Team McNeley

Another Girl

2012-02-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

We're patiently waiting for the newest little girl to arrive... Baby Picken is due in March and she'll be the perfect addition to our family. Here we celebrated her upcoming arrival:

The mama-to-be.

Jameson trying to steal the baby away from Stef.


A little something for Grandma.

That Barber gals with Jessica.

The Buhman and Williams ladies.

Jameson, Baby and Jessica.

A Late Winter

2012-02-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

Finally, snow -- and it lasted for a week! We loved playing, well Jameson liked observing and walking on compact snow. But, the foot of powder, sledding and snowballs ... not so much. She got a good chuckle sledding with Finley, but that was it.

We were so excited when it first began:

And then the real stuff hit!

Give Us A Break!

2012-02-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

No, I'm talking about a Kit-Kat bar; although that does sound good just about now! We found ourselves in a few little pickles this last month, and we're just about ready for this phase to be over so we can get a better start to 2012!

It all started on January 2. Adam went to check his laundry and discovered he was walking through a swamp -- the soggy carpet was just about everywhere in the basement common area, otherwise known as "Man Land." After a semi-panic we discovered that our hot water heater busted and flooded. Luckily, we caught it soon after that it didn't cause too much damage. Besides having to replace the water heater (thank you, Derek, Dad and Josh!), we moved everything out (it's a lot of stuff - just think of hoard's of baseball cards and sports memorabilia), shop vacuumed the carpet three times, warmed up the room with full-blast heat and fans, tore up the carpet, moved the carpet to the neighbors' garage to dry (thank you, Josh and Nicole!), trashed the padding, let the cement dry, laid down new padding, laid down the salvaged carpet, re-ironed the seams, set the carpet in place, and finally moved the furniture back in place just about an hour before my family arrived for Jameson's birthday weekend! Yikes! What a scramble! Lesson #1: Check your water heater maintenance suggestions so you don't find yourself in this predicament.

And, on top of that, Adam had to do most of the work because... REWIND: On January 3, Adam and I were putting away our Christmas bins in the garage, which requires an extension ladder. I was passing a heavy bin without a lid up to Adam who was on the ladder and, plain and simple, I was too short and too weak to give it that extra push, lost my balance (mind you, I was still on the ground), and my chest landed on golf clubs while the bin came crashing down missing my head, thankfully only breaking every single Christmas light. I fell to the ground, wind knocked out of me with a very worried Adam and Jameson. As soon as I caught my breath and told both of them that I was "ok," I went straight to bed with ice. I finally threw in the towels a few days later and had X-Rays. They didn't find anything broken, just bruised and strained ribs. I left with a high dose of Ibuprofen and some Vicadin! It's not that cool -- I don't think I slept through the night for a whole week. And, it took a good few weeks to get to the point where I could lift anything, including Jameson. That was really hard to deal with. I ended up talking to the doctor a few days ago and he told me that I most likely had a hairline fracture since the pain lasted so long. Lesson #2: leave your Christmas stuff up all year long! Better yet, Lesson #2.1: get injured after a major home project so you don't have to help.

A few weeks later, winter finally arrived. Our first snowfall shut down the region with snow, ice, and power outages. We were fortunate to have never lost our power, but I didn't make it in to work for most of the week. It was beautiful! And, it was fun to let life stand still for a bit. But, it made getting our jobs done a little more complicated than we had liked. Lesson #3: Always buy 4x4s.

Because of the snow storm, Jameson's two-year pictures were canceled. We planned our weekend around them, and had everything ready. But at the last minute, the dirty snow and down trees made a very ugly background. It all worked out in the end, but... still! Lesson #4: Don't have a child in the winter.

I could share a few more things, but then it just sounds like I'm complaining and I'm not. Lesson #5: When I write a novel about my hardships, I am complaining.

A Rootin’ Tootin’ Birthday Party

2012-02-05T16:23:00.000-08:00

We had a boot scottin’ celebration for Jameson’s secondbirthday! Our family came over to enjoy a good ole BBQ cook out. Jameson hadlots of fun playing with her cousins. She was very shy opening her gifts infront of everyone, just too many eyes on her at one time. Although, she did snapout of it and didn’t mind watching us sing “Happy Birthday” as she blew out hercandles (yes, she actually blew out her candles all by herself!). Sometimesit’s hard to predict how she’ll react in a crowd. Oh, what’s that? She’s two?Yes, that’s right.

Thank you to all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles andcousins for showering her with fun toys and clothes! She is enjoyingeverything!

No, she did not get an iPad for her birthday.

Pull down that skirt, young lady!

Looks like this cowboy is ready to hang up his boots!

