My, how things have changed!

After a 3+ year hiatus, I've decided to update this blog. Life has changed considerably for the McKinney family. In 2016, we moved from our old home in Montgomery to our current home in Pike Road, Alabama. While we loved our cute, little house it was just too small to contain all of us. Our new home is considerably larger. We went from 1550 square feet to roughly 3600 square feet. Of course, I had to carry my bride over the threshold of our new home! The best thing is that we have room to breathe now! We are blessed to have such a lovely home.

Our new home!

Carried over the threshold!

In other news, Elisabeth worked at Brewbaker Elem. School and then received the opportunity to move to Dalraida Elementary School. This is a much better fit for her and she is SO much happier there. She also finished her Master's degree is Special Education. She somehow managed to run our home, take care of the kids, keep me in line and keep nearly a 4.0 GPA. She's pretty amazing.
I left Bullock County Schools after serving as their Technology coordinator for about 3 1/2 years. I was getting so burned out that I was glad to leave. I'm now working at the Air Force Culture and Language Center which is part of the Air War College. Becoming a defense contractor has been very interesting for me. It's a very different world than the K-12 environment. While back in Bullock County, I wasn't able to work on my PhD at all. The Tech Coordinator job ate all my time. Now, I'm planning on going back to school and getting this PhD knocked out.

On the family front, we have added a new member! Wyatt Russell McKinney was born on October 5th, 2017. He is the most unique looking of all the McKinney kids. When the first four kids arrived, they were all bald (or nearly bald) with bright blue eyes. Wyatt came out with dark hair and the biggest brown eyes. He's a handsome little guy and I can't get enough of him. He really has completed our family.

The Gymnast!

The other children are also growing like weeds. Charlotte is now 5 years old. She's a beautiful, opinionated, spunky little lady. She can also be a bit of a handful sometimes. She's loving kindergarten and she's involved in gymnastics.

First day of the 2018-2019 School Year!

Bennett is now 6! He's in the first grade and is doing really well in all of his classes. He loves soccer and right now, he's taking ninja classes! I'm not sure what that actually means.
Yes I do. It's an excuse to wrestle with dad and practice roughhousing with me. He's a great little man and we have tons of fun playing and learning together.
William is now 15! He has his permit and he's learning to drive now. This is only mildly terrifying for me. He's in his sophomore year at Prattville High School and he is heavily involved in the marching band! (Go Lions!) In the past year, he's grown over 7 inches! He's taller than his mother, his stepmother and much to her chagrin, his sister. It's been fun watching him change so quickly. You can actually see and hear changes in him over a 2 week period!

Sarah is about to turn 18. She's a senior at Prattville High School and she's currently the show choir captain. She's having a great year and as of a few days ago has decided to attend Auburn as an engineering major.  I got top spend one day with her on campus. AU has a great engineering program and I'm proud of the young woman Sarah has become. She's going to have a great time there and I expect that I'll be traveling some to see her, particularly on game days!

While the past 3 years have been really great, we've also had our share of heartache. Elisabeth's father, Jim, passed away unexpectedly back on March 10th. It's been a difficult few months since his passing and we have all felt his absence. We did have one last surprise visit with him back in February, almost exactly a month before he passed. It was a great week and we had a good time with him. We were particularly glad that he was able to meet his newest grandson, Wyatt.

Overall, it's been a good 3 year run for the McKinneys. The family is healthy, the children are growing and learning and somehow, the adults are managing to keep their sanity. Running a home with 2 teens and 3 young ones isn't easy, but somehow we make it work. (I actually think that it's Elisabeth who makes it work). Anyway, life is great in the McKinney household. Come on down and pay us a visit!

Playing Catch Up for Three Years...

