Surprise! Surprise!

I would say that my brother and I pulled off a great surprise this last weekend. 

About a month or so ago I called him to see if he got Blake's birthday invitation and to see if there was any chance he could come.  To my surprise he said he was working on getting the time off!!  I couldn't believe it, I was so excited.  He lives in Seattle so for him to drive all the way to Bend is huge! 

Once he got the time off he told me that he wanted to keep it a secret from everyone else.  Only Tyler and I knew.  So he made the drive over on Friday and spent the night with us.  Saturday was party time and the rest of our family came into town around 2 or so.  We had parked Brett's car in the garage so they wouldn't expect anything.  

The excitement from everyone when they came in and saw Brett was so fun and totally worth keeping it a secret.

Cade has always been a little stand offish with Brett.  Maybe because he is a big dude or perhaps the massive beard he sports.  Cade's first words when Brett got to our house was "I don't want to touch that beard!",  but over the weekend Brett grew on Cade and they had a great time.  They did pillow fights before bed, played race cars in the living room and even had water balloon fights.  It was so fun to see Cade warm up to him and see them interact.  The first night Cade would only give Brett a high-5 at bed time, the next night Brett got a hug out of him and on the last day when Brett left Cade actually gave Brett a kiss!!  I would say that was some huge progress!!  They did pillow fights before bed, played race cars in the living room and even had water balloon fights.  It was so fun to see Cade warm up to him and see them interact.  

Now I know it was technically Blakes weekend but somehow we ended up with all pictures of Brett and Cade, no pictures of Brett and Blake.....

oops :)

We love you Brett and it meant to much to have you here!

Walking Fool

It seriously happened over night! Just last week he started taking 1-2 steps. Then yesterday he was up to 4-5 and now just this morning he is walking all the way across the living room! This little man is determined to keep up with his older brother and he is doing a great job at it! Crawling at 6 months and now walking at 11. It's all happening too fast, before we know it Blake is going to be 1! I still can't believe how much fast the second baby grows up.

I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry!!

Blake can clap

Longest Week EVVVERRR!!

I had to stop and think about what day it was today. When I realized it was only Wednesday I wanted to crawl back in bed and wake up to Saturday!
It has been that kind of week.
It started off with both kids feeling crummy as we ended out visit to Dallas. Cade was complaining that his ears were hurting, he was coughing and sniffling. Blake was also coughing but his cough was sounding like a bark. (In the middle of the night Cade even came to me and said he heard a puppy barking) :( Then we were welcomed home by a daddy who was not feeling so hot either.

Monday:
Both kids feel lousy, lounge day at home. I got to go grocery shopping solo.. only to come out of the grocery store with a flat tire, 1 hour and 2 screws removed from tire later and I'm back on the road.

Tuesday:
Supposed to go to friends house but cancel due to sick boys. Attempt to take naps, Cade wakes up screaming in pain from his ears. Call doctor, go to doctor, Cade had double ear infection, Blake has beginning of ear infection and mild case of croup. Both boys on antibiotics. Tyler comes home from work feeling/looking like death. Sent him to bed.

Wednesday:
Keep Cade home from school. However I have a chiro appointment. Drop both boys off at Tylers office so I can go to appointment. Pick boys up. Cade is complaining that he itches. Get home put boys down for naps. Cade wakes up complaining his "goosebumps" itch. Look at "goosebumps". FREAK out because "goosebumps" are bright red and everywhere! Allergic reaction to antibiotics. Call doctor only to find out he is out on family emergency till Tues. Get number for backup doctor. Backup doctor is done seeing patients for the day. Stop giving Cade antibiotics, give Benadryl instead. Wait to get into doctor tomorrow. Totally not thinking about what I'm doing, give Blake his antibiotics, give Cade antibiotics.... oops, Cade breaks out in another rash. Give Cade Benadryl. All patients snuggled in bed, time for a glass of wine and quiet time

IS IT FRI YET?!
We have been so blessed when it comes to health! We must be making up for lost time. Even though my guys are not feeling well they still know how to have fun and put a smile on my face.
Here's to hoping the rest of the week is uneventful!!