There She Goes

2012-02-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

After spending a few hours putting together the hundreds ofpieces, it was finally ready to reveal (Thank you Daddy and Papa!). Jameson nowhas her own set of wheels… Power Wheels! And, yes, it’s a miniature of Adam’sJeep. Pretty funny, huh?

Minor detail, we didn’t realize Jameson’s legs wouldn’treach the gas pedal. So, her neighbor friend took her for the first spin – and Jamesonwas laughing all the way. But with a few trials, she figured it out and is now onthe move! We just need to work on turning. Again, minor details.

2 Years Old

2012-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

January 5, 2010 -- what a special day! The day our littlesweetness entered our world. Now, our baby is in full toddler mode. In fact,we’re pretty sure she entered her “terrible twos” the minute she turned two! Ok,that’s not totally accurate, but she can show a feisty side when she wants todo so.

Wild hair.

The birthday girl is happy!

We started the morning out with sprinkled pancakes on herspecial birthday plate (Thank you, Aunt Pam and Uncle Craig!)! Yum-o! I wassurprised how much she liked them. She even enjoyed adding more sprinkles…Shhh! I didn’t have the cap open, but she had fun, nonetheless. Go ahead, call me a mean mom!

Later that morning she went off to the sitter where shedressed up in a tutu, crown and whipped her wand around. She even had a redvelvet cupcake! You’d think it’s a sophisticated flavor for a young chicken likeJameson, but she liked it enough to take a few bites, and that’s saying a lot. Thank you, Janelle, for making her day a great one!

I have to admit, though, the motherly guilt set in strongthe evening of her big day – we really didn’t get to do much for her because itwas right in the middle of “Minor Disaster McNeley Week” (I’ll share later). Itis what it is, I guess. Thankfully, a few days later we had most of our ducksin a row and celebrated with family (again, more coming soon).

Jameson got two thumbs-up at her doctor appointment. Weended up seeing a new doctor this time around because our schedules conflicted.But, it turned out to be a good move – we liked him! I had to laugh -- the doctor asked us if we had been in the sun lately -- "ahhh, what sun?" I wanted to ask. Oh, right, vacation. Nope, she's just blessed with nice skin. I'm jealous. She’s right where sheshould be and we’re probably ready to potty train, or should I say begin pottymastery (that’s how the doctor likes to explain it) soon. Much to our surprise,she weighs a whopping 25 lbs. 12 oz. (60^th percentile on the newchart). My jaw nearly dropped, “wow!” I thought. Maybe we hold too muchexpectation on her picky eating and should sit back and relax. Well, it turnsout that I was overthinking too soon – her weight on the original growth chartis at the 25^th percentile. Whatever! I had a moment of anxiousexcitement. Nonetheless, she is doing great going at her own pace – I just wish she’d get some more cushion onher waist and fanny so that her pants don’t fall down! It’s either that orhigh-waters… She’s still a long one, measuring at 34 inches tall (85^thpercentile).

I totally spaced taking the traditional clinic photo ofJameson. So, here she is settling down in the car with her Nemo sticker aftergetting a few shots. By the way, those were the lastvaccinations (besides a flu shot, of course) that she will need until she goesoff to Kindergarten. Whohoo!

Coincidentally, Jameson woke-up the same morning with whatsounded like Croup. Here we go again… The doctor found everything to be normal-- I guess Croup isn’t a reoccurring condition. He thought Jameson might haverespiratory irregularities (yes, he said something different – a much moremedically sound explanation, but this is what I got from it). Any type ofsaliva build-up (from cold, allergens, etc.) can irritate the respiratorysystem, causing the nasty barking cough. Some children eventually develop asthmaticproblems. It’s just something to be on the alert and only a possibility. All weknow is that something is going on in her little chest that flares up every nowand then. We bust out the inhaler when it happens, and that seems to somewhat help.She’s actually getting pretty good about using it, but I’m not completely soldthat she really takes deep breaths when she’s told to.

So, what is Jameson like these days? Besides the occasionalsass in the pants that I spoke of earlier, she is truly a sweet little girl.She’s very caring and is a great help around the house. She’s discovering newthings every day and follows directions very well. She love, loves, loveselectronics and even though she has her own toy look-alikes, she has a hardtime letting go of big-kid phones, computers and remote controls. She gets veryexcited when someone visits and throws a fit when they leave… “no bye-bye,” shesays. Speaking of, her vocabulary is strengthening and she’s now saying severalphrases and the “almost sentences” where you can pick out a few words and theneverything else is jibber-jabber. She usually is a chatt-cathy at home, andvery shy for the first few hours in a social setting. Her favorite book is the“Beast with the Polka-Dot Hide” and favorite song has to be the Mickey MouseClub House “Hot Dog” song. It’s hilarious. We need to work on her dance moves. Shecould spend hours playing with dolls, Little People and crayons/coloring books.It’s hard to put her to bed because we just want to play with her as long as wecan.