I was looking at my little blog entries from being a first time mommy and started thinking that maybe I will give the blog another shot.  
Y'all when I say things got busy, I really mean it!  One reason I found it so hard to juggle the blog (and my sanity) was that B always had ear infections as a baby so we NEVER slept.  He finally got tubes...Hooray but his sleep patterns were terrible by that point.  Teaching with no sleep, then finding out we were expecting Charlotte when B was about 8 months old tends to catch up with you...so I guess this is my apology for not keeping up with things...
Originally, I wanted my blog to be a way to store memories for the kids...I will just have to do my best from this point on.  There can't be much backtracking for me at this point.  haha
Some people think it was totally insane to have our kids so close in age but as a teacher, we don't get much in the way of maternity leave so we planned her for as close to summer break as possible.  May 24, 2013 Charlotte Jane arrived! 
She is very feisty and has a strong will.  We are now in the throws of the terrible twos.  She has this one-eyed mean face she learned from Grammy.  I will have to insert a picture of it because it is a sight to behold...

Currently, Russ moved from AUM as the Instructional Support Specialist for the School of Education and is now the District Technology Coordinator for Bullock County; which is just outside Montgomery in Union Springs, AL.  It was such a blessing and awesome career move.  He is working on his Ph.D at UA.  

Me???  Well, I have been teaching at a private school in Montgomery for quite some time but recently took the plunge into public school this year.  I have been working very hard on my classroom: Painting, laminating, cleaning, etc...  Everyone has been so awesome and I already know a few teachers that work there.  I am working on my masters for special education.  Two semesters down, a million more to go!  As far as hobbies are concerned, I have been chalk painting and distressing a ton this summer.  I love it but kinda hard to find time with the "twin tornadoes."  I also just got a new monogram machine.  (Happy birthday to me).  That hobby still needs some work, but I have one dress that turned out really cute.  My next phase will be applique.  Any advice is welcome.  Pictures to follow of the kids...

B is almost 6 months

Can you believe that B is almost 6 months old?! Where did the time go? He is such a happy baby who loves to give his mommy sugar and play in his exersaucer. He has super strong hands. In fact, if it is within reach, it's his! I think it's his curious nature. B has rolled over from back to tummy now but we haven't crawled anywhere. He loves to stand (assisted of course). And let me tell you, he is finding his voice. Making silly noises and laughing is our favorite pastime. So far, solids have been a big hit! His fave are sweet potatoes but he isn't picky by any means. Our menu consists of sweet potatoes, peas, beans, apples, bananas, peaches, squash, and Frosties from Wendy's!

Mommy is still nursing but may taper off soon. I am still working through the summer but thinking about staying home and raising my little family for a while. It's tough work getting up for nighttime feedings and still rising early for work. Sleeping Beauty needs her rest and so does this gal! B sleeps through the night but occasionally wakes once or twice. I can say that it feels great getting a full night of sleep although I usually wake up anyway...mommy misses her boy now that he's in his own room. Bittersweet, I suppose... ;) Ps: diapers after solid food are no joke!!! Ugh

Working Girl

I had a job interview recently with a Christian preschool to sub for a lady that will be on maternity leave starting in May.  Well, she was put on bedrest and I am now teaching 4 year olds at Aldersgate Weekday.  There is a possibility of it becoming permanent, but I'm still searching for a teaching position in our public elementary schools.  The best part is that B gets to go with me everyday.  I find it important for his social development and I LOVE that even the nursery attends chapel every morning.  If nothing else, I'm glad B was given such a precious spot at Aldersgate.


I love the ladies that I work with and my students are very sweet.  The only downside for me is that I wasn't quite ready to go back to work.  My time with B is so precious to me and I wasn't prepped for the phone call two weeks ago that they needed me earlier than expected.  Also, we went to Disney World a couple of weeks ago for Spring Break and B's routine got super crazy with the time change.  So my first week of work was rough due to lack of sleep.  We think he's back on track now (fingers crossed).  I will post more about our trip soon!

8 Weeks Later...

So two months have come and gone. I have recovered from my surgery and so happy that I can move around again. Simple everyday pleasures such as showering were a huge feat for me. Feedings every two hours were rough on me during my recovery because I needed my sleep but had this new little person depending on me to take care of him.