Sword fighting

Cade taking Blake for a ride

Did I mention Blake is 10 months today!!

Cruising along

My sweet boy

I have the most thoughtful little man! Cade is and always has been such a thoughtful and sensitive boy. He is always giving people compliments or noticing when something is new and different.

With valentines being this week he has been very attentive to the fact that it's a special day where we can do special things for the people we love.

After seeing what Tyler did for me that day he told me this:

"Mommy, when I get big like daddy I'm going to marry you. I will be a husband and you will be my wife! Then I can go to Fred Meyer and get you flowers!"

(melt my heart!)

Then after pre school his teacher pulled me aside to show me the special picture he drew for me. It was a very colorful drawing with the title on top "This is my beautiful mommy with a green shirt"

He is going to make a very luck girl feel super loved someday!!

(if I choose to share him)

Feeling the love,

Megan

This Weeks Menu

Ok ladies here is the Mackeson Menu for this week. I hope it helps with the daunting task of compiling you families meals! As you will find, most of our meals are Paleo and probably sound weird but they are super yummy & filling.

Dinners:

Shepherds Pie

Applesauce

Spaghetti Squash alla Carbonara w/ chicken

Green beans

Stew

Biscuits

Orange Chicken

Broccoli

Oranges

Tacos

(grass fed beef, tomatoes, avocados, peppers, olives wrapped in lettuce)

Lunch:

Waldorf Salad

Italian Sub roll

(olives, lettuce, pepperoncini, wrapped in salami, ham & pepperoni)

Apple chicken sausage sauteed w/ zucchini

LO's (leftovers)

Breakfast:

Ham, applesauce, almonds

Carrot Banana muffins

Eggs & avocados

Raw breakfast crumbles

Snacks:

Nuts

Beef Jerky

Banana w/ almond butter

Blake can wave

New Skirt

I have been sewing for a few years now but had never attempted anything clothing related for myself. I had heard from many people that it's super hard to find your actual size on a pattern and because of that I stayed away. Up until about a month ago.

A blog I follow was doing a "sew along" for this adorable skirt! So I gave in. My sister came over for a few days so she brought her sewing machine and we set out to tackly the skirt. Easy right? Well just like everyone warned me finding my size was hard. According to the pattern I was a size 16... gulp!! I knew that couldn't be right so I had to make a sample waist band to figure out what size I really was. Well a long story short, the size I came up with was still to big so after almost completing the skirt and realizing it was too big I ended up taking the ENTIRE thing apart and re sizing it. So about 12 hours of work later it's complete and I LOVE it. The fabirc I found was exactly what I wanted and happened to be on sale!

Here is it! My favorite part....

The pockets!

White as Snow

Wow, I am feeling so blessed today! Waking up to a 3 inch blanket of fluffy white snow is amazing!

What is even more amazing is seeing the delight on Cades face this morning when I lifted him up to the window and showed him what happened over night.

That boy is SO Tylers son!

It was like Christmas morning, he was laughing and running around so giddy! Probably because when he thinks of snow he associates it with Christmas so all morning he was saying "It snowed! It's almost Christmas!... After Thanksgiving though!" By 7am he was dressed and traipsing around in the backyard.

But even more amazing than my childs delight by the snow is the amazing reminder it brings of the power of forgiveness! After I got Cade buckled into the neighbors car I was overcome with how powerful and significant snow is to my salvation. Take my yard for example. The cold and wind has blown away all the beautiful leaves, stripped the flowers of color and turned our grass a nasty burnt brown color, much resembling the ugly sinful state of man. But over night a fresh new layer emerged and covered the ugly and made is something beautiful and amazing!

Isaiah 1:8

"Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow"

Today I am so grateful for my salvation and the incredible sacrifice that was made for me to be white as snow!

