M c K I N N O N S on the R U N

So I'm assuming that anyone who cares has already voiced their opinions, and it looks like the overwhelming response is to make the full switch over to Blogger.  The fact that my older sister and my father-in-law who have NEVER commented before decided to comment definitely seals the deal!  Hope to see you all over at http://patrickandmer.blogspot.com.  This is my kind of move-- NO packing involved!

Everyone keeps telling me that it is OH SO HARD to leave comments on my blog.  I've had a Blogger one for a long time, but never used it because this one was easier.  Are there loads of you out there who have wanted SO badly to comment but couldn't and have been depressed because of it for the last year?  Should I move it over to Blogger full time?  Will you still like me?  Will you comment more?  Will you come help me in three weeks when I am floundering with three kids on my hands?  Go over to my Blogger page and let me know what you think. . .

We got back from the beach last Saturday, and while we were glad to get home to see Patrick after an entire week, we were sad to leave the wonderful place that is Oak Island, NC.  Here's a few things I learned while I was there:

--The DVD player in the car is AMAZING for roadtrips!  When the movie was on, there was complete silence, except for when Kendall would start singing along!

--No matter how late the kids go to bed, they still will get up at the crack of dawn.  (Props to Harland and Michael for making breakfast for them on most of the mornings!)

--When you stay up till 1 or 2 in the morning playing Settlers of Catan, you will definitely need a nap.

--Black swimsuits are NOT slimming when you're 35 weeks pregnant.  (Granted, this is a side shot of the belly, but still!  YIKES!)

--Sand + ocean + friends = hours of entertainment!

--Berkeley is a lot more like her dad than I realized.  While we were playing miniature golf, she actually THREW her club because she was mad that she couldn't get the ball in the hole!  (I seem to remember Patrick doing the exact same thing. . . more than once!)

--Ice cream makes EVERYTHING better after sweating like crazy and getting really frustrated while playing mini golf!

--If you want your daughter to pick up a new vocabulary, let her spend a whole week straight with only the influence of BOY children her age!  Case in point:  One night as I was tucking Kendall in bed, she said, "Mom, what's a weenus?"

--I need two other women to trade off cooking dinner with me YEAR ROUND!  Fabulous!

--It only took Berkeley one day to realize how much she loves the ocean!

--Lathering up the kids with sunscreen multiple times every day and then showering all the sand and chlorine off at least twice every day is quite a process!

--I am not a huge fan of going far enough out into the ocean that I can't see what I'm stepping on.  Thankfully, the girls had a couple of surrogate dads for the week to help out with that!

--Even though they have their moments, Kendall and Berkeley really are great friends.

--If you're going to go to the beach without your husband, make sure you go with some really fun friends!  Thanks for a great week, guys!  When are we going back??

--Oh, and one last thing I learned while I was at the beach via a telephone call from my doctor's office in Charlotte:  I HAVE GALLSTONES.  (Sorry, no picture of this one!)  Looks like I have a cholecystectomy to look forward to sometime after I have this baby.  That means removing my gall bladder for those of you who aren't doctors out there!  WHAT FUN!  (And in case you're wondering, this is what caused the attack that I blogged about back in April-- and I've had a few more since then.  So Lauren and Steph, you were RIGHT!)

What I am loving right now:

• Berkeley patting Kendall on the back when she started coughing after some water went down the wrong way
• hearing my girls refer to the evil fast food restaurant as "Old McDonald's"-- they've been doing this forever and I think it's so funny that I never correct them!
• that strawberry dessert I posted about last week-- we just tried it last night and it is DELICIOUS!
• that we're leaving for the beach in just two more days (as Kendall reminds me about every 30 minutes or so)
• listening to the inflection in Kendall's voice as she reads to me
• Berkeley asking me as I'm pushing her in the jogging stroller, "Are you doing okay back there, Mom?"
• going to the pool (especially with friends-- thanks, Heather!)
• fireflies-- just saw the first of the year tonight!
• peach season is coming up
• the new insulation in our attic-- yesterday, we finally turned the A/C on for the first time this year (I figured it was time since it was 95 degrees outside) but it was the amazing insulation in our attic (and the attic fan) that helped keep the temperature in our house bearable up until we turned it on!
• that this baby is coming in just about 6 more weeks

What I'm not so much loving right now:

• bending over
• heartburn no matter what I eat
• running out of toilet paper in the bathroom when no one is around
• putting on my swimsuit to go to the pool
• the varicose veins that keep popping up on my legs
• that I have to wait until the fall to see what will happen next on Lost
• packing for our trip to the beach
• that Patrick is not coming to the beach with us!
• filling up our car with gas
• when someone opens their car door into mine in the parking lot, leaving a very obvious white streak of paint, and doesn't leave a note!
• that this baby is coming in just about 6 more weeks!  YIKES!

Okay, if you've been watching ABC at all, I'm sure you've seen commercials for The Mole.  If you don't know what it is, here is the description from their website:

"The Mole" follows a group of 12 players as they try to figure out who among them is The Mole, a saboteur trying to keep them from winning money. Players must decide who they think The Mole is and then learn as much about him or her as they can, because, at the end of each one-hour episode, the player who knows the least about The Mole is immediately "Executed" from the game. In the final dramatic episode, The Mole is revealed and one of two final players wins a substantial cash prize.