She is a gift.

Christmas Time

2012-01-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Christmas season, jam-packed with partiesand good traditions. Thank you to everyone who shared memorable times withus, for showering us with fun gifts and for sending your warm wishes.

WE ARE LOVED

Thank you for all of the wonderful season greetings! Suchbeautiful cards!

CHRISTMAS TREE HUNTING

It took us a few years, but we are now flocking to the treefarms to find our traditional Christmas tree, the Norway Spruce. We always havereally good luck with them keeping nice and fresh during the month. And thecoloring is always nice and rich. We better stop traveling because we’rerunning out of room for all of our ornaments that we pick-up along the way.Maybe it’s time for two trees!

SNOWFLAKE LANE

We’ve been trying to partake in a new holiday event eachyear. This year we went to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue, Wash. We had great luckgoing at the beginning of the season and on a weeknight. So, it wasn’t overlybusy. We had a nice dinner with Aunt Lacey who was in town for business, and rushed out to see the main event! The drummers, sugar plum ferries, ice princesses and everyone else wasout spreading the holiday cheer beneath the sky of (fake) snow. Jameson likedchecking everything out and dancing to the music. The pictures don’t dojustice. But, if you are looking for a free event in the Seattle area, youshould check it out next year.

ANNUAL McNELEY CHRISTMAS PARTY

Our tradition with our dear friends keeps getting better andbetter because we get to share it with so many of our children! It makes for anearly evening, but it is so worth escaping the holiday bustle and dedicate anight that we can share good food and catch up. And, thank you to Santa formaking a very special appearance. Perhaps Miss Jameson will like you betternext year!

And, in case you are wondering... no, that is not spaghetti on Jameson's face. She had a tumble down the stairs from our porch. Poor thing!

McGOUN CHRISTMAS CELEBTRATION

Thank you to the Prichard family for hosting this year’scelebration with Adam’s mom’s side of the family. There are six kids betweenalmost 2 and 4, so we had tons of fun toys to open and made lots of messes.Most importantly, in lieu of the traditional gift exchange for the second yearin a row, we instead supported a local charity called Survive the Night, givingseveral sets of pajamas, toothbrushes/toothpastes and stuffed animals forchildren who are removed from their homes and brought to State custody. Youshould check it out -- it’s a pretty snazzy organization!

CHRISTMAS WITH ADAM’S FAMILY

We gathered to exchange gifts with Adam’s family. After Nanashared a cute little story, the kids dove in to the presents and immediatelystarted playing!

McNELEY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

We hosted Christmas Eve with Adam’s Dad’s family this year.It was a jam-packed day with the Seahawks playing, but the celebration went offwithout a hitch. Santa made an early visit, thank you to the old man in red!And, the kids made out like bandits! We had good food and as always, very yummycookies! It was great having everyone at our house this year.

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Santa found us Christmas morning, thank goodness! We’velived here almost seven years and this was the first Christmas morning that wewoke up in our own home. It felt great! And, it was particulary great to seeJameson check out everything that Santa left for her beneath the tree and inher stocking. She was really good at unwrapping gifts, but didn’t show theover-excited-thrilled-with-joy that we expected. Maybe next year. After getting the car packed,we headed South.

BUHMAN CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

We were in Camas by mid-afternoon on Christmas day just in time to opengifts. I think next year we’ll have to put a one-gift limit on Jameson. Wedidn’t know where we’d put everything! We still don’t! Keeping in tradition, wehad a delicious prime-rib dinner and topped off the evening with a movie by thefire. A great way to end a busy month.

Tidy Heidi is Rubbing Off

2012-01-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

All it takes is one time for Jameson to observe a task. Thenshe stores it in that big head of hers and whips it out in due time.

Forexample, she followed me to the laundry room the other day. While I wasfinishing up some laundry, Jameson took it upon herself to brush her teeth. I’mnot going to ever tell my child not to brush her teeth, even if it is right beforedinner. So, I continue to let her do her thing while watching her out of thecorner of my eye (or, am I supposed to say the eyes on the back of my head … Ithink that’s what my mom told me!). She climbs on to the chair besides thesink, turns on the water, climbs down, grabs her stool out of the closet, movesthe mat in front of the sink, pushes her stool in front of the sink, opens thecabinet door, grabs her toothbrush, shuts the cabinet door, pushes her stoolcloser to the sink, climbs up the stool and starts brushing. This in itself isamazing to me that a two-year-old is capable of taking this many steps to do theone thing she wanted to do.