Anyways, B is getting so big and weighs a little over 11 lbs. We have our two month check-up next week and I am super nervous about the shots. I think they hurt me more than they hurt him.

Developments:

Bennett isn't sleeping through the night just yet, but he only gets up once between 1-2am and then again around 5-6. There are still nights where he gets up more than once but they are few and far between. We are getting sooo close to sleeping all night (can't wait). He has just started smiling and laughing some, usually in the mornings. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen but you be the judge.

As for being a mommy, I am starting to settle into the title. I was a teensy bit nervous with him in the beginning. I was the gal that found it uncomfortable to hold newborns, lol. Funny how they aren't nearly as fragile as they appear. My bee is very strong though and holds his head up very well for being 8 weeks.
Sorry for my lack of blogging but I hope to be posting more regularly now that I'm healed and getting into the swing of things.
Ps: I dislike nursing! I sooo can't wait to be done with this stage but I know it's best for B.

James Bennett McKinney

It's with great pleasure that I'm announcing the arrival of Mr. James Bennett McKinney! Bennett was born at 7:22AM on December 6th! He weighs a very healthy seven pounds, five ounces. He's 19.5 inches long and he's absolutely perfect.
Elisabeth was a trooper through the c-section. I held her hand throughout the operation and we both teared up when he was presented to us. (Okay- she teared up while I boo-hoed)
Anyway, Bennett was born and was crying in no time at all. I escorted him to the nursery while the docs stitched Elisabeth up. Once in the nursery, he started looking around for his Mommy right away. (and by looking for Mommy, I mean he was rooting around a lot!) After he was weighed, warmed and cleaned up a bit, back to Mommy he went. He had no problem finding his 'target' and took to nursing right away!
One of the things that we've learned is that it's tough to get rest in the hospital. Between Bennett needing to eat and the nurses coming in every few hours to check on Elisabeth, it's tough to get rested up.
Other than the lack of rest, things are going really well! Elisabeth is back on her feet and moving around, albeit moving slowly. I try and walk her around the floor here at the hospital. I've been told that the more she walks the quicker (and better) her recovery will be. I'm going to walk her legs off today. :)
Bennett is doing really well too. His weight is down to 6 pounds 14 ounces, but that's to be expected. When Mommy's milk kicks in later today or tomorrow he'll pile that weight back on quickly.

I guess I'll close this entry out. I'm tired and it's been a long day/night. I'll post more later.

Baby Showers

I have been so lucky to have some wonderful friends and family host baby showers for me.  My first shower was hosted by the girls I went to AUM with.  We had such a wonderful time and I racked up, receiving lots of supplies such as lotion, powder, pacifiers, bottles, etc.  I also got a diaper genie (Russ insisted on this registry item, so he was very excited about getting it).

The girls at work threw me a surprise shower.  Honestly, I have never had any kind of surprise party thrown in my honor.  I was very honored and turned all shades of pink when I walked into the room.  The food was amazing and the cake was delicious.  They all chipped in and gave us our baby monitor.  Those ladies are very special to me and I will miss working with them.

Finally, my Aunt Jane threw me a shower in Birmingham.  I got to see lots of my Ham friends and spend some quality family time.  She had the cutest little sandwiches for nibbling on as well as other scrumptious foods.  Her table was decorated with a little piggy bank and picture frame with a sonogram picture of B that was mine to keep.  My Aunt Jane even put a little $$$ in his piggy bank to get him started...how cute!

Here's some baby bump shots just for Angie!  :)

Counting Down

Sorry for the lack of blogging these days...Russ and I have been super busy with work and prepping for baby.  I still have so much to do before B gets here.  It's getting harder to accomplish small chores that were once easy.  For instance, laundry can be such a daunting task for me!  Not only do I have to bend over the hamper and sort, I have to bring these items from the dryer to my bed to fold.  Well, I am so big that I become out of breath very easily so now I sit down to fold the clothes.  Boy, I feel out of shape even though I know this to be normal during my 8th month.

