Conversations with Jack-Bo

I just don't have the time to blog as much as I'd like.  Work is in the way, life is busy, I want to be a good friend, daughter, wife and most importantly a good mother...so as much as I have to actually write, the time doesn't allow me to balance it all as well as I'd like...

Still, sometimes things happen that I just don't wanna forget.  Lately so much of what I wanna capture isn't a picture or an adventure, but rather, conversations I have had with my precious Jack-Bo.  Maybe a moment he had a realization or an opportunity I used to teach him something...or better yet, something he taught me.  

B/c it is fresh in my mind, I will start backwards with tonight, but much of what happens before this will not be in chronological order; it will actually be in whatever order I can conjure it up in my mind during the writing of this post.  I hope I never forget these conversations with my boy b/c not only are some of them comical, but they are also so sincere, so sweet, and so completely innocent and non-corrupted by the harsh realities life often throws in our faces.  Someday, when life experience has set in a bit more, I hope to be able to remind him of our special talks...

Tonight, while cuddling in bed after reading "We're Going on a Bear Hunt..."

Jack: What that bear name is?

Mommy: You mean the one from the story?  

Jack: Yeah.

Mommy: Hmmn.  I don't know.  Why don't we name him.

Jack: Ok.

Mommy: What do you want to call him?

Jack: (Deep thinking look on his face) I don't know.

Mommy: Well, how about Barry the Bear?

Jack: (Nodding) Ok.

Mommy: And since they were afraid of him and he was lonely and sad, we can be his friends!

Jack: (Pouty voice and snuggling closer) No, I don't want to.

Mommy: What?  You don't wanna visit him in his cave?

Jack: (Softer pouty voice) I wanna spend time with you, not the bear.

Mommy: Oooooh, well, I understand...(and my heart both melted and broke both at the same time.)

Friday Night at Dinner, Daddy and I were discussing how good our waiter was.  We were a little unsure of him in the beginning, as he had some quirks, but as we went on he proved to be very thorough, extra nice and totally on his game.  When Jack's root beer ran out he asked if Jack needed a refill.  We said just ice water please, and he said he would bring him a fresh cup.  A few minutes later he came back with a new kid cup full of ice water.  He set it down in front of Jack, and completely unsolicited, Jack said, "Thank you, you're a really great server!"  Mommy and Daddy were reminded once again that Jack never misses a beat!

Saturday I was getting ready to go to the chiropractor while Jack and Daddy were going to run some errands, including going to Costco.  Before I left I told Brett if Jack is hungry give him some leftover pasta from last night before you go.  Jack was watching Curious George on the computer, but clearly still had his listening ears on b/c he chimed in all on his own with, "No!  Them might have samples there!"  Of course he was referring to the samples at Costco, as he is a frequent customer with his GRandi and Papa and also his Aunt Christie.  :-)

Multiple times this past week...

"Mommy, I miss you at work."

"Oh honey, I missed you too!  So much!"

"I don't like you to go to work.  I don't like anybody to go to work."

Last Monday after a stressful appointment at the midwife, I was feeling very overwhelmed and was crying in the car on the way home and talking to Brett on the phone about how freaked out I was feeling.  Jack of course was in his car seat in the back, and I should have been less emotional, but sometimes I just can't help it.  "Mama!  Don't be sad, Mama!  You're my favorite Mama!"  Of course, I tell Jack he is my favorite boy in the whole world all the time, but it is especially amazing when he says something like that to me!

Saturday again...bedtime...we were cleaning up some toys including Jack's play toolbox.  He also has a real tape measure that I wanted him to put in there with it.  "No, I not going to put it in there b/c I going to use it to measure something tomorrow."  His concept of time, both future and past is totally advanced.  The way he keeps track of morning time, tomorrow, yesterday, last time, etc. is just so radical at not even 3 years old!

