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This year we (Chase came up with the idea and I executed) dressed up as NINJA Turtles! It was a super home-made, super cheap, last minute costume and I was pretty happy with how they turned out!

COWABUNGA DUDE! (i just love Chloe and her little num-chucks!)

our sweet little Ninja Turtle girls

Chase was on cloud 9 getting to dress up, play with swords and teach the girls about his all time favorite childhood show! It was fun to see him share the love with his girls. This may have been our last year to tell them what they are going to dress up like for Halloween, so we took advantage of it 😉

Halloween 2015

We met up with Mario and Captain America (the cousins & family) to trick-or-treat around the square in downtown Denton.

It was crazy and there were SO many people out! Lydia loved seeing everyone dressed up and kept pointing and telling us, “look there is a dog, or a princess, or cow! etc” The girls didn’t get much candy, but it was still fun.. we like community events like this, even if it was a bit nutty.

After trick-or-treating Nanny and Papa treated the girls to some chocolate milk on tap at a local coffee shop! They didn’t stop sipping till it was all gone! This might be a new family tradition!

Lydia at 3 years old is smart, loving, sensitive, talkative, has a great imagination (play with imaginary friends, animals, etc), is ALWAYS moving, loves to love and play with her “baby” seester, loves to dance, draw, color, play tea party, have playdates with her friends and cousins, has the best cheesy smile for the camera, is super goofy, and just a real sweet heart.

Halloween night we had our friends over for Chili, trick-or-treated around the neighborhood and passed out candy. It was super low-maintence and was fun to see Lydia & Chloe pass out candy to the neighborhood kids. Lydia kept saying, “Hello trick-or-treaters! Want some treats?!”

Boompa and Grandma came in town the next weekend to give Chase and I TWO date nights!! (thank you again!!) So on Friday we decided to check out the Dallas Arboretum and the pumpkins that were still left there!

Chloe at 18 months… she is sweet, spunky, curious, makes the most adorable faces, is trying to talk, loves loves here sister, is INDEPENDENT with a mind and plan of her own that is ever changing and never the same, hates wearing bibs and pushing up her sleeves, loves her pappy (pacci), loves to read, and is the best little smuggler there ever was!

sisters and pumpkins are the best

a carriage in the pumpkins

We had a great day seeing beautiful flowers, enjoying the gorgeous weather and watching the girls run around and try to pick the flowers!

Our sweet Chloe is 15 months old now and I have made it a goal to try and catch up with her first year on here! I have the pictures on my computer, but haven’t done anything with them. I am trying to not be hard on myself and just take it one post at a time, but I know that I really want to be able to look back at these pictures and little stories of Chloe to remember… they are growing up so quickly! Some days it hurts my heart to see how quickly they are changing and growing, but it also brings such joy to my heart. I am so thankful I get to be their momma and part of these years. I know that I take it for granted and waste a lot of time looking at social media and trying to make my house perfect… I don’t want to loose these years, these moments, these memories, these snuggles… Lord, help me to do the best I can each day and to do it with a thankful heart and for your glory.

So here is to catching up!

We got to spend the week before Christmas in Albuquerque with Gigi, Jaju, Aunt Brooke, Uncle Clint, Landon, Claire, Aunt Aubrey, and Uncle Nate. It was so much fun (hoping for a post of this later). We spent Christmas Eve and Day in our home- I got to host Christmas Eve with Nanny and Papa, Boompa and Grandma. It was a blessed time.

Chloe’s first Christmas 

She had her first hair cut on December 18 by Gigi! Her hair is gorgeous and continues to be a mess and in her face most of the time.

Chloe loves to swing… her smile is infectious

Chloe got RSV on January 7 and we started breathing treatments. It was so sad to see her sick, but she was still a smiley happy baby girl. This month was hard for me because we had to start supplementing formula to add more calories to her diet. She did really well with it and learned how to hold a bottle by herself! This was a humbling time for me because I used to have a negative view about formula (which I shouldn’t have… it was my sin for thinking that nursing was better and the only way to feed your child, the Lord really showed me and humbled me about what it meant to provide and care for my kids) I apologize to all my formula feeding momma friends- you are doing what is best for your babies and using what the Lord has provided and doing a great job at that.

We put up hooks on the outside of our garage to hang our swing so the girls could swing at home… they love it, especially Chloe.