Minutes later, I turned off the water and stood atthe doorway with my arms full of folded laundry asking Jameson to follow me.She got off of her stool, opened the cabinet door, put her toothbrush away andwent to the basket of dirty laundry sitting nearby. Confused, I asked, “Whatare you doing?” A little puzzled herself, she looked at the pile of sweatersand finally picked one, took it over to the step stool and wiped off the waterspots.

I just shook my head. I guess she’s seen me take a towel out of thedirty laundry to clean something. She is definitely her mother’s daughter!

Cavity Free and A Full Mouth, Well Almost…

2012-01-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

Last month Jameson visited the dentist for the first time. Iwas very nervous to take her to a man she has never met. After all, she wouldbarely let me in her mouth, let alone allow a stranger. And, I was also nervousfor an evaluation of just how well we take care of Jameson’s teeth. Were we reallydoing a good job with a squirmy, independent toddler?

We made it back to theexam area and met the dentist who gave fabulous, realistic parenting tips forcleaning a young child’s teeth. Her 30 to 40 second teeth exam went better thanexpected. Yes, she fought it and a few tears came streaming, but I expectedmuch worse. The good news is, the dentist got to see all of her teeth, scrapedand brushed every one of them, and gave her a cavity-free result. Yippee! Sorelieved!

He saw that her 2-year molars were coming in, and sure enough a fewweeks later they started popping through. We can finally put the terrible teething to rest for a few years!Another Yippee!

The only bummer news is that the dentist predicted Jamesonwould probably need braces when she matured because her teeth are already so close,if not overlapping in some areas. Agh. He said, just avoid the morning latteand put the few bucks in the braces jar. Fair enough.

First Sentence

2012-01-19T10:35:00.000-08:00

Today, Jameson and I got the coloring books and crayons out. She opened the "Dora the Explorer" coloring book and landed on a page that had previously been scribbled on ... by her. Jameson looks up at me and clearly says, "Dora has an owie."

Looks like we're turning in to a big girl in the blink of an eye!

This and That

2012-01-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

A few random moments last month!

Learning how to take a self-portrait.

Loving the popcorn that Mr. Myron and Verna brought over!

First pigtails.

Back view.

Goofball.

Cool dude!

Aunt Laura and Jameson.

Cousin Maddy sharing the iPod.

Labtop time! Nerd alert!

Jameson, Molly and Annison.

I think she's ready to go! Only three purses, six headbands and two babies.

Loves playing with Cars dominos.

Studying up on her animals.

Could you be any cuter?

Last night of being a one-year-old.

Ahhh, love.

Baby Crazy

2012-01-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

As you may have seen in the last post, Jameson is baby crazy, to say the least. Luckily, I've been able to share some dolls from my childhood collection. She loves taking her baby dolls every where with her, putting them in her cart, talking to them, feeding them (when she should be eating), reading stories to them. I was happy to capture this candid moment on video...

2012-01-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

The Vanns invited us to a little Christmas pre-funk earlier this month. We had lots of fun catching up with their friends and eating really good food -- no surprise there. The youngest Vann, Miss Adelyn, who was born in late September was the prize possession. She was a real trooper getting passed around to everyone. One person in particular, Jameson! She would not let go of that poor baby! I had to forcefully take Jameson away from Adelyn, which led to a nice little tantrum. She was all over her the entire night. A little baby crazy right now.

The big girls LOVE babies.

Don't worry, I'd be freaked out, too, Adelyn.

"I'll remember this when I'm old enough to defend myself."

2012-01-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Cooper's first birthday last month. He's been walking for quite some time and making his presence well-known. We had a great time cheering him on with his cake eating. He did such a fantastic job that he got a bath afterward. Happy Birthday, Coop!

Cooper ready for some sugar!

Miss Lyla so ready to walk.

Jameson and Jakob


Lollipop tree ... fun! Jameson sneaked three of them!

Great work on the cupcakes, Cori!


The fam

Big sister Hailey helping blow out the candle.

Let the games begin.

The big kids eggin him on.

I'm so happy!

Peter, Jameson and Madison

"Did someone say presents?"

"I can do this!"

"I think I like the tag best."

Thanksgiving

2012-01-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

We spent turkey day with Adam’s parents, aunt and grandmathis year. With a small group of adults and only one child, it was a quaint andquiet day. We had such a great meal – everything was delish! I managed to make myfirst-ever pumpkin pie. It turned out ok, but next time I will use more spices.I especially liked the peanut butter torte that I made; I think I gained fivepounds devouring that thing!