This one isn't mine to share, but it is still so sweet that Daddy won't mind.  Jack and Daddy were at Home Depot on this same Saturday and Jack heard a saw of some sort.  "Daddy, that sound like framing going on!"  You can tell this kid has spent some time with Daddy at his "work-job."  Same day later on Jack names some tools while playing and/or helping Daddy do some chores and Brett comments that Jack knows more about tools at age 2 than he knew in high school!

Pretty much every time we watch TV now...

"Mommy, let's sit on the sofa together.  I made your spot!"  (Propping up a pillow on the chaise lounge for me.) 

In general, Jack is such a positive, sweet spirit.  He is always complementing people, whether it be the workers at the job site or me cleaning the bathroom or other random things he witnesses every day.  "Hers did a good job!"  Or "That's a great idea!"  These are things he says all the time, and he is always so sincere when he says them, wanting to make sure to express his appreciation for a job well done.  Honestly, these are moments when Brett and I pat ourselves on the backs and feel good about how we are parenting our child.  We are teaching him to be kind and also how to recognize people who work hard or positively stand out.  We like that he is so able and willing to express his gratitude.  

Currently, along with his goal to be a garbage man, Jack wants to be a "train dedoctor" and tell Matthew.  Matthew is one of the guys at the zoo who operates the train.  Jack really likes him.  :-)

Jack still also wants to be a garbage man, and he and GRandi have bonded with the recycle and garbage crews in our new neighborhood.  Every Wednesday they stand outside and wait for them to come, and of course they honk for such a friendly little guy!  When they drive away, Jack waves and yells "Bye Mr. Garbage man!"

Jack is very excited about baby Lander.  He says all the time that he loves her, and he gives my belly kisses or blows on it and says, "I make Baby Lander laugh!"  So far he has shown no jealousy, but really has been more helpful with setting things up and wanting to be involved.  We have been really agreeable to what he suggests or does b/c of course we want him to be included and not feel any resentment.  I am sure these are normal parenting thoughts for 2nd time moms and dads, but of course we have to work through them.  I think we are doing okay though b/c Jack really seems to understand she is in my belly and will be coming out soon!

Well, that is all I can pump out right now in this post.  I posted a couple pics below, but they are not really recent, and b/c I am having some computer issues, I can't even take the red-eye out!  Anyway, they are from our trip over Memorial Day to St. George Island...and still cute.  :-)  I'll try to get around to another post soon; there is certainly plenty more to share!

Jack and his cousin Kadyn posing together

Jack playing on the Foosball table at the beach house.

Classic tongue sticking out silly face

And another one :-)

  

  

SPRING in My Step

Almost into my 3rd trimester with Baby McQ #2, little Miss Lander Lee, I'm feeling well, but not-so-well-rested.  Still, I have more energy than I had 2 months ago, and believe me - I have needed it!  Of course we have gone to the zoo, and now Jack is learning to ride his bike with no training wheels, so it is imperative I am able to keep up with him!  Also, with this both awesome and oddly warm weather, spring has come early, and The McQ Zoo has had an itch to scratch for awhile now: CAMPING!

The calm before the storm

So the last weekend in March I took a Friday off work, and we made our way up north of Helen with 3 other couples, 2 more kids and 3 dogs...only to be rained on pretty much the entire time...which was, after all, short, b/c we left the next morning.  Our air mattress had popped the night before, so we were sleeping on the ground, which is hard for a pregnant woman who isn't supposed to be laying on her back anymore, and then to top it off the river of rain that was flowing under our tent began to penetrate through the seams and into our only dry zone. Around 2AM, we trekked through the monsoon to the cramped safety of the truck where the  benefits of warmth and dryness outweighed our inability to sleep.  Our dreams of a wonderful outdoor adventure were crushed by Mother Nature herself!  As soon as it was daylight and somewhat realistic to venture out of the truck we packed up our gear and eagerly headed home.

Reasons 1, 2 & 3 the air mattress popped: 

Jack, Aidan and Braeden jumping on it for entertainment during one of the flash flood showers!