Recently, Russ went to New Orleans for a work conference and my mom was sweet enough to stay with me.  Trust me, I had plenty of work for her!  A coworker of mine gave me 6 garbage bags full of baby boy clothes.  Mom and I began separating them and put the larger sizes into bins for storage.  Let me put it this way, there were so many clothes that I had to be picky about what to keep.  We persevered!  I have also washed all of Bennett's newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  The bathroom is now stocked with lotions, wipes, powder, and baby wash.  

Anyways, I must preface what I'm about to say with a warning that my mom and I are NOT creative peeps.  We secretly wish we were and always get super dooper excited when we get a bee in our bonnet to try something.  Well, I have this little white bookshelf that was mine during childhood.  I wanted to paint it a funky color and place it in B's nursery.  Mom instantly wanted to partake so we bought a rusted clay color paint that is in the bedding and sprayed away.  Needless to say, it looked like we murdered something in the backyard.  Upon coming home, Russ died laughing and asked why we did that when he told me and told me it had to be stripped in the first place.  So mom has taken it with her to see if Poppa can salvage our handiwork.  I wish I had taken pics so you could see the massacre. 

My tummy is super big and it has caused a lot of sleepless nights in the McKinney household.  I just can't seem to get comfortable.  Sleeping on my back isn't really an option...so I try sleeping on my side.  Here's the glitch with that, I am retaining water and my circulation isn't at its best so it cuts off supply to whatever hand on the side I sleep.  This means I wake up in the middle of the night without feeling in my hand.  This is worse than it just falling asleep and tingling.  It's super numb and I feel as though it may just fall off!  I am very thankful that I have a week off from work for the Thanksgiving holiday!  woohoo for naps!

I will update again soon with shower details and pics!  I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and safe journeys while visiting family.  :)

Sweet Surprises

Hello!  So we had some minor health concerns and had to go in for yet another ultrasound to check things out.  Everything looks great...no worries!  On the plus side, we got another ultrasound.  This time B was turned and we were able to see his face.  It was very surreal to catch a glimpse of the beautiful little creature that keeps kicking me in the bladder.  It was such a sweet surprise getting to see him.  He was moving his little mouth and eyes some...Daddy and Mommy were so taken with him that we just stared at the picture all day with goofy smiles.

Turtles Galore!

Mom and Mimi came down yesterday and we set our minds to shopping. Our goal was primarily for a dual purpose pack 'n play. The one I liked at Target was out of stock but we found a comparable one at Babies 'R Us. I was even treated to a few nightgowns since my enlarged self no longer fits into pj pants. ha

And did I not say that I had no intention of starting a theme for my nursery?! I was afraid that people would start giving me too many turtle items and it has happened. Who, might you be wondering, is purchasing all of the turtle motif imaginable? The person I was most afraid of doing so...ME! Now my pack 'n play has a turtle mobile that attaches to the bassinet. Actually, it's merely happenstance that it has a turtle mobile...I picked this particular one b/c it seemed gender neutral so that I may reuse if we are blessed with more 'chillrens' in the future. But now I see turtles everywhere I go. Coincidentally, our ultrasound tech even calls his peepee a "turtle." Do you see it??? lol

We had another ultrasound to check on my placenta status and it is still previated. The doc is optimistic that it will correct itself, however, the ultrasound tech said that it would've moved some by now. This all means that signs point to a c-section some time in early-mid December. On a positive note, we get more ultrasounds and a scheduled birth! Hope you enjoy the new pics of Bennett!!!

Football and Babies!

Football season has begun and we have season tickets this year! wde. I was extremely hot for the first game against Utah State. Not to mention the walk to the stadium on preggo...B loves to sit low on my right side so it was super uncomfortable making the hike to Jordan-Hare. We opted to stay home today since we have the kids and have other home projects...speaking of which...

Over the long Labor Day weekend, Russ and I embarked on the adventure of "get this house painted." The walls are still white from the previous owner; I'm sure there is no need to mention how white walls, animals, and children clash--Big Time! Anyway, we decided that this month we will dedicate ourselves to painting inside and next month (October) will be nursery set up! We trucked up to Lowe's and picked out a pale yellow and proceeded to paint the kitchen. It looks marvelous--not too yellow but yellow enough to notice!