Sitting at the table in a big-girl chair.

Graukie knows how to win Jameson's heart.

Graukie and Jameson.

Great Grandma Gloria, Papa McNeley and Jameson

Sharing oranges with Daddy.

Needed a pit stop before getting PJs on.

Nana and Jameson ready for bed.

On our way home, we got caught in a traffic jam. Not toocrazy for this area, but odd that it was 10:30 on Thanksgiving evening. “Mustbe an accident,” I thought. Oh, no. This was a terrible case of BLACK FRIDAY.The stop and go freeway traffic was caused by the Wal-Mart shoppers trying toget their fabulous deals. Craziness, I say … craziness. We stayed far away fromthat madness. And, I think we’re happier for it!

These Shoes

2012-01-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is a very late post considering these photos weretaken back in September… I couldn’t help but share. Jameson’s shoe collection hasnever been lacking – I guess the nut doesn’t fall from the tree after all. Itry to be frugal, knowing very well that the life of a toddler shoe can come and go witha blink of an eye. We are fortunate enough, however, to always be receivinghand-me-downs and gifts along the way. So, it makes life, or should I say,Jameson’s closet, very complete!

These shoes shown here are the shoes that have taken theworst beating. Our dear friends, the Schmid family, gave these to us whenJameson was a newborn. I patiently waited for Jameson to fit in them. Don’t getme wrong, she had fabulous shoes before these – thank you to a few of ourreaders – but, I could take them out of the box today and they would look brandnew. Not much damage for a little miss who took forever to walk!

Finally, more than a year later, the shoes fit! Andaround that time, Jameson learned to walk. Purely coincidental, but I will alwaysremember these shoes. Past all of the scuffs and scratches, there are memories.They went everywhere with us. They went down to Portland and across the country and back – travelingto twelve different states. They were in snow (unexpectedly), wind, rainand sun. They were stumbled in, walked in, ran in. They were worn with socks in the spring and bare feet in the summer. They were soft enough to keep Jameson going and light enough for herto pick up her feet. And, they went with everything -- a super plus!

Since these shoes, Jameson has never slowed down.

And,that is something to smile about.

These Hands

2011-11-18T21:50:00.001-08:00

These hands one day clenched our pinkie fingers. Today, they pull our hand, slam cabinets, drag toys across the floor, give high-fives, draw pictures, and tickle Mom and Dad. Today they are our little turkeys sitting on our refrigerator (thank you to Janelle for another fun Thursday project!).

Today, we are thankful. Thankful for our precious, beautiful little girl who has taught us true life. Thankful for our little family. Thankful for our family and friends. Thankful for our good jobs. Thankful for our home. Thankful for all of the gifts in our life. Thankful for cute shoes. OK, I will stop there.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Enjoy your company and may you have a wonderful feast! We'll be thinking of you!

To Die For...

2011-11-18T21:30:00.001-08:00

Each fall I try to sneak over to Central Market to purchase my annual indulgence -- Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies. Oh my gosh. Let's just say it is really hard to resist eating more than one. They are moist and packed with chocolate chips, drizzled with the perfect amount of dark chocolate. Ahhh. It's definitely something I look forward to year after year. Yes, they are a bit spendy. But, honey, I'm telling you, it is so worth it! And, the best part about it -- no one else likes them in my house! Yes! Each and every one of those 10,000 calories is ALL mine, baby! It's a wonderful prelude to the fat holiday season!

I was thinking about trying out a recipe. Central Market has a great number of recipes for your liking, but of course not for these wonderful pieces of heaven. Imagine that. On second thought, I think that may just take the fun out of it for me. Plus, when am I honestly going to make them? Maybe you'd like to try a few that I found from Food Network or All Recipes.

Better yet, just run to the market -- you only have six more days before they are gone until next year!

Clear As Day

2011-11-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

It arrived and we’re wondering whenit will go away. It is starting to wear out its welcome. It is the word … “no.”

Jameson added the word into hervocabulary quite some time ago, so it’s not that it is a new word. Better said,it’s more like a statement! Literally overnight she began saying “no” withsuch clarity, such meaning, such … sass!

We really tried to refrain fromusing the word “no” in the earlier stages, trying to come up with more creativeways, like “I don’t think so…” Ok, not so creative. But, we tried. And, nowthat I think about it, we may have relaxed a little too much, a little too early.I think we failed.

[noh] adverb,adjective, noun, plural noes, nos, verb

adverb

1. anegative usedto express dissent, denial, or refusal, as in responseto a questionor request

2. used to emphasizeor introduce anegative statement

3. not in anydegree ormanner; not at all

Jameson clearly uses the word toexpress dissent, denial or refusal. And, I suppose she uses it to emphasize herfeelings about something. And she definitely uses it to tell us no way!