Oh well, it was my fault for letting them!   

The next Monday Son-Day Jack and I spent the afternoon with our friends Kristin and Cora hanging out around the Marietta Square.  Jack gets to go there with his GRandi and PaPa quite often, so he is very familiar with the place and knows all about the trains. We played on the playground, got some ice cream and did a lot of walking, but we only heard one train from a distance during our entire adventure...until we were walking back to Kristin's house!  We heard a whistle, but we were not totally sure at first, thinking maybe it was the sound of traffic or sirens, but Jack insisted we wait, and I am SO GLAD we did!  Finally a super long and LOUD train blew its whistle to let us know it was on the way!  When it passed, the engineer even waved at Jack!  After the train passed, Jack was finally content to leave.  Daddy and Jeff met us back at the house and we made personalized pizzas for dinner.  It was nice to catch up with our friends, The Picken Family.  Here are some more pics from that day!

Best one I could get of Jack and Cora together!

The next weekend was Easter!  We started out on Saturday morning with Aidan's 4th birthday party!  When it was time for cake, Jack squeezed himself between Aidan and a little girl on the bench so that he could eat next to his pal!  

A bit later Jack and Aidan had a blast climbing on things and playing in the sand at Webb Bridge Park's super cool playground!  It was a great place for a party and a perfect start to the holiday weekend!

After Jack had a nice long nap, it was time for the Olanhunken Easter egg hunt and celebration.  We gathered at The Hunt House and the boys tried out their super sour Warheads spray candy (among other goodies) from Grandma and Grandpa!  Then they combed through the backyard on their quest for candy, quarters and other treats hiding in colorful plastic eggs!  They were all well-rewarded for their efforts!  Afterwards we had a big family meal at Outback Steakhouse, an Olanhunken Family favorite place to eat!

That night, the Easter Bunny visited and left a special Baseball themed basket for Jack!  

He was very excited when he woke up on Easter to find it!

Then Jack got to do another egg hunt!  The Easter Bunny was very clever with his egg-hiding!

Later that afternoon, we headed over to GRandi and PaPa's for another Easter celebration and meal. Normally the McQ girl cousins would be there too, but this year they opted to go out of town for Easter. We missed them, but no doubt, in their absence, Jack was the center of attention!  The Easter Bunny brought him more goodies and he got to do his 3rd egg hunt! He got a pair of Keen creek shoes, a new swim suit and an awesome bug catcher!  Before his nap, Jack and GRandi dyed Easter eggs together, and when he woke up, Jack helped set the table displaying his finished products!

The Easter Bunny also brought Baby Lander a special blankie and sheep wearing monogrammed bloomers!
Here Jack and I are cuddling with it!  (Not my best pic, but who cares!?!?)

The next day we got to hang out at the pool for a little while to celebrate Aidan's actual birthday with his family and have a little cookout.  Jack and I went down a bit early so Jack could test out the water...and it was C-O-L-D!  Here is a video of Jack's 1st time in the pool this season.  He forgot that he knows how to swim, so he was a bit hesitant to go out past the stairs, but in his desperation to reach an escaping toy, he braved the frigid waters!  I know it is kinda long, but the best part is at the end.  Sorry!!!

And my final thoughts for this post...I am not the most religiously educated person.  I can't quote anything out of the Bible, and aside from "Jesus Loves Me" and "Joyful, Joyful," I don't really know any hymns.  I don't go to church (right now), and I haven't made up my mind if I plan to any time soon.  Most of what I know I learned from watching Superbook videos as a kid, and although they were probably not ideal for teaching, I can't knock their value b/c I learned a lot of important lessons from them!  Still, I don't claim to really understand all the details of Easter and its meaning.  I get the big picture, that God sacrificed his son to save the rest of us from our sins, but I'm not sure how it all went down.  