Since we had 3/4 gallon left, I took it upon myself to paint the guest/children bathroom in the same color. We have green accents in there so the pale yellow compliments beautifully. It was my top secret project yesterday and I surprised McChuckles with a freshly painted bathroom (good wifey, right?!). I was super proud of my handiwork! :)

In other news, I went to a consignment sale last night. Let me just start off by saying these women are some power shoppers! I pulled up on time and the line was already around the building to get in. They all had their arms loaded down with empty bins and baskets, ready to hit the sales. I wandered around aimlessly, not really knowing what I needed for B. I feel somewhat clueless when baby shopping: what brand is most durable, is this product a waste of money, will I really use this??? I finally settled on a seat that vibrates, a Noah's Ark picture frame, and a smocked outfit. BTW, I totally need to learn how to smock b/c I could not only make my own but charge others an arm and a leg!

PS: Russ and I finally found bedding for the nursery. Montgomery has a cute little store in Eastchase that sells a whole bunch of high end nursery items. They are fairly pricey but we found our stuff on mega clearance! I was so proud of us. In reality, I wanted to avoid a nursery theme but this stuff was too cute to pass up. I am sure we will now buy every turtle item possible, ha. Anyways, it even came with wall art, valance, mobile, and throw pillows! Now I just have to be patient and wait for October to get here...

PPS: Look at this Lazy Bones kitty hamming it up for the camera!

Our Weekend

So I am finally blogging about last weekend (mainly b/c I've been a little sickly this week).  Anyway, we had a full weekend of fun!  First, we went to the dean's house and hobnobbed with all of the professors from AUM's SOE (school of education).  It was interesting for me to hang out with professors that I've had during my time at AUM.  Now I was there as the wife of a fellow professor.  ha

Next up, we got to see some of my friends from AU on Saturday night.  My friend, Angie, is getting married and we were invited to their engagement shower.  To top it off, I got to see Jay's little boy, Nicholas.  He loves to take pictures with the camera and he just learned how to say "War Eagle."  He is just precious!

Finally, we made our way to the Ham for lunch with the girls.  We sprinkled LaLa with some fun baby gifts.  I had a blast picking out baby girl clothes for the twins, Addie and Emma.  Can't wait to meet those precious little angels.  Speaking of shopping...I could def do some major damage if I was having a girl.  Baby girl sections in stores are never-ending, loaded with countless cute outfits. 

Did someone say mac 'n cheese?!

Well, Bennett has definitely found the location of my bladder.  I also think he throws any and all organs off to whatever space he isn't using.  Thanks dude!  At any rate, I've been eating like a mad woman.  At first, my food intake was under control but now I just want to eat all the time.  I try to eat healthy snacks but it's becoming harder and harder...Must find some willpower!

I really haven't bought too many baby clothes yet, but I did get a good start during our tax free weekend.  I have promised myself that I will not purchase anymore clothing b/c I need to be focusing on nursery ideas.  To be honest, the thought of this overwhelms me b/c I am not a very good decorator. 

Anyroo, I have been spending most of my time working at the AUM Early Childhood Center.  It keeps me fairly busy and I occasionally get to see my hubs.  Since I am not an intern in the center anymore, I get the chance to really enjoy the children this time around.  Plus, I get to snack with them, heehee. 

Doodle Bear

Today was a big day for Dixie Doodle.  She went to the beauty parlor (aka Petco).  Since having the carpets cleaned plus the extremely hot weather, we decided to get Dixie groomed/trimmed.  Let me start off by saying that in my defense, I really had no idea what they were talking about when they were telling me the guard size of the trimmers.  My only concern was to do a good job fading at the head and tail.  Much to my surprise, this is what I picked up from the beauty parlor!!!