Lydia loves playing with her baby sister and is always thinking of ways to make her smile and laugh. I love seeing them interacting with each other.

Happy New Year!! 2015 is gonna be a great one!

Started army crawling (mostly backward) on January 22!

Dear Blog,

I think about you often and desire to post pictures, stories and updates on our life and sweet little girls. I have lots of posts written in my head and lots of hopes for you. However, I am a tired tired momma of two baby girls whom take all of my energy and at the end of the day when I might have time to visit you, I decide otherwise…. One day soon I hope to remedy this and update you. Until then I am going to continue to enjoy snuggles, giggles, spit up, kisses, hugs, and love form my two favorite little people in the world.

sincerely,

me

Chloe: 27 weeks — Lydia: 15 months

How far along? 27 weeks (on January 12)

Total weight gain: been over a month since I have been to the doctor and honestly haven’t stepped on a scale (who wants to do that?!)

Maternity clothes? Yes and I just went through my sister’s stuff and hit the jackpot! Can’t wait for all the fun new clothes I get to wear that actually fit!

Stretch marks? I found a couple :/

Sleep: not bad, but not great… I need to start borrowing my sister’s maternity body pillow

Best moment this week: taking this week’s pics with Lydia and asking her where the baby is- she points to hereof and rocks her arms back and forth as if holding a baby and says “bay-be” and “mom-ma”

Miss Anything? laying on my tummy on the floor when I play with Liddy bug

Movement: Yes! It has picked up this week- love

Food cravings: chocolate peppermint shakes

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Gender: girl!!

Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: lower back pain and shortness of breath phase has started :/

Belly Button in or out? out!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and probably a bit moody 😉

Looking forward to: going to the doctor and hearing our sweet baby girl’s heart beat… its been far too long!

on the beach! Yup. We got to eat our thanksgiving dinner on the roof of the Remke’s house which just happens to over look the ocean… ! What an amazing view with wonderful friends, yummy food and a gorgeous sunset. We have much to be thankful for.

Just a few things I am thankful for this year…

• Lydia May- she has been such a blessing to us and has brought so much joy into our lives
• baby Chloe on the way- even though she was a surprise we are so thankful for her and the joy that she has brought to us already
• The Remke family- they truly have become like family to us, we have been so blessed to get to do life with them
• Our friends- we value you all so much and could not walk this journey without you all
• Our family- they are such great supporters of us and have loved us well from a far
• Chase- he is the best and I couldn’t imagine running this race without him by my side

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving 2013… very different 🙂  

our setting for dinner

our BFFs and party guests for the weekend

great conversations (and Instagram-ing) by candle light

dessert at our house… homemade pies, whipped cream and decaf coffee

“be joyful always, pray continually, and GIVE THANKS in all circumstances.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

19 weeks 

baby was the size of a mango!

21 weeks

How far along? 22 weeks (December 1st I was 21 weeks.. yes I am really behind! I took pictures for both 19 and 21 weeks, however this week I am 22 weeks… so I am going to write about how I am doing at 22 weeks! ha

Total weight gain: at my last doctor’s apt (December 1st)

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? a saw a few the other day! :/

Sleep: pretty good just not enough!

Best moment this week: deciding on a name for our sweet little girl… Chloe (we are still thinking about the middle name), getting to see her at our appointment on the 1st- she was wiggling around a ton, and Chase getting to feel her for the first time! Loving all the little movements in my belly!

Miss Anything? cookie dough and laying on my back

Movement:  a lot more the past few weeks… love it!

Food cravings: grapefruit

Anything making you queasy or sick: doing pretty good with this… still can’t finish a full meal without wanting to spit it out at the end

Gender: a GRIL!

Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: tired, back pain, and I feel HUGE this week!

Belly Button in or out? out! it has officially popped!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: emotional and happy

Looking forward to: seeing what Lydia will be like with her baby sister! I also wonder if she will ever react to my growing belly? So far she hasn’t noticed anything…

I had so many people ask me in the states if we were going to record this pregnancy with the chalk boards again… as much as I loved those and am so thankful to Jord for doing them each week it is way too much work with a one year old running around this time! So this time Jord is just going to take my pic each week while I am wearing the above maternity calendar shirt (got this cute idea from Pinterest). Hope its a fun way for you all to stay involved with #2!