But that doesn't mean I don't know and understand God.  Nor does it mean I don't believe in miracles, b/c let me assure you, I DO!  I have a beautiful relationship with God, and he continues to guide and provide for my family every day, always making sure we have exactly what we need.  And when I think we need more, He humbles me and keeps me grounded by reminding me of all the many blessings in my life.  He loves me and protects me and keeps me safe.  He offers comfort and guidance in my times of need, and He gives me courage and strength every day!  And on Easter, I once again reflect upon the amazing miracles of His son's birth and resurrection, and even though I have many unanswered questions, I am able to focus on what is most important in my life and thank God for His sacrifice and everything He has given me.  I am blessed, and THAT I know and understand.

Welcome to Spring!  It is a time for new beginnings, blooming flowers, lovely weather and family gatherings.  It is a time to be thankful...and I am.  :-)  

Oh yes, I certainly am!

    

A Nameless Post

Okay, so I am gonna do my best here to write a quick post.  I have been completely slacking in my writing and blogging.  I even decided to skip a Reflection 2011 piece, which I think is the first time in like 10+ years I haven't consolidated all the life lessons I learned from the previous year into one overall theme.  I would say that my blogging in general is a decent account of my basic life, and when I go back and read what I have written on this site and The Zookeeper-Uncaged, I usually feel pretty good about the message each piece has conveyed as well as what I discovered about myself in the process of writing it.  In essence, my blog posts are my reflections now; they are simply written closer to real time.

So far 2012 has been full of excitement.  In January we had some of our best elephant sightings at the zoo! Sadly, my grandmother passed away, but she is finally at peace now.  We got to celebrate Grandpa's 60th birthday at Stone Mountain's Riverboat with family and friends, and we went to the last Falcons home game.  But of course our biggest joy was announcing that we are expecting Baby McQ #2 late this summer!

February brought some Valentine's Day fun, the Super Bowl and an extra special mommy-son day at the zoo. We also got to go to the GA Aquarium with the Stokes family.  In addition to all the adventures, Jack made some major potty training progress and stopped wearing diapers completely!  Probably though, our favorite February memory was taking Jack to the circus where we saw Asia the Elephant paint with her trunk during the Ringling Bros. pre-show!  GRandi went with us, and it was a really special night!
   

With such a short and mild winter, we are heading into spring with a surprisingly warm March.  Even though Baby McQ #2 has the same due date we had for Jack (July 25th), I am already needing summer maternity clothes!  Of course warm weather means more outside time, and we have been doing our best to take advantage of our weekends.  We took the training wheels off of Jack's bike and have started working with him on riding like a big kid.  We also have our own "March Madness" with Jack-Bo, our little basketball star!  Jack is an awesome dribbler, and he has an incredible jump shot!  I can't believe this is my 2 year old baby!!!

On March 12th we confirmed our gut feelings that Baby McQ #2 is a GIRL!!!  We are so thrilled to be welcoming our sweet Lander Lee into our wonderful and loving family.  Jack is going to be the best big brother, and Lander is already such a miracle and blessing from God.  We are so thankful that she is healthy and that this pregnancy has normalized now.  :-)  At 21.5 weeks I am finally posting a baby bump pic!

Coming up we have a special MMPMF zoo trip on what we hope will be another lovely Saturday.   Then the last weekend in March, The McQ Zoo will journey out on our first camping trip of the season!  With 3 other families going too, we are hoping it will be a bear free experience!         

I'm sorry I don't have more pics in this post.  Honestly, my computer is overloaded with images, and it is running so slowly that I don't have the time or patience to wait on it.  I plan to clean up my hard drive soon though!  With working, being pregnant and chasing my precious Jack-Bo around all the time, my personal hobbies have taken somewhat of a back seat.  A friend's recent blog post reminded me that I NEED to blog for my own sanity and outlet for my stress as well as to share my joy!  I'll try really hard not to wait so long between now and the next post!  

For now, good night!       

