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!

Did you notice something? Did ya? Did ya?

Look above this. What do you see? There's a new ticker and it shows what a lot of you may already know, we're blessed to be pregnant with #2! Yes! Alex is going to be a big brother! Some of you may say, "It's about time!" or some of you may say, "What? Are you crazy?" Either way, Mike and I are very excited for this new addition. Whether it's a girl or a boy, we will be happy that our Alex will have a playmate. I know we haven't been posting for a while but it has been busy in the McLean household. We had a packed house on Labor Day weekend with Mike's family paying us a visit. I had a trade show and an open house for my business that took a majority of my time. So, with those and taking care of a rambunctious little boy...we've had our hands full.

Here's a few pics from our Labor Day weekend!

As you can see, Aunts can greatly influence the color of the car!

Waiting to be seated at Red Lobster

With Nana and Grandpa!

Alex's new play kitchen, thanks to Nana and Grandpa!

Checking it out for the first time!

Alex's 2 Year Pictures

We finally got around to getting Alex's 2 year pics done and we could not be happier. It was a heck of a lot easier than when we first got them done when he was only 1 month old! Now, Alex is not one to hesitate to say "Cheese" and give us a big goofy smile. However, when it is a stranger pointing the camera on his face, he draws a complete blank and just stares. So, Mommy and Daddy had to pretend that we were being tickled to death by a multicolored duster. If this was caught on film, it would win America's Funniest Video. Oh well, the outcome was adorable shots of our little guy! Enjoy!

This was his "serious" model pose!

2 Year Stats

Name: Alexander

Date: Aug 19th, 2008

Hemoglobin: 13.2 (normal!)

Weight: 25.8 lbs (25th percentile aka shrimp)

Height: 33 3/4 inches (40th percentile aka getting there!)

Head: 19 3/4 (80th percentile aka huge noggin!)

That's our boy. Getting bigger, smarter, and cuter everyday

We had a fun day yesterday celebrating Alex's birthday. We picked up his cake, met Daddy for some fun at Monkey Bizness, took a long nap, ate some Mexican food, ate some cake. We even had time to do a video chat with Nana, Grandpa, Aunt Monica, and Aunt Melinda. Oh, he opened his presents first thing in the morning and some in between. By the end of the day, he was chanting "Two! Two! Two!". He must think that turning two was the coolest thing that has ever happened to him.

Here's are some pictures!

Enjoying his new chair (from Mommy and Daddy) and a book from Aunt Meghan and Uncle Trent!

Monkeying around with Daddy!

Family pic!

Yummy monkey cake :)

Blowing out the candles! (He did it two times for luck!)

Alex is almost 2!

Dios mio, Alex will be turning 2 on Tuesday which coincidentally happens to be his favorite number. Ask him how many fingers you're holding up, 2. What's this number? 2. How old are you? 2. Awesome

Anyway, Mike and I are frantically scrambling to put together a little celebration for the little guy. We are not throwing a party for him like last year. Because, honestly, I'm still recovering from that one. I did order him his big present and it is currently sitting by our front door blocking the stairway almost entirely. I will be glad when it is actually being put to use. I also just ordered his cake from the same cake shop I ordered from last year. Needless to say, my Weight-Watchers program will be thrown out the door next week :)

A much-needed haircut is in order before the big 2, so that has been scheduled for Saturday. We will be taking a trip to the toy store for a couple of more presents. We definitely want to make this day special for him. But lookout for next year's party, we'll be definitely making a comeback!

Alex and his Daddy

This is a true testament that shows how much Alex loves his Daddy. Alex quite literally attaches himself to Mike as soon as Mike walks in the door! Please ignore the fact that Alex is pantless. By the time 5:00 pm hits, the pants hit the floor as well! It's a little scary but the same goes for Mike...

Happy Birthday Mikey!

As many of you know, it was Mike's birthday yesterday! (Thanks from Mike for the Myspace and Facebook postings, as well as the many cards he received). We celebrated his birthday by grabbing some lunch at Mike's favorite delicatessen, Deli Tech. We also enjoyed some Chinese food later that evening mostly due to my complete lack of motivation to cook. We also did a video chat via Xbox 360 with Mike's family! A quiet yet fun filled day!

Alex is ready to attack the cookie!

We found a really nice playground behind the deli

Alex in his element...the playground

Yes, I am as tired as I look

The monkey bars with Daddy!

California Fun!

We took a quick trip to California last weekend to celebrate the 2nd wedding of my Uncle Bob and Auntie Abet. It was beautiful ceremony and we were so happy to witness their marriage be blessed by the church! Congrats to them again! Alex served as ringbearer, his second time in a little over a year. He was a true champ and walked down the aisle like a pro! So proud of my baby! Here are some pictures! I will be posting more pictures from the wedding soon :)

The happy couple!

Alex took this pic of Mommy!

Enjoying the California weather with Mama Joah

Looking good with his shades!

A few random things that melt our heart...

Okay, every day Alex does something so completely adorable that I cannot help but call Mike, my mom, and every living relative we have to share the news. So, instead of shouting it from the rooftops, I have compiled a list of Alex's oh-so-precious moments...

1. He is learning a new word every day. Mike and I had diagnosed Alex (based on our expertise which is nonexistent) as a late-talker and we had been twiddling our thumbs waiting for Alex to finally communicate to us a word or syllable that actually made sense. It has been only the last week or so that he has expanded his vocabulary! He has now added the number two and five and not only says them but clearly identifies them on paper and when we hold up our hands! Sheer genius! He can also say cow, duck, please, keys, cheese, bye-bye, hi, banana, yellow, and a slew of others! He can also say his vowels, thanks to Mike!

2. Alex has always loved puzzles and solved them within a matter of seconds. I bought him another puzzle yesterday which did not have the illustrations on the board, only the cut-out of the puzzle pieces. I was worried that it would throw him off and he would sling it away out of a fit of frustration. Nope, he placed those pieces back as if he had memorized where they were originally placed. I may be naive and ignorant and maybe most toddler's his age has mastered this but I was still impressed! Never underestimate the intelligence of a toddler!

3. I religiously use my laptop and occasionally I let Alex use it as well. He is an expert "scroller" meaning he scrolls up and down the screen, studying the words and pictures as they go by. He has somehow figured out that the laptop gets warm on his lap. He quickly solved this dilemma by grabbing a dish cloth from the kitchen and carefully spreading it out on his lap before placing the computer on it. Where he got this I have no idea because neither Mike and I do that!

4. He loves Sesame Street and Word World and repeats the numbers and letters as they are shown across the screen.

The list goes on and on....from his lively greeting when Mike comes home, to his great singing and dancing abilities, to his little cries (clearly forced) so he can have his cookie...it all melts our hearts. He is a wonderful little boy and we cannot wait to see what each day brings us!

Texas Trip

I've been meaning to post pictures from our recent trip to Texas, but my elusive jump drive which contained all the pictures went MIA for a while. Alas, it has been found and here are the pictures. It was great trip and it was wonderful to see my Mamaw. It was her first time to see her great-grandson! We also met a plethora of cousins and Alex was in heaven playing with all of them. It was a truly down-home feel where we enjoyed the company of my Aunt Beverly, Sarah, Steve, Stevie, Bailee, Brandon, Christie, Mariah, Christie's newborn, and of course my Dad and my Mom! It was a mini family reunion! We also met other relatives who were kind enough to drive down and see us!

Alex and Bailee getting acquainted with each other

Mamaw and Alex!

Fourth of July in Texas

A contemplative Bailee

Family dinner at Pappadeaux!

Water fun!

Alex loves the water. Swimming in it, bathing in it, splashing in it, wherever there is water, Alex is there. So, I thought I'd take him to our local outdoor mall. They have a splash park that I thought Alex would love. Alex, however, wasn't so sure. Cold water shooting out of the ground with wild kids running about? I don't think it was his idea of fun. Oh well, he amused me for a few minutes and even walked the whole perimeter of the park. I even got a few smile out of him :)

He loves being outside

Watching the other kids at the splash park

Not quite sure what to make of all this

Hmm...water splashing out of the ground! Cool!

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