Our Little Bed and Breakfast

Yes, we should officially call our house "The McLean Bed and Breakfast" because of the amount of visitors we've had for the last two months! We have been thoroughly enjoying our guests and love the fact that Mike and I can steal a quick break now and then when the guests are entertaining Alex and Evelyn.

Evelyn is simply doing wonderful. She has a killer smile that can melt anyone's heart! She started sleeping through the night around 6 weeks old and has been sleeping more and more each night. At her two month check-up, she currently weighs 13 lbs 8 oz and is measuring 24" long! She is definitely a big girl!

Alex is crazy as usual! He's still our little pirate :) I've found him all dressed up in pirate costume one too many times when I enter his room after his afternoon nap. He talks nonstop and even said "I'm so hungry, I want to eat at a restaurant!" as we came home from church yesterday. Mike and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing! The boy knows what he wants! I love his sweet spirit and his goofiness.

Alex with his Uncle Trent and Aunt Meghan

Such a ladies man! With Aunt Monica and Aunt Melinda

Alex and Eva with Auntie Abet and Great-Grandma

Eva with Nana

WELCOME EVELYN CLARE!

I know this is a bit late but we would still like to formally announce the arrival of our daughter, Evelyn Clare McLean. She was born on April 7th at 11:06 am weighing 8 lbs 1 0z, 20 1/2 inches long! She is absolutely beautiful and her big brother Alex adores her. As expected, it has been a whirlwind month full of sleepless nights, numerous diaper changes, and even added to mix was a sick toddler, sick Mommy, sick newborn, and even a sick Grandma and Grandpa! What a month! We survived and we are slowly and gradually settling into a routine. Hopefully, we will be able to update the blog more often. Evelyn loves being carried so having two free hands is very hard to come by! She is sleeping on my chest (in a sling) as I type this!

On Mama's chest

Wondering where the heck she is!

Big brother saying "Hi!"

Alex's Pirate Cove

Well, this last month has been an exciting ride! First of all, yes, this is Mike posting. I am laid up in bed recovering from having my tonsils removed, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to provide a status update on everything McLean.

We worked really hard the last part of January and the first half of Februrary getting Alex's "big boy room" all put together. With our baby girl set to arrive in April, it's time for Alex to move into his own bed which will free up the nursery again. This project required a complete overhaul of the guest room in our house. Don't worry guests, there is still plenty of space for you. Although you will notice we have combined our home office/guest room into one living space. :)

Since Alex has been absolutely obsessed with pirates since last August, we decided to go with a pirate theme. He's had a blast shopping, picking things out, and helping us hang, assemble, and install things for his new pirate room. We searched and searched eBay as well as various other online and in store retailers and his room is now pretty much complete. Enjoy the pictures below!

Genevieve's mom has been visiting since last Sunday. I went in for surgery on Tuesday morning, so she has been a major help watching Alex while Genevieve takes care of me. This also included a short relapse that occured Thursday night where I had to go back into surgery at the ER and spend the night in the hospital. It's nice to know we have family taking care of Alex while Genevieve and I are out getting things taken careof. Plus, Genevieve always enjoys spending time with her mom. Unfortunately, her mom leaves tomorrow, but my mom is scheduled to fly in on Wednesday for a full week. It is great to have the extra help!

After this recovery time in February, it's on to March where we are looking forward to having Meghan come visit for a weekend, and are trying to coordinate all the family visits for the new baby girl.

Alex's big boy bed configuration: captain's bed with 4 drawers and a nice storage compartment in the middle. Matching nightstand and dresser

This room is in the corner of our house. It has 3 small windows on one wall and 1 large window on another wall. These are Roman shades made of sailcloth which help regulate temperature/light while adding to the "boat" feel with their texture

Side view of adjacent wall. We painted the room light blue with a dark blue accent wall

Genevieve found a matching step stool since the bed is so high. It actually has a secret compartment in the top stair for Alex's pirate booty

This wall contains some of the items Alex likes. We'll probably eventually end up putting a bookshelf in that open space

Matching dresser

Black cargo net used to hold his stuffed toys

I found this treasure map on eBay. It measures about 22" x 28". I had to cut it down to size and mount it in the frame.

This is an old oil painting we've had for years and finally have a good use for it!

I also found this wooden pirate wheel on eBay. I was going to build a deck for it until Genevieve found a great deal on a better set up. The clock was a wedding gift and matches the rest of his furniture

This is his pirate trunk. It's the closest thing I could find to a treasure chest without spending over $200

Here's the pirate with his sword, pretending to be asleep

3' x 5' Jolly Roger flag above the bed

Treasure Island "book" that is actually a secret box

Shot of the other corner...his pirate ship

The curtains here match the Roman shades courtesy of Genevieve

This ship has some sweet features and better than anything I could build. Built in periscope, dual canons (that actually fire and make noise), a wheel that turns and makes ocean sounds, a pirate flag, and secret compartment in the back

Also includes a compass and two small storage areas for more of Alex's pirate booty

View from behind the pirate ship

Playtime with Alex!

Here are a few pictures from a recent trip to the Denver Children's Museum. I convinced Mike that it was a great place for him and Alex to explore and have fun. The last video was taken tonight before Alex's bedtime. Ignore the fact that Alex is pantless (we had just changed him). Enjoy!

Puppet theatre fun with Mommy!

Dressing up as a king!