A Season of Magic

A couple months ago I took Jack to Target to buy a birthday gift for a friend.  Beyond the Play-Doh and Nerf guns was an aisle overflowing with Hot Wheels and Tonka Trucks, and Jack could not resist the pine green glow of the "Strong Arm" Tonka Garbage Truck.  With its bright orange handle bulging from the packaging, Jack was able to try out the compacting sound and see the sparks right there in the store.  He was instantly in love with this toy and pulling it off the shelf to put in our shopping cart.

Now, it is hard to refuse such an angel anything he truly loves, but this was too big a toy for a random shopping trip, and as much as I wanted him to have it, the better parent in me knew I needed to reserve something of this magnitude for a special occasion, and Christmas wasn't too far away!  And so began the holiday season for The McQ Zoo!  I told Jack that he would need to put the green garbage truck on his Christmas List and ask Santa for it.  I am not sure why, but for some reason, he did not fight this concept.  Instead he put the box back on the shelf and happily continued through the store with me...something that rarely happens with any 2-year old in a toy aisle.

The garbage truck obsession didn't start in Target though.  Every Monday and Thursday mornings Jack jumps  like a monkey from a sound sleep at the first growl of the blue garbage truck entering our condo community gate.  We drag a chair over to the window in our bedroom, which happens to be 3 floors directly above the entrance to the parking garage where the dumpsters are located, and Jack climbs up in the chair and looks down below.  We wrap our drapes around the back of the chair to trap him in his own little viewing booth, and he patiently waits as the other building's dumpsters get emptied first.  Then the truck beep, beep, beeps it way back up to our building, and the real excitement begins!  The garbage man gets out of the truck and drags one dumpster at a time out of the parking garage; there is not enough clearance there for the truck to pull in of course.  Next, he gets back in the truck and attaches his lift bars to the dumpster.  Then the truck lifts and dumps the trash into its trash compartment, all of which Jack can see perfectly from his bird's eye view!  Finally, we hear the rumbling roar of the compactor as the trash gets squished and smashed down from an overflowing mess into a tiny little pile, hardly noticeable in the big blue truck.  The second dumpster is emptied next and he watches it all again.  When both dumpsters are done, the garbage man gets out of his truck and replaces them back in the parking garage.  As the blue garbage truck pulls away from our neighborhood, Jack waves and says, "bye-bye, garbage truck!  See ya next time!"  It is truly an adorable way to start the day!

After our visit to Target, we started talking about Jack's hope for a green garbage truck during our real garbage truck visits.  We also talked about the magic of Santa and how he would know if Jack was being naughty or nice.  We told him that nice children got the presents they wanted from Santa on Christmas morning.  We looked at books and commercials and all the holiday decorations, and we made sure that Jack could recognize Santa, and we explained to him that he would get to visit with Santa so he could personally ask him for the green garbage truck he so desperately wanted.  We thought it would be no big deal when the time came.

But Mommy was sick on Jack's first time seeing Santa this year, so Jack went with GRandi and PaPa and his girl cousins to Mt. Bethel's Pancake breakfast and helped them pick out the perfect Christmas tree. They did some precious crafts and had a lot of fun together, but when it was time to see Santa, Jack was afraid of the jolly old man, and he clung to his GRandi and preferred to stare from a distance.  We had failed to tell GRandi about Jack's green garbage truck mission, so she did not try to persuade him to sit on Santa's lap, and instead she held him during their group picture.  When Jack got home he said Santa was "too 'cary" and that he had not asked him for his green garbage truck.

I was sad that my boy was unable to ask Santa for his special green garbage truck, and I was determined to carry out the task with Jack myself so as to be true to all the Santa magic we had been telling him about for weeks now!  I sat him down for a heart-to-heart and told him Santa is NOT scary.  I promised him I would go with him and help him ask Santa during our annual trip to "A Stone Mountain Christmas."  Jack seemed confident after our talk that he could do it, but still in daily conversations he vacillated between saying Santa was "too 'cary" or "not too 'cary."  I knew I'd just have to keep talking up the moment and then try our luck on the actual day.