As much as this can be annoying, itis kind of funny the way she says it with so much Diva in her voice. We try notto laugh. We try not to get annoyed. We try to understand where she is comingfrom.

Mom and Dad: Would you like yogurt?

Jameson: No

Mom and Dad: Would you like cheerios?

Jameson: No

Mom and Dad: Would you like cheese?

Jameson: No

Mom and Dad: Would you like banana?

Jameson: No

Mom and Dad: Is your favorite word no?

Jameson: No

I think she just likes to say, “no!”

This, too, shall pass.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T22:11:00.001-07:00

She did it! Jameson got her Cookie Monster costume on and came home with a full bag of treats. Mom and Dad are trying not to steal it all!

Before heading to the big event, Jameson visited my work with my co-workers' child -- she was a very adorable garden gnome. I dressed Jameson up as the HealthForce Super Hero (HealthForce is the company I work for). It was pretty comical, but Jameson was a bit shy in her costume. I relied on my phone to snap a few shots. Not that great, oh well.

Thanks to Erin and Justin for hosting the evening festivities. We met the other little cousins at their house, had pizza and headed out to the pleasantly, non-rainy Halloween night. Jameson and Campbell caught on quickly, following the big kids from door to door. In fact, Jameson figured out that if she just stood in front of the homeowner long enough, she just might get another treat! Smarty pants! She was having fun saying thank you and waving good-bye to each contributor. We're sure she'll be all over it next year.

It was a long day, so we all had a very good night sleep.

Fall Road Trip

2011-11-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

We took a much needed break from work and escaped to Montanafor a bit. It was cool, crisp and the yellow colors were vibrant as ever! Wetried to sleep and lounge as much as possible, but ended up keeping prettybusy.

On the way over, we spent the afternoon with Adam's cousin Evan in Sandpoint, Idaho. First off, if you never been, Sandpoint is a little jem tucked away in the panhandle. It is a sweet little town on a beautiful lake. We had a great lunch at a brew pub and then watched Evan coach his soccer team of 12-year-old girls. He did a really good job -- we were proud of him and had a good time hanging out.

The first full day we took a tiny hike down to Kootnai Falls on the Kootnai River. It is the major river that flows through the region. We saw a large herd of mountain sheep, Adam was pretty excited about that. Jameson did great -- she walked all of the way from the parking lot to nearly the swinging bridge. Speaking of which, the bridge is a little scary. I do well with heights, Adam, not so much. They call it a swinging bridge for a reason. It definitely swings. But, Jameson did great on it. I, on the other hand, felt a little more responsible for having precious cargo with me. I don't know how long the trail is, but it's a jaunt for a 21-month-old with 12" legs. Thankfully I brought along the front pack because Jameson was out on the way back to the car. I think Mommy needs a little more exercise. Packing along 22 extra pounds was a little more exhilarating than I was hoping for that day!

One day we took a daytrip to Flathead Valley and as we were approaching town, we saw the mostamazing site – five bears up in a tree alongside of the main highway. As youcan imagine, it was causing a traffic jam, and we hear that it made nationalnews! After shopping and having lunch in Kalispell and Whitefish, we headed toBig Fork to check out Flathead Lake. It’s a beauty! Jameson learned how to skip rocks... well, maybe just throw rocks into the lake. On the way back to thecabin, we saw several herds of deer and flocks of turkeys.

The next day Jameson and Mom escorted Dad to the golfcourse. It was freezing for the first few hours and finally the sun startedshining. I was very close to camping out in the club house, but I stuck it out.The coldness didn’t seem to bother Jameson. She loved driving the cart!

We spent one day with my aunt and uncle’s family. While theguys went fishing (we now have a freezer stocked with trout!), us girls headedto Bonners Ferry, ID, about a 35-minute drive, to go for lunch and shopping.They have great shops there – I found a purse on clearance for $20 – what asteal! We came back to have a good dinner with the rest of the family. My aunt sentus home with the cute little wooden bench that my cousins and their childrenplayed with. It is perfect for Jameson!

Later in the week we took off to Camas. Adam stayed at ourfamily cabin to enjoy his first weekend as a real hunter (yes, watch out folks,he received his hunter’s safety certificate!) with the rest of the burly men.Us girls spent the weekend at Grammie’s. The night before we left we had agreat time at my nephew Lucian’s costume birthday party! There were lots of funtreats and great costumes! We interrupted Miss J’s late nap, which could havejust been her night time, so she just wasn’t having her costume. Hopefully, itwill be a different story on Halloween!