Yes my friends, we now have a white lab!  Even her face has been shaved!  Honestly, she doesn't look that bad once you get used to it.  Plus, they gave us a charm for her collar and a huge bag of tasty treats.  In fact, one of the treats looks just like a chocolate chip cookie (and tastes like it too--yes I nibbled it)...don't judge me!  :)

So, last Wednesday we had our first ultrasound- and yes faithful reader, we did find out the sex of our child- but you'll have to watch the videos to figure that out! In any case, we didn't tell our parents. They were all coming down on Saturday for Elisabeth's graduation. (BTW, I'm super proud of my wife!)
Elisabeth had read about a clever way to share the sex of a child with its grandparents. First, you bake a cake, then you ice the inside with either blue or pink icing. When it's time to let the grandparents know if it's a boy or girl, just let them cut the cake. So, that's what we did. Check out the video below.
Now I'll pass this off to Elisabeth so she can fill in more of the details!
- Russ

Hi y'all! So let me just start off by saying it was super hard to keep the sex of JBM top secret. Mainly I didn't want someone to accidentally say something on FB and spill the beans to our parental units. So on Saturday, I did my 'thang' and got my diploma...after which we went to The Olive Garden for lunch. My mom, Sister, Mimi, Nana, Pop, Cindy, Uncle Tony, Aunt Jane, and William were in for a big surprise, but I waited until lunch was finished to announce...

I thanked everyone for driving down on my special day and explained that we had a special treat for them (enter my super hard of hearing but beautiful Mimi who began talking-I guess she could not hear me, ha). I told them that we had been fibbing since Wednesday and we really knew the sex of Baby M. Needless to say, everyone was in total shock! Russ and I invited everyone back to the house for cake, explaining that the sex could only be revealed by cutting into the cake and looking at the icing inside. Would it be pink or blue??? I did calm some fears, telling all that he/she was very healthy...enter my mom sobbing at the table. haha

TGIF!!!

So I finally wrapped up my last and final day of class on Wednesday.  It was very bittersweet for me because I met a lot of great gals and became really close with them during my time at AUM.  So for now, I am looking back on my fond memories and looking ahead, dreaming of the adventures that await.  I can tell you that I spent yesterday catching up on laundry and getting a mani/pedi (thanks from my mentor teacher from internship).  We got the carpets cleaned this morning and I decluttered the kitchen...now I am BORED!  Russ wants me to relax and take it easy, enjoy my time off (sigh)...

There was a time when I would've loved being a SAHM (stay at home mom), but working for so long really puts a cramp in this plan, ha.  I can tell you that I will be working at the Early Childhood Center some starting in August plus some substituting at my surrounding schools.  I need the interaction plus work on getting my foot in the door in case I start working next year. 

Anyways, I graduate this Saturday!!!  My whole family is coming down and taking part.  We will be celebrating with lunch afterwards, and I cannot wait to see everybody.  My only hope is that I do not get overly emotional during the ceremony (that's how this preggo rolls these days).

New Developments!

An update from Russ...
So I wasn't feeling well at all today. Generally just really nauseated. (I guess now I'm having sympathy pains.) So I'm laying down in bed talking with Elisabeth. She'd told me that the baby was pretty active, so I was rubbing her tummy and looking at it. Suddenly *BAM* I got kicked- Hard. Hard enough that I could see her tummy actually move! I think that Baby M is going to be one awesome kick-boxer! I suppose Baby just wanted to let Daddy know that he/she was there. Anyway, it was pretty exciting to see baby moving...
Can't wait for a few more weeks to find out what sex baby M is going to be! :)

Baby M has a STRONG Heartbeat!

Baby has got quite a strong ticker!!!

Airline Wifi is the best!

This post has absolutely nothing to do with the baby, or the family. I just wanted to post on the Blog from 35000 feet. :)
Now the nerd in me has been satisfied.

The "bump" is growing...

Elisabeth typically posts all the written material on this blog...therefore I've taken it upon myself to add all the media. Here's a new photo of the "bump"!
(I think Elisabeth is looking great too!)
-Russ