(yesterday's) quote of the day...

(...and one of my favorites)

Josiah: "Mommy, your belly is getting so smaller."

Coming home...

We came home from the hospital on Thursday. We got home just around 1:30, so the boys were "down" for naps. Josiah wasn't actually asleep, so he got the first look at Mercy:) It was so cute to watch him be so excited. We've been talking about baby Mercy for months! Here are some pictures of the first day together:)

Josiah looking at Mercy

Josiah with his new little sister:)

Here's Aedan with Mercy once he woke up from his nap.

The boys watching Ryan change her diaper.

Checking her out...

They don't really know what to do with her. They decided to read her books. Hope she likes dinosaur books:)

Three sweeties

Thank you to Haley, Tera, Johnny Wade, and Mandy for watching Josiah and Aedan while we were in the hospital. I know they had a blast with you all:)

Hospital Pics

Mercy Catherine McGann

Mama and Mercy Cate

Little Mercy

Me and Mercy

Josiah's comment on this photo: "She's sleeping in a tank."

Mercy is here!

Mercy was born last Monday morning! She was born at 8:01 am in the morning, on the date of my scheduled c section. She weighed 7 lbs 10oz, and was 19 1/2 inches long. I was surprised to see dark hair, and very happy to hear her crying and alert when she was born. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning. Of course, who sleeps well the night before a major surgery? I didn't get much sleep the night prior, not to mention my numerous bathroom trips. Everything went smoothly, as far as being prepped for surgery. You would think that it wouldn't be that bad...preparing for surgery, but I had a bad experience with Aedan. Everything leading up to it went much better, and my blood pressure stayed fine throughout it all. I loved my anetheisologist. He got my spinal in on the first try! (Last time it took the guy 6 times...and, no...I'm not exaggerating.) Once they got in to deliver Mercy, Dr. Gernt noticed extra scar tissue that had grown together my uterus and bladder. My bladder had gotten really stretched out and thin because of the growth of my uterus. They called in a Urologist to get his opinion on how to fix it. Unfortunately, I was in surgery for over an hour, but I'm thankful that the urologist was available. Once, again, my wonderful anetheisologist made that happen. After several tries of trying to get a hold of the urologist by way of the nurses, he called the anetheisologist who was with the urologist in his surgery. Here are some pictures of her birth, and more will be coming (hopefully) soon...

date night

Ryan and I had "date night" tonight with the boys. I went on a date with Josiah, and Ryan went on a date with Aedan. Ryan took Aedan to Dairy Queen for an ice cream sundae. It's no surprise that he loves sundaes:) Ryan also took Aedan to Walmart to pick out a Hot Wheels car, and then to the playground in Algood. I took Josiah to see the movie 'How to Train Your Dragon'. It was a great boy movie! Josiah LOVED it, and did great. I wasn't sure about the movie...whether or not it would be too scary. (Mainly for Aedan's sake, and also deciding if Aedan would actually sit through it.) I thought it was fine for Josiah, and I think that it would be fine for Aedan as well. (I just don't think it would have kept Aedan's attention for him to sit in a theatre for the entire thing.) I debated back and forth whether or not to take Josiah, since I didn't think Aedan should go. Especially since Josiah recently got to camp out with Ryan and Aedan did not. I realized though, that even though it may seem "unfair" to Aedan...not taking Josiah simply because Aedan isn't ready isn't really "fair" to Josiah. Josiah is older, and he's capable of more. Aedan will have his chance to go to the movies in a couple months. Toy Story 3 comes out in June, and I think that it will hold his attention, and that he'll enjoy it:) It'll be fun! I'm so glad that we were able to have this night one on one with the boys before Mercy's arrival!

Ryan and Aedan before their time together:)

Josiah at the movies:)

Changing Table

I had been looking for a changing table for a while...online some, and on the local sales network. I had a changing table with Josiah and Aedan, which was a hand-me-down, and it was falling apart after Aedan so we had gotten rid of it. I love having a changing table with my babies...especially one that is higher up. I usually don't use them very long, though...maybe about 8 months, so I didn't want to buy a new one. I think cheaper ones from walmart may run around $70-$80. Anyway, I found one (finally) from the local sales network and bought it for $25. The shade of green didn't match the lime green in the room, so Ryan painted it pink for me with some of the leftover paint that we had. He did a great job painting it! It really looks great and adds color to the room. Check it out:

Before

After

Making the most...

of my last days with just 2 boys!

