reflected on that. It has made seeking that silver lining so much easier when things threaten to throw our focus off track. We are blessed beyond measure. I know that as we gather together around the Thanksgiving table tomorrow, the challenges of the month will be forgotten. Because no matter what life tries to give or take away from us, we can always gather together and feel the warmth of the love between us and know that come what may, we will always have the very most important thing in this world...each other.

Eat Your Heart Out Dorothy

My brother is getting married next month and I needed an outfit. So with that as an excuse, I set out in search of sassiness and I found these...

Justin said they look like Dorothy shoes. (But he said that's not a bad thing, whatever that means?) She could only wish her shoes had been this cute. And you know what, Dorothy can't be the only one allowed to harness the sassiness of a pair of ruby red pumps!

Well, the mystery girl in the picture below is my cousin Jen. We have been told our whole lives how much we look alike. In fact when I was in Boise, my uncle walked right past me, before realizing it was me and said "Oh sorry honey! I thought you were my daughter!" So I was kind of surprised so many people didn't think we looked alike at all! Funny, huh?!

Let's Ask The Audience!

Just for fun...

Take the poll on the right.

How much do we look alike?

Multi-Taskin' Momma

I was running short on time this morning, but was starving. So I resorted to eating a bowl of cereal in the shower. I thought, 'Hey I can chew and wash my hair at the same time.' Sigh, I'm pathetic.

Husband Tag

-photo courtesy of Maryn-

5 things he Loves:
1. Little ol' me, of course!

2. His three, beautiful daughters.
3. An endless supply of good books.
4. Music...Paste, i-tunes, his i-pod, Pandora, they're all his favoritos!
5. Good food - can't say I blame him.

5 things on his To Do List:
1. Write, write, write.
2. Go to games, go to games, go to games... can you tell the basketball season has started?!
3. Take me to New York and get lost in the Met.
4. Write a book about his grandparents life. The best little orphan love story ever.
5. Go to Montana and learn to fly fish... he can't eat fish, but he wants to catch 'em.

5 Foods he enjoys:
1. Peanut Butter - and more specifically, it has to be Creamy and it has to be Jif.
2. Chocolate - Chocolate chips mysteriously disappear rather quickly around here!
3. Greek Easter Bread - it makes him very happy!
4. Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam - he will not eat any other kind of jam/jelly.
5. My Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 things you may not Know about him:
1. He has really nice feet - mine look like Fred Flintstones, so I've hoped our daughters would get his.
2. His hair grows ridiculously fast - I think he is part Chia Pet.
3. He loves to do the dishes - which you won't get a complaint out of me about.

4. He gets free sandwiches at the Subway by our house, since the manager thinks he is kind of a big deal. Hey, being a real life Ray Ramono has to have some perks, right?!
5. He never pees with the door open.

5 Places he's lived:
1. Sacramento, California

2. Grand Prairie, Texas
3. Portland, Oregon
4. Vancouver, Washington
5. Currently kickin' it in A-Town.

5 Quirky things about him:
1. He can't stand to be the passenger in a car - he prefers being the one in control.
2. He is obsessed with maps, directions, and shortcuts.
3. He hates 'what-if' questions - I love them, but he rarely humors me by answering them.

4. Whenever he gets on a plane he profiles everyone around him in case things get rowdy.
5. He bites his fingernails to the nubbins.

5 People to tag:
1. Jen Nagel
2. Elisha Knudsen
3. Hayley Jones (Soon to be, husband for you!)
4. Tina Fussell
5. Sarah Swanger

Lulu's First Bite

Clever Kathleen

It seemed the days preceding Halloween this year were especially busy for the Young Crew. So go ahead and pass out the bad parent award, but we never got around to actually carving our pumpkins this year. Whoops. I was feeling bad about it until my friend Kathleen came by the other day to bring her daughter Ivy over for a play date with Brynnie. Kathleen is one creative gal. She gave me this cute welcome sign to rub onto my otherwise neglected pumpkin. Sassy huh?! Kathleen started a company called Cut It Out Creations a couple of years ago. I've fallen in love with all the things you can do with her customized creations. Here's just a few of the things she's done for me.

When I named my children, I knew I probably wouldn't find their names on little trinkets in souvenir shops. So it's nice to have a way to personalize things for them anyways! These are the covers of the mother's journal I keep for each girl and an art board in the girl's room.

Kathleen can make stuff as big or as little as you want it. So filling up a specific space is no problem. I just love President Hinckley's "Be's" and wanted to display them over a doorway in the kitchen. I also have a personalized Family Home Evening board in the works too! I can't wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks for jazzing up my pumpkin Kathleen! Thank you also for letting Ivy come play with us! Brynna thoroughly enjoyed her time with her banana sharing buddy! Your little woman is welcome in our home anytime!

