Spring Life in Texas

I wasn't sure I posted pics of Mckinley and Katelynn's room. I still need drapes, but it is very fun to have a girly pink room.

We are having a beautiful spring here in Texas. It is 70 - 80 degrees most days and lots of sun. We are also enjoying having a baby around and adjusting to life with 3 kids. Its not too bad and probably because we spaced them 3 years apart, but I definitely have a lack of free time with 3. Mckinley is growing so fast and it is so crazy, because our other 2 were tiny for what seemed like forever. Matt calls her his "English Rose" because she has a red tint to her hair and fair skin like his mom and that's what her father called her. He adores Mckinley and I can't keep him from spoiling her. He helps out so much and cuddles her any chance he can get. He even watched her along with the other 2 for an entire weekend so I could have some girl time. Here are some pictures of our last month:

Mckinley enjoying the weather while we had dinner outside:

She has been smiling so much lately and we couldn't resist sharing some of her adorable faces:

We have been going to the park a lot before it gets too hot. Here is a group shot of some friends we play with at the parks:Playing at the park with just our family:

Katelynn is such a little helper. She is great with Mckinley and keeps her happy for me all the time. It is so nice to have an older one. She even takes naps with her. It is adorable!

Mckinley loves bath time and we love to cuddle her when she is all clean and happy

Brennon has started preschool and absolutely loves it. He is so proud to be big enough to have his own school and really needs the social time. We love it!

Celebrating spring and baby blessings

What better way to celebrate spring than with pictures of a new baby. I couldn't resist when we passed a park filled with flowers. Of course I made her mad unwrapping her with the wind and had to get a crying picture. At least she finally settled down and does a great peaceful picture.

We also blessed her in church on Sunday. She has started smiling and I must say there is nothing better than having your baby girl grinning up at you. I cant beleive we got her to smile for us in her dress. Katelynn also wore this dress to be blessed in and it is so fun to now have pics of both of our baby girls in it.

Mom and Mckinley
Mom and Katelynn. (I know, I looked much younger)

Easter

We have enjoyed a fabulous Easter this year. Not only do we get to listen to our prophet and apostles testify of Christ, but we get to celebrate with our 3 beautiful children. We have enjoyed several easter egg hunts, friends for Easter dinner, family Rock Band concerts, and dart wars with the toys the Easter bunny brang. We also enjoyed cuddling with Mckinley while watching conference. Happy Easter to everyone and we are thankful to remember why we celebrate this special day and for our Savior!

Mckinley wore her baby's first Easter outfit and was the cutest little Bunny!

We went to a park in Denton and did an Easter egg hunt and got family pictures with all the blooming flowers.

New Mama's ready or not race

Yesterday we did our 3P Challenge race. We canoed 4 miles, ran 2.5 and biked 12 miles. We finally ordered perfect weather this year and it couldn't have been more beautiful. Matt and I were just hoping to finish without killing ourselves and we were pleasantly surprised that we were able to keep up a decent pace the entire time. My favorite part was how muddy it was the entire way on the bike course. We were soaked from head to toe and had mud everywhere. It made it a blast to cruise through all the puddles. We came in under 2 1/2 hours and although we didn't place in the top 3, we weren't too far behind. Lacey and Brian came in 3rd and we will have someone to beat next year. Way to go guys! We were loving that Evan and Nate also did it with no training. We were proud of you for not puking ;) Can't wait for next year when I have more time to train without being pregnant and we can hopefully recruit more people.

Celebrating life and birthdays

We have had so much fun celebrating this month. Matt and I celebrated our 7th anniversary and then on the 20th, Katelynn and I celebrated our birthdays together. My little girl is now 6 years old, I can't believe it, and I turned the big 3-0! We had a great time! We spent the day hangin out as a family and went to the Purple Cow diner for lunch and then to have fun at a huge mall in the area since it was a cold day. It actually snowed about 3 inches on our birthday, the first day of spring in Texas. Go figure. Crazy that it snowed after getting so much snow on Mckinley's birthday too.

Katelynn and I love sharing a birthday and we always go somewhere fun to celebrate.
The milkshakes there are the best part. Love my cute kids!

Katelynn took a couple friends to an indoor pool and they had a blast going down the slide over and over again.

Mckinley is growing so fast and we are trying to capture some of her cute moments. Here are a few I wanted to share...

Mckinley Grace photo shoot

My great friend Danielle took these shots of Mckinley when she was just 3 days old. I am so excited how they turned out. We will be choosing a few for her birth announcements, so tell me your favorites. It is so fun to have a little one again and she is already growing too fast.

One Month Old

Today Mckinley is one month old. I can't believe it is already here and it is so true that it goes by faster with each kid. I wish I could push a button and have it all go in slow motion. Here are a few highlights from her first month here with us on earth...

We realized Mckinley looks a lot like Katelynn did as a baby. Here is a picture of them in the same outfit. So fun!

Katelynn Mckinley

About a week after we returned home, our house flooded from our washing machine. It was definitely a day to remember. Luckily with our leaf blower and lots of brooms, we were able to empty the house, clean it up, and buy a new washer.

Mckinley has been sleeping a lot and we can't help but think she is adorable in all her little sleep poses...

Along with sleeping on her own, Matt has hardly put her down for more than a few minutes any time he is home. This is his favorite spot to cuddle and where you can find him most every night. I keep telling him he is spoiling her, but deep down, I think it is precious!

Mckinley has also had a great time getting to know her big sister and brother. They adore her and hold her or feed her any chance they can get.

She also wore her first dress and enjoyed her first experiences attending church.

Being the yougest, she will have to learn to put up with a lot. We are grateful she is so resilient, because big brother has been mauling her since she got home. We are grateful he is so in love with her, but really, why do boys have to be so rough??

Mckinley also met Grandma Whittier and loved spending time with her. We were so grateful for Grandma to come and spend a week and cook, clean, and help with the kids. Thank goodness for Grandma's. Now we can't wait to meet Grandma Hamilton!

Now that she is a month, she is starting to have her awake times during the day and we love it! It is the best to hear her coo and watch her bright eyes looking up at you!

The whole family is in love with this sweet little thing and we have loved enjoying lots of cuddle time...

Mckinley has also enjoyed her swing. It has put her to sleep many days and kept her happy while Mom was doing hair. Thank goodness for modern baby items!

Dressing a girl has been so fun again and we love to put on the bows. Matt thinks she is always looking all decked out, but what fun is it to have a baby and not go to town. She even wears a bracelet most days.

She also is adjusting to being in her first car seat. So far she enjoys riding in the car, thank heavens since she will have to go when and where the rest of us need to.

She also enjoyed her first bath at home. We had to show off all that hair and that cute bum!

We are so blessed to have another sweet girl in our home. It has been a crazy month and I am still adjusting to no sleep and the crazyness of 3 kids, but we are loving it and will enjoy the next month that we get to spend with her.