Back in 2001, I watched The Mole in its first season and LOVED it.  It was hosted by Anderson Cooper (who I also love) back then, and while he is no longer the host, I'm sure it still promises to be some great reality TV.  Apparently it has been dubbed "TV's smartest reality show."  It really is fun to watch and try to figure out who the mole is, although I've never been able to do it!  I know I'm a little late posting this since it starts in just 15 minutes, but I dare you to watch it and see what you think!

We have been eating strawberries non-stop around here.  We've had them in our cereal, on waffles, or just to snack on, and I froze three gallon bags stuffed full to use for smoothies or other uses in the future.  We still have a bunch in the fridge and I'm dying to try out this recipe:

Looks easy and delicious, and very similar to my lime delight pie that I posted about on St. Patty's Day, so you know it can't be bad!  And don't worry-- I'll make sure it's lowfat too!

LOTS.

Kendall had her last soccer games of the spring season, where she scored her first goal and made a ton of saves as goalie.  (We referred to her goal as a "ninth period miracle" because there are only supposed to be eight periods in each game, but the ref lost track and they played a ninth period, which is when she scored her amazing goal!)

She had a party to celebrate the end of the season with all of her teammates and got a trophy!

We went to the spring carnival at the elementary school that Kendall will be attending next year where the girls got to practice their batting skills,

ride ponies,

play with bunnies, goats, and llamas,

and play some games to win a few prizes.

The girls and I volunteered as "water passer outers" for a local race, while Patrick ran.  This was my first experience ever "working" at a race instead of running in it and the girls and I had a great time!  All the runners thought it was so cute to see my little girls passing out the water, and bypassed everyone else to be able to take the water from THEM!

The girls finished up preschool for the year and we went to Kendall's preschool graduation since she is officially DONE with preschool forever!

(Since this event was all about Kendall, of course, Berkeley could not be outdone and made her statement by choosing this lovely headwear for the occasion!)

We recently found out that one of Patrick's old mission companions lives just about 90 minutes away from us, so we had their family over this past Saturday and they brought a PINATA, which was a "hit"!  They have three girls who are close in age to ours, and even though my girls had never met them before, Kendall cried when they left!  Don't we all wish it was that easy to make friends?

We went strawberry picking with some friends yesterday (while Patrick was working ON a holiday, no less) and had a fabulous time.

I think Berkeley ate almost her weight in strawberries before she started filling up her basket, but we made it out of there with about 15 lbs of strawberries by the time we were done!  Now I've got to wash and freeze them for smoothies. . .

So now with preschool and soccer over, the only thing we really have left on our schedule is ballet for a couple more weeks.  We are planning on lots of fun days at the pool and the park, frisbee and baseball in the backyard, a week at the beach, and then just gearing up for this new baby that is kicking me at every opportunity "it" gets!  Seems like everyone is predicting this one will be a boy this time, so we'll see. . .

I'm posting these pictures for Patrick's benefit, just as much as anyone else's out there.  We've seen each other for just about 10 minutes total since I got my hair cut and he didn't notice a difference, so here is the before vs. the after:

Of course, once I wash my hair, it will never look like this again because I rarely go to the trouble of straightening it, but you get the idea.

Kendall was born when I was exactly 31 weeks along in my pregnancy.  I just woke up one morning and my water broke-- completely out of the blue and the doctors have no idea why it happened.  So naturally, when I was pregnant with Berkeley, I (and the doctors) were nervous that the same thing might happen again.  Even though the fact that it happened when I was exactly 31 weeks pregnant had no significance at all, for some reason, I felt like once I got beyond that point, everything would be okay.  We were living in Boston at the time, and I had some great friends who threw me a little party when I was 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant to celebrate that milestone!  It was so cute of them and it really meant a lot to me.  I ended up carrying Berkeley to term.

With this pregnancy, I have still been nervous about delivering the baby early.  I've been getting weekly progesterone injections since I was 24 weeks along and those will last until I am 35 weeks.  They have been proven to help prevent preterm deliveries, so even though it's not the most fun thing in the world, I've been happy to let the nurses stab me in the bum each week.

Today, here I am-- 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant.  Again, even though it really makes no sense, I breathed a huge sigh of relief today.  No official party, but it was a good day (Patrick was even home to snap a picture)!  Yes, I know I need a haircut badly.  The mop is out of control.  I'm getting one on Tuesday!  Hoorah!

I woke up yesterday morning to Kendall snuggling up next to me and handing me this note she had written for me.  She did this all by herself, with no one telling her what to write or how to spell it!  It was the sweetest thing ever. . .

I came downstairs to find Patrick had made me these for breakfast:

After church, Patrick made a wonderful dinner of asparagus and Portabella mushroom pasta with fresh basil, tomatoes, and feta cheese.  And we ended the day with this yummy dessert!  (Okay, I had to make most of this one myself since Patrick is grossed out by strawberries and pineapple, but it was still delicious!)

If it wasn't for the fact that I'm still trying to get over my bronchitis, the day would have been perfect!  Thanks to Patrick and my girls for making it a special day!

I don't have any pictures of our family from yesterday, but here I am on my very first Mother's Day when Kendall was just 3 weeks old and still in the hospital.  Where has the time gone?