My Man, Ray.

I've been having heavy doses of my man, Ray LaMontagne, lately. He is hands down, my favorite artist. His voice is soulful, sexy, and authentic... just the way I like it. His music speaks for itself. Just one amazing voice and the instruments blending together. If you haven't heard his new album 'Gossip in the Grain', check it out. As expected, it's a total goody.

South Pacific, Anyone?

Please folks, be nice, we're not professionals.

But what's bathtime without a round or two of

'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair'...

... and it just wouldn't be complete without a little 'Happy Talk'!

...and please ignore Brynna shoveling bathwater in her mouth. I don't know how many times I've told that kid how gross it is! Sick!

Family Is Everything

It's amazing the difference one can make in the lives of many. That truth was reconfirmed to me in Boise this past week again and again. I can't even begin to express how good it was to be there. To see my Nana. To see all of her children gather around her and be there with love and support. We weren't sure if Nana's stroke would take her from us or not. She was certainly ready to pass to the other side. She told us in her broken and fragmented words about a light, how she had to wait, and how she wished that she could die. But as the days passed it came to seem that it was not yet time for her to walk into the light. I find myself wondering what it is that she is left here to do. Her frail, little, eighty-five year old body has so much work to do just to do the simplest of things we take for granted everyday. But I know with out a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is mindful of her and has a plan.

Even in the midst of the scare, Nana was unifying her family. She brought them together. I saw my Uncle David while I was there, whom I'd never met. He has been away for so long and it was my sweet Nana that brought him back into our lives. I hope to stay. It felt that way. It felt like he would. It was so good to hear my mom and her sister and brothers telling stories and memories of their life together growing up. I've always felt family was everything and so it bothered me that someone was missing from the picture. But seeing them together, I felt that hope coming alive again. That the family can be complete. It's the way Nana would want it.
When I heard the news about Nana, I knew it was in the Lord's hands and that Nana has lived a life worthy of returning to His presence. But I was upset at the thought that I may never get to touch Nana's hand again. I may never get to feel her soft skin and look into her eyes again. Justin, being the amazing man he is, told me to go to her and not give it another thought. He would stay and keep things going on the home front so I could be there. I'm so, so grateful that I was able to. I was able to sit by her side, hold her hand, stroke her hair, kiss her face, and look in her eyes. I know that if she went tomorrow, she would know how much I love her and I'm grateful for that.

She got to meet Lauryn as well for the first time, and what a joy it was to be able to see the brightness that she brought to Nana's world. My mom's cousin Linda and her husband Steve came to visit her in the hospital. Steve, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, is bound to a wheelchair and can not communicate without pointing to a piece of paper to spell out what he wants to say. He told my Nana with tears in his eyes "Mary, there is still much joy in life." What a powerful moment and what a powerful message. He hadn't given up. He was still seeking and finding the joy in life. As I watched Nana react to Lauryn and to my cousin Spencer's little girl Amelia I saw what her joy is... it's her posterity. It's her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. Nana's presence in our lives gives us more than we could ever give back. But it's my hope that as a family we continue to rally around her, and lift her up, and help her find that joy. I hope the barren walls of her hospital room is flooded with cards and pictures and little paintings from tiny hands as she fights and works hard to be here with us. I hope we can help her find the joy and know she is here for a reason. And I hope that when it is her time to go, for us, her posterity, there will be no words left unsaid and no regrets. That she will know of our love for her and that we all will be living lives she would be proud of. I know our family can be together forever. Let us each do our part.

My Nana had a pretty bad stroke yesterday. She is in ICU now and I will be flying out to Boise tomorrow morning to be with her. So, I probably won't be on the computer very much for the rest of the week. Please remember my sweet Nana in your prayers!

Stinkin' Luck!

Last night when I was taking my contacts out, one ripped in half right on my eyeball. Darn it. So this morning I loaded up Brynna and Lauryn into the car to go to the eye doctor to get a new pair of contacts so I wouldn't be stuck wearing my glasses. But when I turned the key in the ignition, it made a weird noise and died. Darn it. My friend Laura came to give us a jump, but it didn't work. Darn it. Now the tow truck is coming to take it to the dealership. Darn it. Sigh, so now I have a useless car and am stuck with wearing glasses. Brynna and I decided maybe if we made some good angry faces we would feel better...

It worked! I can always count on my Brynnie for a good silly.