Completing a puzzle with Daddy!

Of course, playing with choo choos!

Apparently Alex wanted to hang from a tree!

Happy New Year!

Wow, it is unbelievable that 2008 has come to an end. It sure was a crazy ride wasn't it? Despite the economic turmoil and other difficulties the year faced, Mike and I feel blessed to have another year of marriage, parenting, and family under our belt. We have been contemplating what the year has brought us and we are overwhelmed by the multiple blessings we received. First and foremost, Mike's initiation to the Catholic church made the most significant impact in our lives. We were spiritually unified as a family and entrusted ourselves to the hands of God. We became aware that our life as a family is in God's hands and we trust that everything that happens in our life is his will. I saw a dramatic change in Mike, in how he approaches spiritual life and how he handles everyday problems and occurances. I've said this many times, but he NEVER ceases to amaze me. Sure, we have our little fights (normally ending with me as the winner) but he assumes the role of husband, father, friend, brother, son, worker etc. and fulfills that role in every which way possible. I speak highly of him because I believe in him. This is not just words from a wife all gushy about her husband, but in the 12 years we've been together, he has not failed me in any of those roles. He is truly a wonderful man and discovering God has only made him better in ways I never knew was possible!
2008 also bought us the second biggest blessing in our life (Alex being #1). We discovered we were pregnant in July and we are now awaiting for Baby Girl to make her appearance in April. We've always pictured Alex as a big brother and we are so excited that he will be meeting his little sister soon.
Speaking of Alex, he also had a very exciting year. He traveled to and from Arizona multiple times, spending time with his Grandparents and Aunts. He has physically grown (gasp! almost fitting into 2T sizes!) and has learned so many things this year. He visually knows his ABC's (not quite singing it but he sure does know every letter!), he knows his numbers but not in order (for example, 1,2,3, 9!), and he has become quite the talker. After worrying that he would need speech therapy during the earlier part of the year, we saw his language skills develop exponentially just during the last 2 months. He can now speak in sentences and repeat words very clearly (as opposed to his jarbled, non-recognizable jargon from before). We have to be careful of what we say because he is a little parrot squaking away behind us!
As for myself, I have become more active in my Pampered Chef business. The first six months were pretty slow but after finally applying myself and attending a few fairs, my business has finally taken off! My Fall/Winter season was extremely busy and I even finished the year off with my biggest show ever! I am hoping to keep the ball rolling and keep 2009 strong for my business!
2008 was FULL of family events (thus the multiple Arizona trips). We had three graduations. Meghan graduated from the University of Arizona, Melissa graduated from Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and Monica from Chandler High School.
My Dad turned 60! We threw him a suprise birthday party that would be very hard to top. I mean, a dj, yummy food, glow-in-the dark necklaces, party beads, who could ask for more?
As we welcome in the New Year, we hope EVERYBODY will experience peace, happiness, and prosperity in 2009. Thank you to our family who gives us the biggest gift of all, their love and support. We are grateful to have you in our lives! Happy New Year Everyone!!

Alex and Santa!!

I think I sent this picture out to about everybody but it doesn't hurt for the whole world to see it!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

First and foremost, my apologies for not keeping the blog up-to-date! I've been swamped with Pampered Chef shows, holiday activities, and general daily errands. We spent Thanksgiving in the comforts of our own home but not because of our choice. I unfortunately got sick the night before Thanksgiving so I was confined to the bed surrounded by tissue boxes, lozenges, and orange juice. Not fun. We were still able to enjoy a homecooked Thanksgiving meal thanks to our lovely friends, Mary Ann and her family.

We are in the process of getting ready for our big trip to Phoenix next week! So lots of shopping and planning. Here are some pics from the past month!

Our first real snow of the season!

Mike and Alex having fun in the snow!

Santa Alex!

Genevieve's birthday dinner

The best present a Mommy could have!

A busy Fall!

It's been a crazy couple of months! We took a quick trip to Phoenix for my Dad's 60th birthday party. It was definitely quite an event. The true suprise for my Dad was that we were there! It was awesome to be with him on his special day :)
We also got a visit from my mom and grandmother. My grandmother had not been to Colorado since Alex's birth so it was extra special to have her here. She is such a phenomenal woman and I am always at awe at her accomplishments and her life. It was fun to see her interact with Alex who was very generous with his hugs and kisses to her. We were fortunate to have my mom in town so that Mike and I could make a quick get-away to Aspen last week. We celebrated our 6 year anniversary a little early by spending a couple of nights at the beautiful St. Regis Aspen. We treated ourselves to a massage, a nice dinner, and alone time! It was the first time I was away from Alex for more than ten hours! Mike will tell you that I was calling my mom every 3-4 hours to make sure he wasn't driving her too crazy! We are happy to report that Alex passed with flying colors and my mom was very impressed with his angelic behavior :) If only he could be that way for me!
Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks! More to come!

Watch out for the big elephant Grandma and Alex!

Out and about with Great-Grandma and Grandma

Trick-or-treating with Daddy!

Our Pirate Prince!

Alex's awesome tricycle from Mama Joah

Checking out his new trike...not quite tall enough yet!

Our happy little guy!

Our early anniversary dinner in Aspen

Fun Fall Pics

He is such a cutie!

At the Great Pumpkin Festival

Alex at the Pumpkin Patch

Alex and Daddy

Mike trying out the stilts. Not as easy as he thought!