The day came on Friday, Dec 16th.  I was feeling terribly ill that afternoon, but I rallied to go with my mother and sister and nephews b/c I HAD to take Jack to see Santa.  How could I play up the magic of Santa if he didn't actually ask the man for his green garbage truck?   Most 2 year olds don't even grasp this concept yet, even if they DO have their moment on St. Nick's lap, but mine was fully aware that Santa was the one who would bring him his green garbage truck on Christmas morning as long as he was a nice boy and asked him for it.  Tolerating delayed gratification is not typically a toddler's strength, but my Jack-Bo waited patiently all season, anticipating the excitement of Santa's magic.  As a parent, it was remarkable to witness.

So after we ate dinner and watched the parade, saw a few shows, and gawked as the Snow Angel made her grand entrance, we rode the Stone Mountain train and sang Christmas carols; then finally it was time to see Santa.  Stone Mountain is an awesome place to visit Santa, especially on a Friday night.  There is little to no line, and it is a very calm environment - no loud crowds or overwhelming displays to frighten the children. Santa just sits in his little log cabin-esque Christmas house in his red velvet chair with his pot of candy canes and modest decor.  There are no crazy costumed elves to drag children away from their parents and force them onto his lap.  It is a very tame and calm situation, and THAT is why it was so ideal for our mission.

There was one boy ahead of us.  My sister and nephews went to see a show while Grandma waited with us. As we watched the boy with Santa, I told Jack that Santa would ask him his name and say "what do you want for Christmas?" and then he would give him a candy cane when they were all done visiting.  Jack seemed a little apprehensive and said several times, "Santa 'cary, Mommy," to which I just responded that I would be with him the whole time and that he had to ask for his green garbage truck if he wanted Santa to bring it.

When it was Jack's turn, I carried him up to Santa and initiated an introduction.  Jack's little legs tensed, wrapped tightly around my waist.  After a bit of talking, he relaxed and I was able to place him on Santa's knee.  Now Santa wasn't in a particularly social mood, so I had to prompt him a few times to get him to live up to my expectations, but all in all, he did the job.  Jack was so cute!  He smiled for the camera and he told Santa he wanted his green garbage truck and then he even told him where to get it!!  "From Target!" he said as he looked up at Santa.  Santa chuckled and patted him gently.  Then I asked Jack "what does Santa say?" and on cue Jack replied, "Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!"  Santa softly praised him for how well he said it, and then it was time for more pictures before he gave Jack a candy cane and a hug goodbye.  When it was all over, Jack was beaming victoriously from his mission accomplished!  I was the proudest Mommy!

Jack loves to see videos of himself, so it was really awesome that we recorded his visit with Santa.  Every time he sees this video, he is SO PROUD!  "Santa NOT 'cary, Mommy!"  As a mom, it was such a fabulous feeling to know I helped him conquer his fear, and I really feel like it was another successful parenting moment of letting him know I was there for him and even more importantly, that I believe in him!  I knew he could do it!  The magic of Santa is not just about kids getting presents; it is also about family traditions and joyful surprises.  The magic of Santa lives on long after we are no longer children.

One more week passed by, and Christmas Eve was the celebratory day for my side of the family.  We spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa's with my sister and her family, and as usual, we opened our matching Christmas jammies and took our big family photo.  None of us know what inspired Jack to make his funny face, nor did we know he was doing it in the first place, but in trying to get another one, Daddy went a little cross-eyed and we all got a little silly!  Good times!  Then, between food and some holiday movies we made ornaments and trimmed the tree.  After all the other festivities were out of the way, we opened stockings and presents!  It was a lovely time had by all, and it was very late before we finally packed up to go home.