Bakin' a Cake

2011-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Jameson is a pretty lucky girl -- she spends time with some amazing people. But, on Thursdays when shespends the day with Mom's friend, Janelle, she gets spoiled rotten. I’m not kidding. Thispast week, Jameson and Janelle baked a pumpkin cake and decorated it. She absolutely loved it. Jamesonbrought the cake home and hasn’t stopped playing with it and eating it since! In fact, we put it up high and I laid a towel over it this morning so that Jameson would eat her healthy breakfast! Janelle, you may have created a sugar monster!

The Farm

2011-10-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

We met the Tarons at The Farm in Snohomish earlier thismonth for some traditional harvest time. Cooper wasn’t feeling that well, butHailey and Jameson had fun watching the animals, running through the corn mazeand picking out a pumpkin. We got to watch the infamous duck race, which ishilarious! And, Hailey caught a fish! It’s a great place – we highly recommendit!

And, we're spent.

Get With The Program Already

2011-09-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it’s been awhile. In fact, I’ve beenharassed from a few people that have been “secretly” coined our “blog stalkers.”You know who you are. Pat yourself on the back for getting my bootie in gear. TeamMcNeley is back to blogging business! We’ve had lots of fun things going onthis summer and have shared them with you in the posts below. They date all the way back tothe first of August, so be sure to keep clicking on "Older Posts." To get started, here are a few photos throughout the summer with J-bug:

Slumber Party!

Summer jammies.

Crayon time!

Future fashionista: she wanted two headbands on and the ones she picked out just so happened to match her outfit, too! I think she may be on to something. It's pretty hip!

Chocolate hangover.

Jameson and Finley takin' a spin.

Shoppin' the catalogs.

Help! I'm stuck!

I know this button does something... Yes, it does!

Time for bear and doll to eat lunch. Good thing Jameson likes to share (sometimes).

A Gift to Cherish

2011-09-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Dempsey traveled from SouthernCalifornia to Camas a few weeks back. We rarely get to see them, so it’s atreat when we do. We headed down and much to our surprise, they broughtsomething special with them for Jameson. Grandpa made a wooden rocking horsefor her! It is gorgeous! And, she loves riding it. They also spoiled her with afew dolls and a Little People tractor set. Thank you, G and G!

It's Christmas in September!

Great Grandpa Tom and Miss J

Great Grandma Jose and Great Grandpa Tom with Jameson on her new homemade rocking horse.

How special is that?

Jump, Jump, Jump!

2011-09-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our friend, Bree's third birthday at Jump Planet the otherday. There was definitely a lot of jumping! Jameson wasn't too sure about it.In fact, she was pretty frightened by the whole thing. Adam and I had fun.Thanks for a great day! Happy Birthday, Bree!

Soaking in the Last Bit of Sun

2011-09-29T21:56:00.001-07:00

We hung out at Carleton Farm with the Taron's after work to enjoy the last bit of sun we'll see for a while. Hailey and Jameson had a good time running through the flowers together. The animals were pretty fun, too! It was great to just have a laid back outing a few minutes away from home.

Owen Turns Four

2011-09-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Our nephew Owen’s fourth birthday party was a hit! No punintended. With baseballs, fun ballpark food and lots of kids! He’s getting sobig and is lots of fun to hang with. Happy Birthday, Owen!

Nana and Jameson

Carter

Nora

Papa and Campbell

Erin and Owen

Happy wishes.

Yum.

Great Grandma Gloria, Cousin Mindee and Jameson

Jameson, Owen, Campbell and Great Grandma Gloria

Welcome To The World, Miss Adelyn!

2011-09-29T21:55:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Andrea, Jimmy and Jackson on their newest addition to the family! Adelyn Mae made her entrance in to the world a few weeks early! She is a tiny bundle of all girl! The entire family is inheaven since this is the first girl on both sides of the family for quite sometime. Introducing the little beauty with her mama:

Earlier this summer we were happy to be apart of a surprise shower for Andrea and Jimmy. We had a great time, but I was unprepared and my camera died. So, I missed all of the cutie food and decor that was put together by Andrea's friend, Janna, and her mom, Lisa. They did an awesome job! Here are the few moments that we captured on camera.

Amy, Andrea and me (grew up going to school with each other since middle school) and our girls Markee, Macynn, Adelyn (not yet born) and Jameson.

Andrea's Dad giving a nice speech about expecting a baby girl.