Real Life Pinning #2

Shaving cream bath paints

What you need:

Muffin tin

Shaving cream

Food coloring

Paint brush

Bathtub/walls

(shaving cream expands a lot! You only need about 2 Tbs in each muffin hole)

Todays pin comes from here

My Pick of the Patch

Blake 5.5 months; Cade 3 years old

Real Life Pinning

I'm sure everyone out there has either heard or is signed up for Pinterest.

IT IS ADDICTING!

I found this hilarious definition of it from a fellow blogger

pin-ter-est (n): A fun reminder of the clothes I will never afford/fit into, the home decor I will never afford/fit into our small home, the recipes and crafts I am too lazy to ever make, the sayings I wasn’t clever enough to think of on my own, the photos I wish I had taken but didn’t.

Well to not become that "pinner" I am going to start posting some of my "real life pins"

Real Life Pin # 1

The 5min Brimmed Beanie

The original post come from here : http://deliacreates.blogspot.com/2010/12/five-minute-brimmed-beanie.html

God is for you moms!

I follow a blog designed for moms with boys, it's called Warrior Prayers. It is such an amazing blog and has been a great tool for me in learning how to pray for my boys. Here is a snip it from a recent post, such a great and humbling reminder!

When your son takes his first steps and you realize for the first time that your baby is growing up…God is for you.

When you give it your all and his heart doesn’t change…God is for you.

When you wake up and he’s five and you realize there are already so many moments you’ve missed and will never get back…God is for you.

When you realize the home life you desperately wanted to provide for him isn’t going to happen…God is for you.

When you realize how your own sinful choices have affected him…God is for you.

When you’re defeated and ready to quit…God is for you.

When you see the desires of his heart and realize that they’re not always good…God is for you.

When your son gets hurt or that thing you always wanted to protect him from happens…God is for you.

When his heart doesn’t belong to just you anymore…God is for you.

When he makes choices that hurt you, no, devastate you…God is for you.

When the threads of your carpet are worn bare from the praying, begging, hoping in God to complete the work He started…God is for you.

And His heart for you is good.

Beaver Football Season is Upon us

You know how I know?

Evenings & mornings are filled with Beaver Youtube videos.

We keep talking tale gate food.

I was lucky enough to get a new AWESOME Beaver sweatshirt this year.

Cade keeps asking to look at our tickets, then proceeds to repeatably ask "is that guy (player on the ticket) fast? What about that one?"

Tyler keeps telling me how many hours till kick off.

Cade is very concerned & keeps asking if he will get to watch the game with Grandpa Don while mommy and daddy watch it at Reser.

When you ask Cade who his favorite Beaver football player is he says James Rodgers.

Thats how I know!!

:)

Wordless Wednesday

Prayer

"Come overwhelmed with life. Come with a wandering mind. Come messy."

~Paul E. Miller

Wordless Wednesday

A Boy & His Bike/Helmet

If a child could have an object as his best friend, Cades would hands down be his bike & helmet!

Tyler & I got Cade his "push" bike (no peddles) for his 2nd birthday.

At the time it was too big for him so it wasn't until this year that he really got to try it out, and boy did he fall in L-O-V-E!

He would spend all day long cruisin around on it if he could. He rides it on the deck, on the patio, in the grass, through the bark dust, the rocks, the dirt... literally EVERYWHERE! And when he is done riding his bike his helmet usually stays on :)

Encouragement for today

Be this...

From A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World, by Paul E. Miller

"“Underneath her obedient life is a sense of helplessness. It has become part of her very nature … almost like breathing. Why? Because she is weak. She can feel her restless heart, her tendency to compare herself with others. She is shocked at how jealousy can well up in her. She notices how easily the world gets its hooks into her. In short, she distrusts herself. When she looks at other people, she sees the same struggles. The world, the flesh, and the Devil are too much for her. The result? Her heart cries out to God in prayer. She needs Jesus.”

I subscribe to a blog called Warrior Prayers and a while back she shared this post. I found it again today and it couldn't have come at a better time! I am feeling defeated and run down when it comes to being Cades mom. After a morning filled with an abundance of "no's", hitting, pushing and just down right disobedience I totally needed this reminder that I can't do it on my own and I need to turn it over to God in prayer.