With all the excitement at Grandma's, Jack went napless on Christmas Eve, so Daddy and Mommy were very pleased that he fell asleep on the way home, just in time for Santa to stuff our stockings and make his deliveries under our tree!  Christmas morning was going to be perfect!  It would be our first actual Christmas morning in our own home since we started dating, and now it was even more special to be able to experience the joy of Christmas and the magic of Santa through the eyes of our child!  Brett and I both woke up early in anticipation of the big day.  When Jack finally awoke, I took another video!

Jack was thrilled to see all the presents under the tree, and he ripped through his stocking pretty quickly. The best moment from that was when he pulled out a tube of Desitin (cream-cream) and wanted to "put it in the drawer" where it belongs.  I'm not sure if he was confused how something we already had got there or if he realized it was actually a present for him!  Della, Tug and Bastian all loved their stocking stuffers too! The dogs immediately broke into the treats, and even Bastian played with his new mice!  

After stockings we let Jack open his gifts.  All of the ones from Santa had a special tag with Santa's face on them, so Jack was able to point them out to us.  Mommy and Daddy only got Jack 2 gifts: a Curious George Treasury book and a foam alphabet and numbers floor puzzle mat.  Santa brought Jack a puzzle, Hungry Hippos, Memory, some Hot Wheels and a few other odds and ends.  

He also brought big kid underwear for the whole family!  Jack was not so enthusiastic about that!  

But when all the presents wrapped in paper were opened, it seemed one thing was still missing.  Tucked into the corner was a blue felt bag, awkward in shape and a bit boxy.  It had a Santa tag on it though, and Jack saw that right away.  Again, I let the camera roll!

Oh, the light in my boy's eyes when he opened that green garbage truck!  I knew in that moment that he believed in Santa's magic!  Maybe he is too young to put it all together this year, but already we are teaching him about faith!  After all, "magic" is just another word for "miracle," and isn't that what Christmas is really about?  The miracle of Jesus' birth?  It warms my heart to be able to give the gift of hope to my child through something as fun and joyful as Santa, and as he grows and learns more about the true meaning of Christmas, I hope he can incorporate a little modern day magic into the miracle of his own life.  He is my miracle.

The rest of Christmas day we spent at GRandi and PaPa's.  Uncle Robbye, Aunt Cath and Aunt Mimi were in town, and the other McQuilken family came too!  Jack brought his green garbage truck with him and showed everyone!  We had a delicious brunch that GRandi put together with "Decadent French Toast" and Honey Baked Ham.  YUM!  Below is a shot of Jack in the car on the way there, green garbage in tow!

GRandi took most of the pictures while we opened presents there, but I did get this cute one of Jack and Daddy modeling a Thomas Spin Brush and a musical Christmas tie!  There was a lot of excitement in the Brooks' house with all those kids and crazy grown ups!  We all got to visit and play with each other for a few hours, and that was so nice!  In the afternoon most everyone had left and Aunt Mimi and our family were the only ones still there with GRandi and PaPa.  Jack had been going non-stop, so GRandi put him down for a nap while I took a little rest on the sofa.  We watched the classic "A Christmas Story" and played Farkle while Jack slept, and then we enjoyed more ham and other goodies late into the evening.  It was a lovely, relaxing, special holiday.

The next day we visited with Daddy-Mac and Aunt Kate for a little while before heading back to GRandi's for one last dinner with Aunt Mimi.  It was an end to a fabulous, but far too short, holiday celebration.  Our family is so lucky.  We have most of those nearest and dearest to our hearts right down the road, and we get to see each other so often.  The gift of family is more beautiful than any other we could imagine.  I love our families, and I love our crazy McQ Zoo.  We do have a lot of fun, no matter what life throws our way.  I guess it is just our way of living out the magic, the miracles, and holding onto the hope and belief in the power of love.  Each morning I awake to wonder what magic that day will bring, and I thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon me and my loved ones.

From The McQ Zoo, we wish you and yours an amazing ending to 2011 and all the best in the New Year!

***These last two photos are the brilliance and talent of Lisa Rappa Photography.***