The Big 3-0

2011-09-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

I know, I can’t believe it myself, I am now officially 30years old. It hit me a little harder than I expected, not because I feel old,but I guess I’m just officially entering the “you are for sure an adult” phase ofmy life. Honestly, since being married and having a baby, the twenties havebeen long over for me anyways. But, at least it felt like they weren’t that faraway. Now, they are. Ha! But, I made the most of it and celebrated with myfriends and family with a good, old house party. Thank you to everyone formaking it a fabulous day!

And, the aftermath.

September is Da Bomb

2011-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Or should I say, December is Da Bomb! For our family, it isclear that September is the month to have babies. I not only had it in myfamily, but I married in to it, too! Here are eight members of my family,including myself, who were born in September. Seven of us are Virgos! I haveone nephew, Adam’s aunt, and a few cousins not pictured. My other nephew is justa few days shy of the end of September, my husband is in August, and my brother-in-law inOctober. Whew! Did you catch all of that? I also have several friends that are September babies, too. I think there are just a few days that I don't have anyone marked on my calendar. There is something to say about this specialmonth, and I’m glad I get to share it with those I love!

From left: Kris – 19 (Adam’s mom), Craig – 12 (Adam’s dad),Erin – 13 (Adam’s sister), Owen 18 – (Erin’s son), me – 17, Lacey – 7 (mysister), Jesse – 18 (Lacey’s boyfriend), and Amanda – 29 (my sister).

And we're so much fun, too!

Traditional Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

We took a much-needed getaway to our cabin over Labor Dayweekend with the Buhmans. The weather was so good to us, which is kind of rarein the mountains, and we had lots of visitors that we enjoyed catching up with,too! We took winding, back roads East of Mt. St. Helens this time, something that we hadn’t tried before. Big mistake! Ok,it was gorgeous and all, but before getting through the brunt of the curves, Jamesongot carsick. Ewwwwww! We pulled over, got her cleaned up (I think Adam wentthrough an entire pack of wipes!), and she fell fast asleep shortly aftergetting on the road again… a nap that lasted five hours. She must have neededit. In the meantime, Adam and I had to have the windows down the rest of thetrip. Welcome to parenthood.

Aunt Lacey's attempt to recreate Steve Urkel ... "Did I do that?"

Sweet baby Annison.

Jameson's protesting making the bed.

That's funny, Grammie!

Work it, boys!

Jameson's boyfriend, Maddox.


"Don't ask me, Aunt Lacey bought fun colored soap. I thought I was supposed to be getting clean!"

Help!

Bad idea, Auntie.

All better... and, clean!

It Was a Fun Day at Jetty Island

2011-09-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we missed the boat. Or, I should say intentionally missed the boat. Jameson and I had the day to hang out during one of our rare hot summer days here in the Pacific Northwest. So, we put on our suits, packed a few towels, stopped by Jack in the Crack for some healthful food (does a smoothie count?) and headed to the foot ferry. For those of you who don't know about this little jem in the Everett marina, you can catch a free ferry to Jetty Island, which is basically a sand dune. We arrived at 3ish and grabbed a few passes. Yeah, we're headed to some of the only sand in the Sound! I was really excited to take some good photos.... until I saw the sign. "No, that can't be," I said to myself. "Am I reading that right?" I shuffle to the ticket booth and asked, "Is the only available boat back to the mainland not coming until 9 p.m.?" I think my eyes popped out of my head. The probably over-paid government worker who sits in a booth looking at people all day, doesn't even take money, said, "That's right! But, if you get a big group of 12 people together, you can call a few days in advance to book ahead." Pshhhh. That doesn't really help me and my 19-month-old baby, now does it. Well, without thinking twice I put our boarding passes right back on the rack. There is no way my baby and I are going to last sitting on the beach with a towel, lunch and a camera for six hours. We headed to the dock instead, sat on our towels with our swimsuits on and ate our grease. Isn't that how you want to spend the only 80 degree day in the summer? I was so irritated. In fact, I'm getting more irritated just talking about it. The morale of the story is, go early! Don't wait around until your child wakes up from a nap. We did have a good day just watching the boats and the birds. Here's our cute little bathing beauty:

Five Years of Pure Bliss

2011-09-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe the title is slightly sarcastic, just enough to be slightly funny... Adamand I are pretty proud that we just celebrated our fifth anniversary lastmonth. We’ve done a lot of growing up together in those short years and I mustsay things are going pretty well. Do we want to strangle each other every nowand then for the dumbest things? Certainly! But, what loving relationship doesn’t? Like any old,married couple with a young child, we went out to dinner at the local Mexican joint for the occasion.It wasn’t what we planned, but you know, it was exactly what we love to do –just being with the three of us. So, it all worked out. Here’s to many more yearsof a happy marriage!

Here are a few memories of our special day: