It's my favorite time of year!

This is by far my most favorite time of the year! Family has always been extremely important to me and I always love getting to spend time with as many family members as possible during this time of year and through out the year. And now the holidays have even more meaning to me cause I have an amazing husband, and 2 handsome boys to make many new memories and traditions with! We have started one tradition of always going up to Chicago to see Brent's aunts, Uncles and Grandma the day before Christmas and Christmas Eve. Then we hop into the car Christmas Day, and then drive to Ferdinand Indiana to see the rest of Brent's family. Then spend the remaining time with his mom, dad, sister, and the boys get to play with there cousins!!! I cherish this time with family cause this is the time that Brent gets to take off an extended amount of time off of work, and the boys and I get quality time with him and get to see family that we don't get to see on a regular basis! Another tradition that we enjoy doing is going to Ice at the Gaylord it's is so much fun! We tried to go last year, but it just didn't work out. We are going to try again this year. I have to say I am pretty excited to see Ayden's face since one of his favorite movies is Shrek! The other thing that I enjoy doing is reflecting on the past year. There have been some amazing moments this past year, with Clayton learning how to roll over, crawl, walk, run, climb, and say his first words. Ayden has learned how to talk better, use better self control, show empathy towards others, jump, and being able to start understanding cause and effect, and using the potty! Brent and I have grown more and more closer together, we enjoy our time alone and date nights! We have had some ups and downs with loss of family members and having to say goodbye. We have also gained some new Members of our family as well! Looking at everything that we have been through this past year makes me so grateful and blessed with what the lord has provided us this year! We are happy, healthy, and we have two very happy children who bring us so much joy into our lives. Our lives right now seem complete and just right and it's a really good feeling! Not to say that within the next year or two we will possibly start trying again to add to our family but right now Brent and I are exactly where we want our family to be! I can't wait to see what the next year brings will Ayden be 100% potty trained? Will Clayton be potty trained? Will Ayden be in school for speech therapy? Will Clayton be talking? How big will both boys be? Will Brent and I decide we want to start trying for baby #3? I can't wait to see what the next year brings and where our 2012 chapter will take us but I know that with my husband by my side and Ayden and Clayton long for the ride the chapter will be amazing!

Elizabeth

My little monkeys!

Well the saying boys will be boys is starting to definitely stand true in this house! We are always wrestling, eating, making messes, getting dirty, and climbing on anything and everything that can be climbed on! Ayden was a late climber and just recently has really gotten good at the art of climbing he can pretty much climb to get anything that he wants and yes that means things on top of the refrigerator and cabinets in the kitchen! He will grab a bar stool and push it to where he wants to go climb up that the climb onto the counter and he then feels like the king of the world literally! He is literally another curious george! It's cute and all but it's also very exhausting due to we are having to re baby proof the kitchen cause our wonderful gate that is up you guessed right he can climb and jump over that as well! Ayden has also been a VERY good teacher to Clayton and showing him the art of climbing! Clayton can climb up on to any of the couches and he can climb up on the coffee table and then he will "jump" down which means jump on mommy! This stage is making me real nervous I know kids will climb and to things and it's all part of growing up but Clayton wants to be like his older brother sooo bad I just know he is going to hurt himself one day! Like he did on thursday night but technically it wasn't his fault it was his brothers but regardless he still ended up in the emergency room with a possible head injury! Thankfully everything with Clayton is fine and playing king of the coffee table is no longer permitted in this house but it was never permitted to begin with! I am just in shock in how fast clayton is growing up! I just hope thy I will be able to have a little bit longer before he figures out how to climb out of his crib! :) I am going to get off here but leave you with a few pictures of my monkeys who I love so much!

Clayton is one

Well we have hit the one year mark! Clayton turned one on thursday! We celebrated his birthday by going out to dinner with my dad, brother and sister in law! It was a small intimate outing that was a lot of fun! I love getting to see my brother And his wife and the boys love seeing them as well!
We had his one year check up on Friday and the poor thing got 4 shots! We also had a little hiccup that we came across at the doctor that sent us for some xrays to see what was up. Clayton while getting his legs checked the doctor noticed that his left leg is half a centimeter to a centimeter shorter than his right leg. This drew some concern since we hadn't ever noticed it before during any of his well child exams. The doctor gave me a little bit of explanation on what it could be like a dislocated hip, or developmental hip displasia, and sent us to imaging to see what the X-ray would say. The x ray came out fine so we are going to look and see what he thinks at his 15 month check up and go from there. Here are his 1 year stats:
Weight 24 lbs 69 percentile
Height 31 1/2 in 93 percentile

Saturday we celebrated Clayton's first birthday party and the theme was a Very Hungry Caterpillar! It turned out sooo cute Clayton got lots of neat toys and some pretty cute outfits as well!

All and all we had a very good weekend it was nice to get to celebrate a very special birthday I am so glad that god blessed me with such an amazing son! Til next time!
Elizabeth

11 months and now a working mommy!

I can hardly believe it Clayton is 11 months old and we will be celebrating his first birthday on October 27th! I am in shock how fast this year has flown by! He isn't a baby anymore he is a toddler! We are finally in the process of winging him off formula and this was the last week of three bottles a day! We are now dropping down to two bottles a day this week and next week to one bottle at night then after that we are done!! I can't wait either hahaha formula is sooo expensive! He is already taking a sippy cup great as well he loves throwing it down! Haha We had a dr's apptointment this past week cause I thought Clayton was getting sick I dont know his length but he weighed in at a whopping 26 pounds! Yes you read that right 26 pounds! We are wearing 18-24 month clothes and still in a size 6 shoe! We are walking and running now! It's crazy to think that this time last year I was so ready to meet this little guy and begin our adventures as a family of four! I was excited for Ayden becoming a big brother and ready for the challenges of becoming a mommy of two! A year later my heart is full of love and laughter and amazed what amazing boys god has blessed me with! I cannot wait Til we can expand our family more but right now I am content with the two I have! One day we will be a family of five maybe six we shall See!

Ayden has been showing a lot of interest of going potty and being a big boy I am so excited for this stage I cannot wait Til he is potty trained! We are slowly getting there but definitely not forcing it by no means! His speech is coming along great he is really starting to talk and say things that we can actually understand! And also starting to Use 3-4 word sentences this makes me a very proud mommy!I was very worried about him for a while there but he is now progressing and doing very well!

Now for the news.... I am now a full time mommy and a full time employee! Yes you read that right I have started working again! I am a lead two year old teacher at a preschool in Saginaw I have been there 2 weeks and fixing to start my 3rd week this coming week! I am enjoying so far but I have to admit I miss staying home with my babies especially Clayton! Ayden joins me every day at work and is enrolled in there 3 year old program and he is doing fabulous! W our first day was full of tears but after that he hasn't shed one tear since I can see him and he comes and goes says love you mommy blows kisses and leaves it's really cute when he does that! Clayton is at a in home child care with a friend of mine I went to school with and absolutely loves it there she is truly doing an amazing job with him and I know she cares for him and loves on him all the time! I am so glad that she is able to watch him for me! She will also take on ayden once she gets an opening!! I am still learning my kiddos In my class and it's still really hard since I am still learning about them and they are learning me still but everyday is gettin easier!
Well this post has turned into a novel and ayden has finally fallen asleep I have been laying with him since he hates lightning and thunder and we are habit a few storms blow through nothin major but so thankful for the rain!
Elizabeth

Long time and so much is happening!

Well it has been forever ago since I have updated this thing its been really hard to do so lately since our computer crashed and our other lap top insists that blogging isnt for it! Haha! Well lots and lots has been going on lately! Ayeden and Clayton are growing by leaps and bounds everyday and have really taken a liking to wrestling with each other! It's really quite funny Clayton will run full force and just land on Ayden and not move a muscle then ayden will flip over and sit on Clayton. They will roll around for a few minutes then be done cause someone will start crying and get upset... Oh boys will be boys! We have also found a new fascination with bugs yes gross bugs! Ayden found a water bug the other day and was carrying it around by it's antenna and came up and tried to throw it on me I jumped up and started screaming and he thought that was hilarious and chased me around the house with it laughing up a storm! I just wanted to have a heart attack! We have also moved up from a toddler bed to a big boy bed we were going to wait but ayden broke his toddler bed by jumping on it and yeah it broke thankfully we had my old full size bed in storage so he is now the proud owner of it! It was pretty bitter sweet cause I remember like if was yesterday putting his crib together and awaiting his arrival and yesterday we took it apart and converted it into a full size bed :( I have to admit a few tears were dropped over this it's just amazing to me how this baby of mine is going to be three in 5 short months! Well lots have been going on with Clayton as well he is growing and thriving more and more everyday! He has also started to run! Yes you read that right run guess that's what happens when u start walking at 8 months old.... Clayton has also found his voice he loves to scream and laugh and say mama and dada all the time! My favorite thing is him squealing in excitement and clapping his hands!! We r busy planning his 1st birthday party at the end of next month!! I am still in shock how fast this year has flown by it makes me happy but it also makes me sad! Brent is doing well we r finishing up his latest project at the will Rogers memorial center I am not going to lie though I am ready for this project to be over with I miss our weekends spent together as a family but I am just thankful that he has a job and does well at his job! Well the kiddos have decided to fight so it's back to mommy duty! Til next time.
Elizabeth

It's been a while......

Wow it has been forever since I have updated but life has been extremely busy and go go go to say the least! I am now a mommy to 2 walking kiddos and i thought ayden was the handful when it came to being busy and mobile I was wrong Clayton has taken his new found freedom and ran with it! An 8 month old walking is an adventure all within it's self and ayden trying to protect his toys from his little brother the fights are starting already! Clayton just wants to be just like his big brother and do everything that he does!! It's so cute but poor Ayden just gets sooo frustrated with him! We are still ironing out jealousy issues with ayden which they are getting better but he still isn't quite okay with the concept that Clayton is here to stay and not going anywhere else! Here are some of Clayton's stats since I haven't done one yet on him since my last post:
Wears 12-18 month clothes
Size 5 diapers
Weighs 24lbs
Walking all the time
Standing by himself with out having anything to pull up on
Has 5 teeth
Loves giggling all the time
He is my baby Goliath lol that's what I have been calling him lately and I really think the name fits him!
Ayden has been doing well in school we are finally getting lots of words out and starting to understand him more and more each passing day! That makes me feel sooo good cause I have been super worried about that! He also knows how to count to 3 and also say some of his abc's I am one proud mama Only now if he can master listening and minding we would be set! Hahaha we just recently got back from vacation from Branson Missouri and we spent quite a bit of time at silver dollar city I will admit I was pretty skeptical on how the boys would do since I didn't think they would be able to ride rides there and with the heat and by my surprise they did really well! Clayton of course couldn't ride anything but ayden was able to ride quite a bit and he had a blast he got to go on his first roller coaster and got to ride the swings, fly with dumbo, ride the rocking ship, log ride, the river rapids and he loved alll of it! I was so proud how brave he was he is Turing out to be a pretty amazing little boy!
Well I am going to get off here I will post again sometime soon since Clayton will be 9 months on the 27th so until next time!
Elizabeth

7 months old and soooo much more!

              Wow it has been a REALLY long time since I have had a chance to get on here and update life has been CRAZY busy with planning a bridal shower to getting ready for a wedding and most of all taking care of TWO little ones I really don't have a whole lot of time for myself :)! So I guess I should update you on what is going in the MacDonald house I will start off with Clayton first! 

            Well on Friday Clayton turned 7 months old! He is growing and thriving very nicely we have had some ups and downs with him this last month with ear infections and teething and a severe diaper rash I have to admit it was testing to this mommas patients! We found out at his 6 month appointment that he had an ear infection (first one for Clayton and first time for me taking care of one) and honestly I was like okay we will do the antibiotics and go on with our life little did I know that this ear infection would literally at times feel like it was going to kill me instead! I have now a pure HATRED for ear infections cause this was hopefully the first and LAST ear infection I hope to deal with as a mother! IT LASTED A MONTH......you read it right a MONTH! We went nights with only getting minimal amounts of sleep and by minimal I mean like maybe 2-3 hours tops and went to the doctor countless of times we went through 2 different kinds of antibiotics and when we got through that we went back for a check up and guess what he STILL had a double ear infection so the doctor thought it would be best to pull out the big guns and do a 3 day dose of an antibiotic shot and on the 3rd day we went in to see if the ears were clearing and to my surprise BOTH ears STILL infected! So we were referred to an ENT to see what they had to say about his ears! Thankfully they were able to get him in the next week and we went in and I am thinking hopefully by now this ear infection will be gone but to my surprise the doctor looked into his ears and he said "THEY ARE STILL INFECTED" how long has he had this and of course I said a month! he just shook his head in amazement cause he thought I was joking with him and then couldn't believe that this was the first and only ear infection he has had in his 6 months of life! So he then said we need to look into getting tubes in his ears so this Friday June 3rd Clayton is getting tubes in his ears and Hopefully this will be the last ear infection he will ever have! That took up most of his 6th month of life in dealing with this but he did hit a few milestones along the way! 

• he can sit up unsupported 
• he can pull up on anything and everything 
• stand and not hold on to anything 
• crawls all over the place
• has 4 teeth now two on top and two on bottom 
• loves eating puffies
• has figured out the TV has a on and off button and loves playing with it
• says "dada" all the time 
• has moved to his big boy car seat and LOVES it! 
• weighs in at 22 lbs and still in the 97th percentile for weight and height! looks to be around 6'5'' or 6'7'' 
• standing up comes up to Ayden's shoulders 
• eats and loves all veggies fruits and cereals 
• eats 6-8 oz bottles 
• cuddle bug!
• wears 12-18 month clothes

Clayton 7 months

           I can't believe how big he is getting it makes me really sad but soooooo excited to see the boys finally starting to interact with each other! Brent and I think it is sooo funny how Clayton is going to be bigger than Ayden and will probably be taller than him and can kick his bootie when he gets older! 

           Ayden is doing well he is all over the place and constantly moving and talking its exhausting just watching him let alone keeping up with him I WISH I had some of his energy! We started AydenAyden that is hot..... he also love to say BARNEY but sadly it comes out MARNEY! LOL we are working with him on that!  in a preschool twice a week and I have to say just in the 5 days that he has gone I have seen so much improvement in him I know that he absolutely loves going even though he screams his head off when I drop him off in the morning! But his speech is coming along and I am finally able understand some of what he is saying his favorite word right now is hot he will put his hand up to something and say hot hot hot hot and will keep saying it till I look at him and say yes

Ayden 28 months

 Being a mom to two small children is very rewarding and I love every moment of it the good and the bad and even the sleepless nights. Cause when I look at my kids faces and see the joy and love that they have it just melts me I love being their mommy! and I am soooo blessed I get to stay home and see them grow and thrive right before my eyes! My life is sooo full and sooo blessed to be around these two and getting to be home when my wonderful husband comes home from work is amazing as well I love our family time together! 

My amazing hubby and best friend!

Til next time and hopefully it wont be as long of a wait as before!

Elizabeth

HOLY COW! CLAYTON IS 6 MONTHS OLD!

              Well as hard as it maybe 6 months ago I welcomed the most handsome little boy into this world! Clayton Randall came in weighing 9lbs even and was 21 inches long, and today he has more than doubled his birth weight and at last measurement he was a whopping 27in long! I am positive he has grown by leaps and bounds and cant wait for his doctor appointment tomorrow morning to know how much he has grown and record it in his baby book! I am still in shock that he is 6 months old and the milestones that he has been hitting lately are amazing and  I am one proud mama of him thriving so well, but it makes me sad that he is already doing some things that I was sure I had a couple more months before he hit those milestones! Everyone keeps telling me he is just trying to get to that point so he can keep up with his big brother Ayden! So as most of y'all are wondering  here is what Clayton has been up to lately!

• Can crawl forwards and backwards can go anywhere in the house now 
• puts anything and everything in his mouth
• can pull up in his crib by either standing on his knees or all the way up on his feet! 
• takes 2 naps a day one in the morning for about 30 minutes or so and then a long one in the afternoon for about 3-4 hours
• sleeps all night long for about 12 hours from about 8:30-8:30
• starting to babble all the time 
• says "dada" 
• loves playing with his feet
• has 2 teeth 
• can go from a crawling position and sit up unsupported by his self 
• has tried all veggies and loved all of them 
• started the fruit trial and loves his pears, and bananas next to try is apples and peaches
• loves to laugh
• fascinated with Barney just like his big brother good for the boys not so good for mommy :(
• loves bath time and rolling over and fighting me to get his diaper on him 
• loves being naked :)
• big time mama's boy  
• Wears 12 month clothes 
• wears size 3 diapers but it wont be long til he is in size 4's probably in the next couple of weeks we will be upping his size!

 I am so excited to see what the next few months will bring a part of me thinks that he will be walking soon which in all  honesty I am not ready for I am not ready for both of my children to be mobile Ayden is a handful by himself and to add Clayton to the mix I am going to be one BUSY mama! and its also just sad to think that my baby could be toddling around soon! I will be getting on tomorrow and update with the stats from the doctor so look back! and I will also post some pics! but now the bed is calling my name so I am going to crash! 

Elizabeth

CLAYTON HAS 2 TEETH!

          Well my baby boy is growing up! He officially has TWO teeth! They made their grand appearance on April 8th! I cannot believe how fast he is growing up! It feels like just yesterday that I was laying on the OR table and hearing his cry for the first time a cry that I longed for during my hard pregnancy! Now he is going to be 6 months old on the 27th! I was joking with Brent the other day saying how SLOW last year seemed to go while I was pregnant with Clayton and that this year is SPEEDING by and since it is FLYING by we should so totally try for another! HAHAHA his face was PRICELESS! (I by no means am wanting to have another child right now!!) of course we are wanting more kids but right now I am perfectly content with the 2 amazing boys I have right now. But to see his face and him knowing I am perfectly content with the boys we have right now was just hilarious I so wish I had a camera to share that face with y'all! I am also saddened that Clayton is CRAWLING most of the time it is backwards but he is definitely getting to the point of figuring out how to crawl frontwards and also going from crawling to the sitting up position I really don't remember Ayden doing anything this fast like his little brother is. I just know that Clayton is just trying to catch up and do the things that his big brother is doing!! I am so proud of him but just not ready to have 2 MOBILE children!!!!  Ayden is like 5 kids mobile cause he is into anything and EVERYTHING the boy has no fear!

        Ayden brought me a present today while we were playing in the backyard and that was a dead possum head! I FREAKED OUT! and of course we came right in washed his hands and didn't go back outside today Brent had to go on a body hunt today when he got home from work and didn't find a thing so I am guessing Boomer had possum stew a few nights ago! Ayden is getting so big he LOVES singing songs with Barney on TV and it is sooooo cute! especially the mad song he loves to say breathe and of course his favorite word NO and then march around the room with his hands on his hips like he is mad! It is soooo funny! I cannot wait til the fall when I can enroll him into school for Mothers Day Out he needs it so bad I know that he is just getting bored at home and that's why he is acting out sooo much. I try to do activities with him but he just gets frustrated with me and shuts down and gets mad when I try and do activities with him. Some exciting things that Ayden is showing signs of is POTTY TRAINING!!!!  He isn't quite there yet but he will be soon I CANNOT WAIT he definitely knows when he is wet or dirty and loves taking his diaper off and bringing it to me and letting me know what kind of present is in there! I don't know about any of y'all who have kids and if they do this but he is FASCINATED with POOP! yes it is incredibly gross and unsanitary and just plain disgusting but the kid thinks it makes great paint. I have had many run ins with cleaning his walls, dresser, jungle gym, and TV, and giving him a nice afternoon bath after nap since he thinks its the COOLEST thing ever! I know when he gets older It will be a great way to break the ice with any girlfriends that come over to the house! haha! "you think he is cute now did you know he liked playing with his poop as a toddler" lol 

Well i feel that I am just rambling on so I am going to go but next time I blog I will be sure to post pics of the boys and give y'all Clayton's 6 month stats!! 
Elizabeth 

Ayden's ABR results

         Well first and foremost I want to be able to say after lots of prayers Ayden's hearing test or ABR came back COMPLETELY NORMAL! The first test was definitely not right! I am so glad that I trusted my motherly instincts and went ahead and let them do the sedated hearing test! I didn't want them to do it at first cause NO ONE ever wants to have to put their child asleep for something so minor if it could be prevented. I was hesitant but as a lot of you might know I suffer from hearing loss and recently it has gotten worse after I had Ayden I could tell my hearing got worse and same thing after Clayton it got worse. I started showing signs of hearing loss after I failed my 9th grade hearing test. I went to an audiologist at that point and I was diagnosed with "cookie bite" hearing loss which really means I cannot hear DEEP toned voices or things ESPECIALLY if I am in a restaurant or if there is a lot of noise around me it makes it VERY difficult to hear. So after finding out that hearing loss is a genetic thing of course I wanted to make sure that Ayden got the proper testing to make sure he hadn't gotten the gene from me and if he had we would start taking steps towards that direction like speech therapy and so fourth. I have still been advised by the audiologist that he should be seen every year to make sure that his hearing is still on track and ESPECIALLY if he hasn't started talking and getting away from his AYDENEESE :) and consult with a speech therapist. Which after a lot of thought and discussion between Brent and myself we have decided to hold off on speech therapy til Ayden is almost 3 and if he is still at the same point he is now on his speech we will go and seek professional help to get him on track with his speech for when he starts school. I am soooo incredibly thankful for all the thoughts and prayers that were given during this unknown time they were definitely felt and granted! OUR GOD IS SOOO GOOD!

       We are also in the midst of possibly making some pretty BIG decisions regarding our family here in the next couple of weeks or month. I am praying that god will show us what we need to do and with whatever happens and praying that he will show us the paths that we need to take. I would love for the prayers as well right now about this  I am not going to say what it is right now I will when I know more. Well it is late and I am extremely tired and have a lot of projects around the house to do tomorrow.
Til NEXT TIME :)
Elizabeth 

Clayton is 5 months and soooooo much more!

            Well its been a while since I have updated our blog and its not that I haven't wanted to do update its just I have been INCREDIBLY busy! My volleyball season is in full swing and I have gotten so much wonderful experience this volleyball season as a coach! I had to sit in and head coach our Houston tournament a couple of weeks ago and it was by far the most stressful and most rewarding experience I have had as a coach thus far and I am so forever thankful for that experience! We did a wonderful job that weekend we came in 1st place on Saturday in our pool and then on Sunday we won the silver bracket and came in 9th place over all! We were slated to come in 11th out of 54 teams! I was a very proud coach that tournament and I just wish our head coach Hayley could have been there with us as well it was such a FUN tournament! 

16 Elite Houston Cross Court Classic Silver Bracket Champs!

        We have also been busy helping my brother and future sister in law with renovations to there house in Nocona. They had a pipe bust in their kitchen when that real bad winter storm blew threw and caused havoc on the roads but it also caused major water damage to their house and we have been helping them gut their kitchen to get it ready for all new tile and cabinets I have to admit I am a little jealous of what how nice their kitchen is going to look once they get everything done!

       Now on to the kiddos update I am going to start off with Ayden first. 

            This past month we have finally caved on getting to the root problem of skin issues he has been having and looking at possible allergies he might have. We also have investigated into what the Doctor wanted us to look into regaurding his speech and hearing. Ayden had his first dermatology appointment the other day and it went well we have gotten some new ideas to help keep his eczema under control which has been VERY helpful!  We go back in two weeks for a quick check up! 

         Now for the hearing test results...... I took Ayden to get his hearing tested a couple weeks ago just to see how he is hearing since the doctor is concerned with some of the things that he is doing and also because he isnt putting two words together and cant really understand him yet and to rule out hearing loss and possibly do speech therapy. Well the hearing test didnt go the way I thought it would go :/ for one they put us in this sound proof room and Ayden lost it I am pretty sure he had a panic attack I could understand why cause this room we were put in was sooo tiny and more box like than any thing. we had to get him to calm down before we could start the test this lasted for a few minutes but once we got him calmed down we were able to start. This is how the test worked basically sounds would come out of the speakers that were in all four corners and if he turned and looked at the speaker it counted that he could hear that sound. That lasted a whole 3 minutes  after his melt down of him cooaperating and then he decided he wanted to have nothing of it. So the test came back inconclusive but with what they had gotten it did show some hearing loss and that was concerning to them since I have had hearing problems since I was a child and my hearing loss has gotten worse here recently. So we are scheduled for a sedated hearing test this coming Tuesday to see how signifacant his hearing loss is or if he really does have hearing loss. I am praying that he doesn't have hearing loss but if he does we will manage cause I know he can hear.

        Clayton's 5 month update! 

             Well we have embarked on Clayton's 5 months of life and I have to say its been the most rewarding 5 months ever! I had to take Clayton to the Doctor the other day since he has had a cough for about a week and I was SHOCKED when we took him to the scale and weighed him! Clayton at 5 months weighs in at 19 lbs 10oz! I am not sure how long he is because it wasnt that kind of appointment but I was and still am SHOCKED on how big he is! To put it this way Clayton weighs a little less than 9lbs from what Ayden weighs! We have started table foods with Clayton and thankfully as of right now we have had no signs of food allergies! This is what we have tried right now

• Rice cereal 
• Oatmeal cereal 
• Sweet Potatoes 
• Squash

We will be starting Carrots tomorrow! So far he has liked EVERYTHING I have given him! Now on to the thing with Clayton that is really BLOWING my mind away.... He is CRAWLING......yes you read that right Clayton is crawling at 5 months old! He hasn't grasped the concept of crawling forward but he is crawling backwards! On all fours pushing up and going I keep telling him that I am NOT ready for him to be mobile having one child into everything right now as it is I was hoping I would at LEAST have a couple more months of Clayton being a NON mobile child but it looks like this is not going to be the case as much as I want it to be that way its just not! But I am still extremely proud of him!

      Well that is pretty much everything that has been going on I am so sorry this blog is so long and more like a book but I guess this is what happens when you dont update frequently! As I get off here are some pics of Brent and I and the boys :) Hope yall enjoy! :)

Brent and I in Houston

Confused on why Ayden had a panic attack at his hearing test cause that room was definitely not as small as this box!

My sweet baby munchkin @ 5 months

Elizabeth

Clayton is 4 months old!

    Well as hard as it may seem Clayton has hit the 4 month mark! I keep thinking where oh where is the time going didn't I have him yesterday? LOL! I also think the exact same thing about Ayden as well didn't he just get here! I guess the saying is true when time will fly when you are having fun! Having fun is exactly what happens every day in our house hold good or bad, happy or sad, there is never a dull moment in our house and something is always happening here and we are always on the go! We are more on the go when Brent and I are both home then when we are home alone with the two boys! Being out numbered in a public place= NO FUN what so ever! Well on Sunday Clayton turned 4 months and we introduced rice cereal to him and he LOVES it! Tomorrow we are going to start on oatmeal and see how he does so far sooooo good! We had a busy Monday with Doctor visits for both boys and we were very suprised at where both boys where at percentile wise for weight and height! Ayden came in at 28lbs and is 35in long and in the 75 percentile in weight and height! Clayton on the other hand came in at a whopping 18lbs 4oz and is 27in and is in the 97th percentile for weight and height! CRAZY I know I still find it hard to believe that! But the scale doesnt lie we are just going to have a linebacker on our hands! We keep telling Ayden to watch out cause Clayton will probably be able to kick his bootie when he gets a little bit bigger! Clayton this month has also hit a few milestones and is thriving nicely! While we were at the doctor's office we were talked to about how Ayden is talking but isnt quite talking the way he should be so we where referred to an audiologist and a speech therapist. I am not worried but we need to make sure that Ayden hasnt gotten my hearing genes cause I have a cookie bite hearing loss that they have said that I had since I was born, and as I have gotten older has gotten worse I need hearing aids but I just cant bring myself to get them. I also think that Ayden is a lazy talker as well I am optimistic that he is fine and just developing a little bit later than normal! 

   Brent has started his new project at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in downtown Fort Worth and I have to say its nice for him to call me and tell me he is on his way home and not be here an hour later! The project is just kicking off and he should be on site here in the next week or so. 

     My volleyball season has been absolutely full of fun! Our team is absolutely amazing they make my job as a coach fun and definitely rewarding! We are playing in a tournament next weekend in Houston and we are super excited to see how we do! We also got on to the NTR website and found out we are ranked #42 in the region! YAY GIRLS! 

   Well its getting late and I am having to get up SUPER early to be at a tournament so I am going to close this blog with some milestones that clayton has hit! 

• we have started eating cereal
•  he is sleeping almost 13 hrs at night and takes about a 2hr nap during the day and a couple of cat naps in between! 
• he is in a size 3 diaper 
• he is wearing size 6-9 month clothes and some 12 months (yes you read that right!)
• he is giggling all the time 
• loves "talking"
• has started playing in his exasaucer
• can sit supported for a few minutes 
• rolling over from tummy to back and back to tummy 
• has found his feet 
• loves chewing on his hands

Elizabeth

Offically a mommy of a TWO year old!

We have enjoyed a wonderful weekend celebrating Ayden's 2nd birthday! We had a wonderful time partying yesterday with all of our family and friends! Ayden loves all his presents that were given to him and mommy is excited for all the wonderful new clothes that he has gotten! We are extremely excited to announce that Ayden is going to start school here soon! My dad has agreed to pay for him to go to a mother's day out program two days a week! I am going to be going by tomorrow to see if I can register him in it! All in all yesterday was a wonderful day! Ayden also loved his Elmo themed party! Brent also made his cake again this year and I have to say it was a HUGE hit! I also have to add he is pretty talented when it comes to decorating cakes just like his sister Leah! Here is Ayden's Elmo cake......

 
                               Ayden blowing out his candles

       Ayden thought that this morning the thing to do to ring in his actual birthday was a trip to the emergency room! Ayden has a very bad fascination with tobacco products we were rushed at 13 months by ambulance to Cook's down town for a nicotine overdose and at 13 months got his stomach pumped! Well today thankfully he didn't have to get his stomach pumped, and we didn't have to call an ambulance to come get him we were just observed for 3 hours since he didn't get a whole lot of nicotine in his system since it was chewing tobacco that he got into! and thankfully we got there when no one else was there so we didn't have to wait to be seen! Here is a picture of Ayden while being observed!

        While we were in the Emergency room we got a phone call from my dad and he informed us that my grandfather passed away this morning in his sleep. We are truly sadden by his passing but also knowing that he is with my grandmother the love of his life and has his mind back since Alzheimer's took it from him a few years ago! Tomorrow we are heading to the doctor for Ayden's two year checkup and also Clayton's 4 month check up I am soooo interested to see how much Clayton weighs and also how long he is all and all he is a BIG boy! The thing that is going to stink about tomorrow is that both boys are going to get shots i hate that but that's what keeps them healthy and safe! Here is a picture of Clayton at 4 months old he finally got a chance to try some cereal tonight he is growing up sooooo fast! 

                                         Clayton 4 months old!

I will post more tomorrow about Clayton's stats and some milestones that he is hitting right now! But right now I think its time to call it a night its been a very long and emotional day here in our house! 
Elizabeth 

Ayden's Birth Story

Well I can hardly believe it Ayden is going to be 2 on Sunday! I have been thinking about the week that I had him 2 years ago and cant believe that its has actually been two years since I had given birth to my first child! So with all the emotion that I have been feeling this week I thought it would be fun to share Ayden's birth story since I haven't really had a chance to write it down...... 

Well at the beginning of the week I had my regular appointment with my OB Dr. Sachovich on Tuesday I had been experiencing some swelling since Christmas but it was nothing that he was worried about since my blood pressure was perfect..... well this Dr's appt. came and my blood pressure was pretty elevated so I was instructed to go to labor and delivery right then and there don't pass go don't go get food don't go get your bag go right now! I freaked out I wasn't ready to have a baby yet my bag wasn't packed I just wasn't ready to be a mom! The doctor told me that we will just monitor Ayden and he wanted to run some blood test and to see if my blood pressure would come back down he wouldn't induce unless he had to I was okay with that for the most part but my problem was I DIDN'T HAVE MY BAG PACKED! lol. Well Brent was thankfully with me at that appointment and he took me to the hospital so we could get checked out. When I got to the hospital my blood pressure was back to normal and they ran the blood test and it was normal as well so they let me go home! but I was on strict orders to stay in bed all day Wednesday and check back with Dr. Sachovich on Thursday Morning. Wednesday I did just that I stayed in bed and when Brent got home I had him pack my bag cause I had a strange feeling Thursday February 26th was going to be a long day! We then went to my moms and finished putting the glider together since that was the last thing that needed to be done in the nursery! Well that night I was having some back pains and really didn't sleep well at all and was hungry at all but I ate a really early dinner, so that morning we took the bags to the car and we went to the doctor I didn't eat breakfast cause for the first time my head wasn't pounding and all that was bothering me was my back and I just knew I was going to come back home....... Brent thankfully went with me to this appointment!  When we got into the room the nurse took my blood pressure and it was back to elevated I believe it was 185/105 and the doctor came in and checked me and I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and 50% effaced and wanted me to lay down for a few minutes but by this time my back was hurting so bad I couldn't lay down so he then said " well my dear its time to have your baby go to labor and delivery immediately and I will be up there shortly to break your water!" I then asked can I go eat breakfast first? and he said nope go straight to LDR so off we went I was ready this time since I had my bag packed! We get to the hospital and I get situated in the room IV put in and its about 10:30am we wait about an hour or so and Dr. Sachovich came in and broke my water..... it took a while for me to start feeling contractions it was about i would say 8:00pm that night when I had the contraction and they came in and checked me and I was about 5cm so I was able to get my epidural. 

         The epidural experience was HORRIBLE! The anesthesiologist was a complete jerk and was extremely rude to me and didn't care that I was having contractions and told me to suck it up! Didn't sit to well with Brent that he was speaking to me like that but thankfully I GOT MY EPIDURAL! It was around 9:30-10:00pm when they got it in and I was able to get some sleep cause I felt great but was starting to get hungry since I hadn't ate since 6pm the night before! 

     Sadly the feeling great part didn't last long at all around 11:30pm my left side was waking up and I could feel everything! I was about 7cm at this point and they gave me more meds through my IV and more epidural but NOTHING WORKED! I was in soooooo much pain! Then around 3:00AM I was told I was at 9 1/2 cm so we called my mom and dad and told them to get to the hospital it was almost time and the nurse called the on call doctor to come on in cause I was getting close!! So dad got there first around 4:00am and came in and was talking to me I have no clue what we talked about but finally the nurse and Doctor  came in an hour later and checked me and I was still at 9 1/2 cm! I was a very disappointed I am laying here starving and in soooo much pain on my left side I actually thought I was going to die! The doctor said why don't we try a couple of pushes to see if I could get over the 9 1/2 cm hump cause by this time I was already at 9 1/2 cm for an hour. So we pushed for about 30min or so and still no progress so they left me to labor a little bit more! Around 5:30 or so they came back in to check me and dang it I was still at 9 1/2 cm and MISERABLE cause my right side was now awake and I was feeling everything! They couldn't give me anything else I was maxed out! So they wanted me to push some more still no progress! So the doctor told me that they would be back in 30min and I should be ready to push! woo hoo get him out thats all I remember wanting and of course something to eat! Well 30 minutes later they came back in to check me and I was STILL at 9 1/2cm no progress! By this time I was over it I was so nauseated and in soooo much pain and just flat exausted! The dr said that I wasn't progressing and Ayden's heart rate had spiked a little bit so we had no other choice then to do a C-section which at that point was fine by me! It was around 6:30am when they wheeled me into the OR I had gotten more epidural and it FINALLY WAS WORKING! I was in and out of sleep I don't remember a whole lot from this point since I was sooooo drugged up and EXAUSTED! I remember hearing Ayden cry and Looking at Brent giving him a kiss..... Then I woke up in recovery and Brent handing me Ayden and bursting out into tears cause I thought he looked like my brother lol! We finally were parents and it was the BEST feeling in the world and everything seemed complete! Mine and Brent's dreams had come true! We had a beautiful baby boy who graced us with his presence on Feburary 27th at 7:05am and weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 21 1/2in long!

Ayden has been an amazing addition to our lives and I cannot thank god enough for blessing me with such an amazing child he has truely made my life full of joy and happiness and I couldn't ask for anything more! He also is just like his daddy which is also a plus! I will blog more about Ayden on his actual birthday and let yall know what he has been doing since! I love you soooo much Ayden James MacDonald you truly are the light of my life!

 Elizabeth  

Clayton is 3 months old!

Today has been a pretty exciting day today Ayden is offiically going to be TWO in a month and baby Clayton has reached 3 months and life with the both of them is still pretty chaotic I really dont know  if life will ever not be chaotic again til they are out of the house and living on their own! But with all the chaos and jelousy issues I have been facing with Ayden since Claytons arrival  and the sleepless nights and temper tantrums I have to admit I wouldnt have it any other way these two boys are my life and I really dont remember life before them it was obviously pretty boring! I thank god everyday for the amazing family that he has allowed Brent and I to create and we cherish every moment good or bad. Clayton has been hitting some pretty awesome milestones at 3 months and I am soooo excited to be able to see him grow and thrive each and everyday. Here are some of the things Clayton is doing:

• Clayton is offically in size 6 months clothes 
• Wearing a size 3 diaper
• eating 6-8 oz every 4 hours (cant wait to start him on cereal!)
• sleeping through the night goes to bed around 10pm and wakes up at 8:30 9:00am
• smiling like crazy
• kicking his legs all the time
• "talking"
• starting to laugh out loud
• holding a rattle for a few seconds at a time 
• bringing his hands to his mouth 
• sitting in the bumbo for a couple of minutes at a time

I cannot wait to see what he will be doing next month! and how much he will weigh since we dont go back to our pediatrian until he is 4 months old! Well my computer is about to die and someone is hollering for me to feed him so back to mommy duty I go!
Elizabeth

Ayden Ayden Ayden

 The title says it all! We have entered into the land of the "terrible twos"! And all I have to say about that is I am ready to skip right over to three! lol Ayden has done so much changing in the last couple of months I sometimes wonder where in the world my sweet little boy went! The little boy that wanted to do everything that I wanted him to do would love and kiss on me all the time who didnt hardly throw a fit unless tired......Well I miss that little boy now I have the almost two year old who is finding his own idependence and thinks that he is invisible!  I am now understanding that boys will be boys! Ayden now LOVES to climb up on anything and everything that can be climbed on! His favorite thing to climb up on is the bar counter in our living room to get a drink of whatever the grown-ups are drinking and usually that consist of Dr. Pepper or Coke.... I have NEVER given Ayden any caffine not once but the other day I caught him sitting up on the bar having a nice drink of Coke after I had gone out of the room for a second to change Claytons diaper! I couldnt believe it! Now that is his favorite thing to do when no one is looking and that is to sneak in getting a drink of coke! Yes it sounds funny and it is but I hate the fact that he has had caffine! And today he finally has topped it there is a gate that is between the kitchen and the living room that leads to the rest of the house Ayden for the longest of times has always tried to go under the gate cause he sees our cat Abby do it but obviously he cant fit! Well he has figured out a way to get around the gate......We have counter high kitchen table in our liiving room and he drags along the chair to the gate and as you probably have already guessed....He puts the chair right up against it and climbs OVER the gate! I was very startled at this when all of a sudden I am in the rest room and somebody is knocking at the bathroom door saying MAMA! and when I opened the door to my suprise its Ayden with his sippy cup all he wanted was something to drink! He handed me the cup and immediately said DINK MAMA PEEESSE! Now for the last thing that Ayden did and this happened right after nap.....As most of you know he is full time in a toddler bed so he gets up usually plays for a little bit then lets me know its time to come out well that is usual well after his nap this time I open the door like always to find Ayden standing at the door BUTT NAKED! and of course poopy! ahhhhhh! We are going to start working on potty training I think here soon! Well as much as I can go on and on about this cause every day is literally a new adventure I have to go get a very angry baby out of his crib cause he is letting me know its time to eat! So til next time!
Elizabeth 

Family, Fun, and a Relaxing weekend

Wow all I have to say is this weekend FLEW by so incredibly fast! It was a weekend of fun, family time, and rest! It all started off with Friday night being a team building night with my volleyball team I have to say it was a ton of fun!!! Lots of laughs and getting to act like a kid again lol Toilet papering a house is a ton of fun! Brought back soooo many memories for me growing up! Saturday was spent going to Nocona Tx to hang out with my brother and Brandy and her parents this was suppose to be a kid free day but we ended up having to take them with us at first I was super bummed but my mom came to the rescue and drove up and got the kids so we could have some time to ourselves! Brandy and I went shopping for wedding stuff and picked up her dress! I cannot wait til Matthew sees her for the first time in it! June CANNOT come soon enough! I am sooo excited to be gaining another sister!!  Brent and I also got to meet her mom finally we met her dad while we were helping her move to Nocona. The boys stayed at the house and finished enclosing their carport into a garage it looks amazing! The girl time and not having to worry about bottles, diapers, snacks, shoes falling off, tantrums was a nice little break. I love being a mom but sometimes I just need a break and I was totally at that point! We got home around midnight today and we came in and went right to sleep and boy did my body need it. Brent was sooooo nice to let me sleep in today til 11:00 am and then made us brunch which was sooo yummy the boys went down for a nap and we went into the bedroom just to rest as well Clayton didnt stay asleep for long and Brent got up to stay with him and told me just to relax and well I ended up taking a 3 hour nap! I guess I was more worn out than I thought.....lol I have the most amazing husband thank you baby for letting me get some rest I really needed it! This weekend was a nice one we definitely needed time to ourselves. I am so not ready for it to be over with!

Well I think its time to get off and go to bed til next time..........
Elizabeth

Life with 2 kids

Well we are having our first snow of the winter season today! I might add it is quite beautiful outside! Although its quite boring since not a whole lot has fallen here since it rained pretty much all night long so we are just hanging out today trying to stay warm and enjoy our time of being a family! So while Brent is watching Clayton trying to get him to take a nap we can thank Mr. Ayden for the reason why Clayton isnt napping right now since he thought it was a good idea to try and sit on him while he was trying to nap in my lap! LoL right now that seems to be the story of my life! Ayden is going through a whole lot right now in the since of jelousy of Clayton. Before Clayton got here it was all about Ayden and what Ayden wanted Ayden got right then and there if it was a snack, drink,being held by Brent or myself and getting every inch of our undivided attention! That isnt the case now Clayton is in away very demanding and requires a lot of my attention during the day and night. Ayden acts out right now with doing things that he isnt suppose to do to get our attention we are trying so hard to give him all the attention he needs but During the week it is especially hard since I am the one home with both kids while Brent is at work we are still after 2 months of Clayton being here still trying to find a good time management schedule that works. I am having to learn that the house cant be clean all the time, sometimes dinner gets put off and sandwiches are made instead since I havent been able to get one of the kids or both for that matter settled and that I cant sweat the small stuff that happens.It is very hard to do this but I am trying to find a happy medium.Hopefully I find it soon! At the very beginning I was constantly asked how is life with two little ones and my honest answer was it really hasnt changed much hahaha if i could go back and change those few words that came from my mouth! It is definitly a lot diffrent with two a lot more chaotic and loud thats for sure, the stress of if one kid gets sick praying the other one doesnt get it, double the messes and diaper changes and a lot less sleep! I know it sounds like I am complaining but Im not I wouldnt have my life any other way! I have learned that its ok to ask Brent for help I still hate doing it since I know he has been working all day and I have been at home but I have to remember that I have been working to all day just like he has just my office is home and my bosses are my kids.
Time to go help the hubby its getting a bit chaotic for him since both boys are now awake! So until next time!
Elizabeth  

I have decided to join the blogging world!

Hey everyone! Well this is my first time to do this so please bear with me cause I am right now COMPLETELY lost on how to get things up and running! HAHA! But if anyone knows how to build a blog page and get a few things off of there like the white and make everything the same color on my page please let me know! 

Well its a new year so I thought to myself new year lets do something new! So I have decided to start blogging about things that is our going on in our lives since we have family that lives all over the place and its hard to keep in touch and let everyone know what is going on! So where oh where do we begin......... I am going to do a quick overview of 2010.....

• Ayden took his first steps on New years day at Gammie and Papas house in Indiana 
• Ayden celebrated his first birthday in February with a construction themed party
• Brent finished his very first hospital project with Rogers- O'brien its located in Sunnyvale TX 
• We found out we were expecting our 2nd child on February 19th
• We had a record breaking snow storm with 13.5 inches of snow in Ft. Worth 
• My mom moved in with us
• Brent started his second hospital project in Addison 
• Found out we were having a baby boy on June 20th and decided on the name Clayton Randall MacDonald 
• Celebrated the 4th of July with a family vacation to Branson Missouri with Brent's side of the family
• Ayden got to ride his first amusement park ride
• We lost my grandmother unexpectedly in July to a fall there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her and miss her a lot. 
• Brent's sister and Brother in law celebrated there 1 year wedding anniversary in August
• My brother got a teaching job in Nacona Tx as a high school biology teacher/ football and basketball coach and purchased his first house.
• My mom sold her house in September
• Brent finished up his second hospital project in October.
• We celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary in October
• Clayton Randall MacDonald joined us in October weighing in at 9lbs 21in
• Ayden learned he can climb out of his crib 
• Brent went on a deep sea fishing trip to Florida 
• Ayden's favorite word is NO! 
• Clayton experienced his first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas (which was a white one), and new years 
• Ayden loves going bye bye
• I started my second season of assistant coaching club volleyball at Texas Image
• Clayton at 2 months weighed in at 13lbs 8 oz 
• Clayton slept through the night!

2010 was a wonderful year full of many blessings and amazing experiences and accomplishments! We definitely had some rough patches and trying times but those times only makes us stronger and also the reminder of god doesnt give us anything we cant handle.

        2011 started out with us hanging out in Nacona Tx with Matthew and Brandy and ringing in the new year with them. I had my first experience of visiting my brother and staying at his house for the night it was kind of weird but we sure did have a blast!

           Brent is currently working out of the main office and will soon be on a new project here in Feburary at the Will Rogers Collusim in Downtown Fort Worth! 

            Ayden is still growing into his own little person we are definitely at the "Terrible Twos" and we arent even TWO yet and I am already ready for TWO to be over with! But in all honesty this is absolutely my FAVORITE age! Ayden started out the new year still in his crib but I am excited to announce that he has graduated to a toddler bed and is doing AMAZING in it I dont have any horror stories to tell you about moving him into a toddler bed. He is also learning manners he loves bringing me things like snacks and hands them to me and says "eeeeseee" momma and in Ayden language that is please. The Aydeneese is still around but is becoming more and more understanding each passing day! 

Clayton is growing like a WEED I find it so hard to believe at the end of this month he will already be 3 months old! It sure is flying by I still feel like I just came home from the hospital with him! Right now Clayton is on 6 oz of formula has completely grown out of all his Newborn ( he was in that for like 4 days) 0-3months clothes. He is currently in 3-6 month clothes but those are starting to get snug as well and already in some 6 month clothes. Clayton has really taught me about patience and time management it really is amazing how much diffrent my two boys were at the age. Clayton LOVES to be held and cuddled with he actually HATES being put down for any period of time maybe 30 minutes tops and then its game over and he wants to be held til he goes down for a nap! Ayden at this age liked being held but didnt mind not being held and just entertain himself and still to this day he doesnt like to cuddle unless he is sick or really tired! Clayton has also somewhat figured out the sleeping through the night routine and by sleeping through the night its sleeping from 10pm til maybe 5-6:30am taking a bottle and then waking up around 9am or so I am not complaining though it could be a whole lot worse. 

I have started my second season with assistant coaching volleyball at Texas Image, and I am sooooo excited for this season we have a awesome group of talented girls this year! I am enjoying being a stay at home mom still I do sometimes miss the adult interaction that comes with going to work but all I have to do is look at my family and know I am right where I want to be. I still havent had the courage to go out of the house with both kids by myself I just get so overwhelmed just thinking about that I always make sure that Brent is with me or someone is for that matter I know one day I will have to venture out with them both by myself but right now I am just completely content with staying home til Brent gets home then we all run errands together so no one will be out numbered by two small children!

Well this has become a book and probably have lost everyones intrest with this one blog but like I said I am new at this and I promise that the next blog probably wont be that long Unless I have lots to talk about!

Elizabeth