I laugh cuz we starting taking pics of the belly with Lydia at 9 weeks and with this poor child  we are starring at 15… I guess that’s how it goes for second and third and so on children! 🙂

How far along? 15 weeks (October 20)

Total weight gain: not sure? maybe 5 or 6 lbs?

Maternity clothes? Yes (for pants… much more comfortable! I think I am in them much sooner this time around, but I have not shame… why be uncomfortable when maternity jeans are a.m.a.z.i.n.g! )

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: not so great… for one we are still jet lagging (well Lydia is anyway..) and two, pretty much since the beginning of this pregnancy I wake up to go pee in the middle of the night and then lay awake for another hour or two (or more)! It is so frustrating!

Best moment this week: finishing making my maternity calendar shirt (thank you Pinterest) – I bought the shirt about a month and a half ago and just now had the time to sit down and make it!

Miss Anything? sleeping through the night

Movement: I feel like maybe I have felt the baby move a few times already!! My favorite part of pregnancy is getting to feel the little kicks and rolls, can’t wait for more!

Food cravings: fatoosh salad (a yummy arab salad with crunchy bread on top), steak and potatoes

Anything making you queasy or sick: I have in general been more sick (esp in 1st trimester) with this one… I was queasy most of the time and had to constantly be eating, I also got  “magic pill” to help with nausea from the doctor and it was amazing!

goat brain… yes, I tried some during Eid (a local holiday we just celebrated out here with our friends). We were eating goat and rice (which tasted good) then the started to bang the brains out of the goats head and put some in front of me and said try it! I was already starting to feel a little bit queasy toward the end of the meal anyway, then thinking about the brain made it worse, but I decided to try it anyway, however, as soon as I did I spit it right back up and had to run to the bathroom to finish getting rid of it… blah! The totally understood since I am pregnant – I can’t say that the same thing wouldn’t have happened pregnant or not, but I am glad I had an excuse!

Also, usually the last two bites of every meal I can’t finish… I usually feel sick and have to stop.- very strange feeling.

Gender: not sure yet?!

Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: tired, emotional, bloated

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, I love 2nd trimester!

Looking forward to: finding out the gender of our baby and hearing the heart beat… It has been about 7 weeks since we went to the doctor, so I am excited to go on Thursday and hear how our “mcpeanut” is doing!

well, here we go again, late and behind- I guess thats the story of life with a 9 month old, moving and sporadic internet! I am actually hoping to start a 365 project again starting on July 10, the first day of Ramadan. I have honestly been missing taking pictures, learning about my camera, and capturing the small everyday things. So with Ramadan (the month of Muslim fasting) upon us, things tend to slow down a lot and so I felt like it would be a good time to start it up again.

1. date season 

Fresh dates are in season right now and I am not going to lie, I am not a huge fan of them…. but man they love them. Dates are a huge part of the culture- they are served to guests with Arab coffee, used in baked goods, and they used to be a  major food stable for the Bedouin people as they traveled across the desert for days with not much else to eat.

2. cuz limes 

One of our neighbors has a lime tree! About an hour before sunset Chase, Liddy and I have been taking walks to meet new neighbors and explore our neighborhood and I discovered this tree! I would make a lot of Key Lime pies if I had this tree in my yard.

3. afternoon stroll 

This is the alleyway I pass through as I go to visit local ladies in their outdoor mejlious (sitting area) along the beach. It’s almost surreal to me as I sit chatting and trying to understand the S0har dialect with the ocean waves crashing about five feet in front of me… I often have to remind myself that I am not on vacation. I look forward to many great conversations and yummy food to be eaten here.

4. my view 

Sweet Liddy May is 9 months already! One of my favorite things she does these days is scrunch up her nose like this pic. Hard to believe how much I love this little girl.

5. the fourth 

We had a great low key 4th this year especially compared to last year’s party where we had about 100 Americans over. My favorite part about this year’s party was the hamburger bar… caramelized onions, avocados, turkey bacon, queso… yummy!

*bonus pic* (Chase actually took this one)

Just thought this was a fun shot that Chase took. Am loving our new town because the people are always out! From about 5:30- sunset locals line the beach watching their kids and husbands play in the ocean while enjoying the breeze from the ocean. It is a great way to meet people and get fresh air!

Introducing Lydia May McGough! Born October 3rd at 5:56 pm. 6 lbs 12 oz and 19 inches long. Mama and Daddy are overwhelmed by God’s little blessing.

More pictures and stories coming soon!