The weather has been great this week...reaching up close or up to 80 degrees. We've spent time outside playing. (Well, they play and I sit on my beach chair:) I've now repacked their bag for when I'm in the hospital three times. Last weekend I took out some of the pants and warmer clothes and replaced them with more shorts. Now it looks like it's supposed to be cooler next week, starting on Sunday, so I repacked it again. My bag is mostly packed with the exception of a few things I need to throw in. So, anyway, we did lots outside today! Here's what we (or they) did:

~planted flower seeds (Josiah picked purple Zinnias and Aedan picked yellow and orange marigolds) I realized afterwards that it may not be the best timing since they won't get water for a few days while in the hospital...we'll see, though

~played in the water table

~jumped over mud puddles (Josiah's favorite)

~ate popsicles (a REAL treat for the boys!)

~pretended that the water was lava exploding from volcanoes

~climbed trees (Josiah)

~had a picnic lunch outside

Math Manipulatives

I (finally) pulled out some math manipluatives that my mom gave me the other day to work on some math with the boys. Josiah seems to catch on easier to math then making words (in word families) right now. Ryan and I laugh about it because neither of us would consider ourselves math people. We'll see, though. These manipulatives are different colored little bears: blue, red, yellow, and green. We did some of the activities in the kit, and the boys LOVED it. They kept saying, "Mom, you're like a teacher!"

Over the weekend, we did some more of the activites with the bears outside. There is a game board in the packet, that is structured like a race. I made up this game where the boys had to go run around the tree nearby (and slightly up the hill) after their turn. It was funny to watch them run and get tired out by something I completely made up on the spot...not to mention watching them have a blast! Here are some pictures:

Josiah is sorting out his bears by color and then counting them.

Aedan with his bears sorted. I'm not sure about his face...he wasn't upset or anything. Aedan tries to do the math, and is able to do some of it.

Josiah with the bears on the matching board.

Josiah making a pattern with the bears:)

Thanks Mom for the little bears, and the trays:)

38 weeks

38 weeks

I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow...it is hard to believe, especially since I had Aedan right at 38 weeks (not to mention Josiah at 37 1/2 weeks) . I feel SOOOOO much better then at the end of my pregnancy with Aedan. I'm a little tired of being pregnant,though, and also uncomfortable with various aches and pains. But, I feel like I can make it to the end this time:)

Mercy question

Me: "What color hair will Mercy have?"

Aedan: "Black!"

Josiah: "Pink!"

Easter Celebrations

Our Easter celebrations started Saturday morning with an egg hunt at church. We had a breakfast first, and then the hunt. The weather had been real nice all week, but then rained Saturday morning so we hunted inside.

Ryan and the boys at the breakfast. Not the greatest of pictures...with Josiah's expression and the biscuit in Aedan's mouth.

Josiah hunting!

Aedan hunting!

After the hunt!


Sunday Morning Pictures

Aedan and Josiah

Ryan and the boys

Me and the boys

Opening up Easter presents

Our Egg Hunt in the Yard
We did another egg hunt this year in the backyard. Instead of putting baby dinosaurs inside the eggs, we put a gummie in them. Aedan LOVES gummies, so he was happy with that.

Looking for eggs

Aedan finding an egg.

Josiah had to climb this tree to get this egg!

After the hunt:)

Resurrection Biscuits
Later that night, we made Resurrection biscuits. Josiah made these with his CBS class, so that is where I learned the recipe. It worked well, and they were super yummy!

This is what you need:

~melted butter

~cinnamon and sugar mix

~large marshmellows

~crescent rolls

1. The marshmellow represents Jesus. Dip the marshmellow into the butter, so it's covered. The anointing of Jesus because He is King.

2. Place the marshmellow in the cinnamon/sugar mix until covered. I can't remember what this stands for, so Ryan and I decided it could be the death and burial.

3. Then, take a crescent roll and wrap around the marshmellow. This represents Jesus inside the tomb.

4. Bake in cupcake pans (sprayed with Pam) as directed.

Optional: I added some butter and then cinnamon/sugar mix on top before baking.

After baking, the marshmellow is gone!! Jesus is gone...He is ALIVE!!!

Here are some pictures:

Jesus in the tomb

after baking

The empty tomb!!

It is so cool to see the boys and their understanding of the Gospel. Josiah, especially, is understanding more and more as he learns about God. This past weekend, Josiah said, "But, Jesus isn't alive, he died on the cross." Of course, this gave Ryan the perfect opportunity to explain that Jesus had come back to life and is alive today. Josiah asking that question shows at least some thought process on the subject. They are both learning a lot, and it is fun to be a part of and watch:)

(just about) 37 weeks

I am almost 37 weeks now! Just a couple weeks left!:)

This picture was taken on Easter Sunday. (Easter pictures to follow...)