Enjoying the Journey

Both kids are napping so I thought I might add a few pictures, because I have nothing else to do right? Ha! Yea right! It's funny today I was rushing Gage and MacKenna around so we could go run a few errands and they were poking along as usual. We got in and out of the car several times and I felt like I just kept saying, "Hurry up Gage" or "hurry up Mac." One time I told Gage to come on and he said, "Gosh mom, why do we have to hurry? I am just trying to look at some rocks and stuff." In that moment something hit me and I began to see what Gage was saying. Sometimes God uses 3 year olds to send us a message. So often we rush around and rush through life, we are so focused on the destination and we forget about enjoying the journey. So thanks to Gage, today I have slowed down and tried to enjoy the journey. We took our time running the rest of the errands and you know it was much more enjoyable! Here are just a few pictures from the past few weeks....enjoy!

P is for Pumpkin

Today has been a fun day! I started doing Hooked on Phonics with Gage this past week, and today was letter P! So.....we went to the ppppPumpkin ppppPatch! The kids had a good time and we picked out some pumpkins to bring home.

We got to the patch and I told the kids that we were going to take some pictures and then before we went home we would pick 3 pumpkins each.....they agreed and I start taking pictures......2 pictures to be exact, when my camera batteries go dead!! This always happens to me! You would think that I would learn to carry a spare battery....nope not me. I load the kids back in the car and we run down the road to Walmart and get a new battery. Once we got back, we spent about an hour playing and taking pictures. I kept telling MacKenna to say pumpkin, but she insisted they were balls.

Both kids picked out 3 pumpkins and we were headed home. I stopped to get us a drink on the way home and reached down to grab my wallet and I couldn't find it! I backtracked and realized I probably left it in the basket at Walmart or it fel out of the car at the pumpkin patch. Super stressed I was headed back to Walmart, and then God calmed me by using my sweet boy! Gage said from the backseat, "hey momma you want me to ask Jesus to help you find it?" It was precious in his thick Texan drawl. I said, "Yes Gage, lets do that." He went on to pray a sweet and simple prayer asking the Lord to help mommy find her wallet and when we got to Walmart some honest person had turned it in to customer service! Gage said "see momma I told you he would help." I love that Childlike faith!

So like I said, it was a fun day.....and I think he will remember the letter P!

Sweet Mac!

I made MacKenna a new tutu dress and took a few pics of her today! She loved wearing it and runs around saying "tutu....tutu." I will post more later......cause I took a lot!

What will he say next??

Ok, so Gage has been in the "why" stage for a while now. He is constantly asking why about anything and everything! I have gotten used to it and don't mind answering his why's. However today we turned over a new page in the mind of Gage.......

The first time......ok wait let me set the scene a little for you. I have been in Walmart for about 25 minutes with BOTH kids, now to some of you this may be no big deal......but most of you with 2 small children understand what I am saying and 25 minutes in Walmart with 2 kids is STRESSFUL! MacKenna has pulled her ponytail out of her hair and now has a nice curly mowhawk, taken her shoes and socks off, smashed the bread, and pooped in her diaper (I have no wipes with me). Nice I know....Ok so we are almost done and I have been waiting for about 6-8 minutes for someone to cut a piece of fabric, apparently no one that works at walmart knows how to do this. Finally a male employee comes over to cut it for us. I am so glad we are almost done and then Gage says in a not quiet voice......."Hey momma, how come that man doesn't have very much hair?" I was stunned! Gage never does this. I wasn't quite sure what to say and the man didn't look up from cutting so I simply told Gage to sit down and be quite because we were almost done. So now louder than before he says...."Momma, why does his hair look like that?" So now the man looks up and gives me a rude look and hands me my fabric, we walk off and I explain to Gage that he shouldn't ask stuff like that when the person is standing right there. I told him that God makes us all different and people might get there feelings hurt if we talk about them. He says ok, sorry momma and we leave walmart.

The second time........We are at Taco Bell. We had just left church and Chad was in Houston, so the kids and I just drove thru to grab a bite on the way home. The kids are in the back watching the wiggles, and I am paying for our food. While the lady has her head out the window giving me the change, Gage yells (cause he is in the back seat and wants to make sure I hear him) "hey momma.....Is that a boy or a girl?" I am so glad we were in the car! I just took the change and drove up. Again, I tried to explain to him that he shouldn't ask me things about people in front of them.

I hope this is not a new stage he has entered......because it is soooo embarrassing! I told Chad what had happened when he got home last night and he seemed to think it was very funny and wanted all the details again and again, so if it does happen again, I am hoping he is with Chad!

So today I thought I would get the kids dressed and take them to the park so I could try to get a picture of the two of them. I was so good with Gage and had his picture made every month, but poor MacKenna rarely has hers taken. I don't know about the rest of you moms, but I cannot manage to get them both smiling (or even looking in the same direction for that matter) at the same time. We had fun trying though so I will post a few of the ones I got.

Chad is taking the Royal Rangers at our church camping this weekend and Gage is getting to go with him. Gage is so excited! He just keeps talking about getting to sleep in a tent and roast marshmallows on the fire. I am not sure what Mac and I are going to do yet, but Im sure we will find something to do. I hope Chad will take some pictures so I can post them, but with 10 crazy little boys he may have his hands full!

This is kinda off the subject....but I don't claim to be a great blogger, so oh well. MacKenna has started doing this really funny thing when we get on to her, after we have corrected her and ask her if she understand she nods her head yes and says "ta-tu" (thank you). It is sooo funny, because she is in trouble and I am serious when I get on to her and it is so sweet when she says "ta-tu", I crack up every single time! gotta love her!

Hope everyone has a good weekend~

Ok so it's been a while...or year!

Gage and Mac playing in the pool at Mimi and Pops

All I can say is DIVA!

Gage and Mac at Gage's school party (note Mac's black eye)

Handsome like daddy!
cousin Brock, Mackenna, and Gage at the zoo!
At Carly's wedding this summer

Daddy and the kiddos playing in the backyard

Wow, that is funny! Ok, so this time I think I really am going to blog on a steady basis....for 2 reasons. (1) I really enjoy reading other peoples that I don't get to see that often and (2) God is doing some amazing things in our lives and I think this is a great way to give Him the glory! I look at the pictures on this thing and it makes me crazy thinking of how fast my babies are growing up. Gage is now 3 1/2 and MacKenna is almost 20 months! Well I guess an update is due? Since the last time we talked.....

Gage has turned 3 and is working on 4 (in March). He is going to the 3 year old program in Sundown. It has been a little shaky getting started, probably because he has spent the last 3 years of his life hanging out with me everyday...(lucky kid)! It is getting better though and he is making some friends. He blesses me so much everyday. I love to see how God is already so evident in his life, even at such an early age. He can memorize like crazy...so we figure it might as well be scripture. He has lots of memory verses he can say and tons of songs to sing, I love it!

Let's not forget about MacKenna, a.k.a. Miss Priss Priss! Man is she a mess, and if you know her you know I am telling the truth....except for her uncle Shane, he won't admit it. I can honestly say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She keeps the days interesting. She is the polar opposite of Gage in almost every way! Brown hair, brown eyes, great complexion, and very very high maintenance!! She wants to be just like Gage and does every thing he does with just a little more fruu fruu.

Chad and I have kept busy as well! Chad has gone into business for himself this past July (Hytek Coating). He is still working as an engineer for Oxy too. I am still staying at home with the kids and love it. I sometimes think about going back to work, but they are only little for such a short time and I can't stand the thought of missing something.

We took Gage to Sea World this past summer and he loved it! The weather was great and with a little red head on our hands we were lucky to go before the heat wave.

Ok well i will try to update more often and then we can avoid the length that this blog has brought. Here are just a few updated pictures....enjoy!

Gettin' Started

Ok everyone.....here goes! So I created this blogspot a while back and I just can't make myself start. I am not a natural blogger, and for some silly reason blogging intimidates me. I am a horrible speller, I put punctuation in the wrong place, make run-on sentences, and have a hard time wording things sometime. Despite all of these things I think we have a life worth reading about and it will for sure give you a laugh from time to time.

I think most of you know the basics, but I will give them again just for the fact that it gives me something to type. Chad and I have been married for 6 super duper years and I love him tons. He is a wonderful husband and the best daddy to our kiddos. We can't seem to escape the small town of Levelland. We moved to Midland for a few years, but somehow ended up back home. I like Levelland though.....I never thought I would say that, but I do. Chad is an engineer for Oxy and seems to enjoy his job most of the time. I am so blessed that Chad lets me stay home with our two kids and be with them everyday! I love the fact that I get to see all of their firsts. Often times I am in desperate need of adult interaction. I am with Gage and MacKenna so much that when poor Chad comes home I greet him with a kiss and ask him how his day was all while I am wiping his face, covering him in hand sanitizer, and placing his bib on him for dinner. This is a little exaggerated.......but you get my point!

Gage turned 2 in March. MacKenna just turned 6 months yesterday. Gage keeps us laughing, he is quite the entertainer! He acts shy at first but then quickly comes out of his shell. I think he is a super smart boy........he knows his ABC's (has for a while now), colors, and can point out about 18 of the states on a map of the U.S. Ok I know every parent thinks their kiddo is the smartest :) MacKenna is sitting up an smiles all the time. She loves her daddy though......Gage is a momma's boy, but I think our little angel is for sure all daddy's!

Welp I think this first blog has gone pretty good?? What about you?? I have purposely given our blogspot the theme "McNeely Madness", since this is how most of our days seem so I hope it has sparked enough interest that you will return!