Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
It'd Be Awesome to Win!
So a friend of ours, Sarah Folkert, posted on her facebook today about a company, Epoch Design that gives away their products free when it's returned to Costco in new condition. They got their bedroom furniture through them so we know it's legit. It just so happens that they're going to do a free drawing for a cute twin bed from the SLO store today! I know it's super short notice... but get on it! Who wouldn't love a cute, high quality piece of furniture like this!? Drawing is at 3:00pm PST. Just know that if you win, I want a high five... got it? Good Luck!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Tears
DISCLAIMER: This is a very personal and vulnerable post for me. It is a release of emotion and feelings. Please take that into account and be sensitive. Thank you
Sometimes my job is messy. A lot of the time it is due to products of the human body... vomit, pee, poop, blood, etc. It's gross, but you get over it and get the job done. Nothing a shower/change of clothes/washer & dryer (with anti-microbial disinfectant!) won't fix. But then there are the times that it's emotionally messy.
My last shift was one such occurrence. Without going into much detail, we ran a call on a small child that had a very ordinary accident with a very tragic outcome. From a parents perspective, it was one of those incidents that could happen to anyone and we've all had close calls on, but that make our hearts stop and we sigh with relief that nothing happened... This was the exception. As professionals, we did everything we could, spot on and text book. But, sometimes it's just not enough and the end result has already been decided.
Tonight as I was putting Kellie to bed, I held her close and rocked her to sleep with her head on my shoulder in our glider chair. I couldn't help myself as I began to weep. It was painful and raw... I was so broken-hearted for what I had seen and experienced, and yet, I felt so lucky and blessed to have her in my arms. This little person who I've become utterly obsessed with over the past year is not permanent. Nothing created is...
It reminds me how little control we have in life, and how I need to live in the here and now... not the future, past, or some alternate dream reality. I have to stop complaining and being negative. This is the life we get, so it's time to stop wasting it and start living it. (John 10:10b)
Sometimes my job is messy. A lot of the time it is due to products of the human body... vomit, pee, poop, blood, etc. It's gross, but you get over it and get the job done. Nothing a shower/change of clothes/washer & dryer (with anti-microbial disinfectant!) won't fix. But then there are the times that it's emotionally messy.
My last shift was one such occurrence. Without going into much detail, we ran a call on a small child that had a very ordinary accident with a very tragic outcome. From a parents perspective, it was one of those incidents that could happen to anyone and we've all had close calls on, but that make our hearts stop and we sigh with relief that nothing happened... This was the exception. As professionals, we did everything we could, spot on and text book. But, sometimes it's just not enough and the end result has already been decided.
Tonight as I was putting Kellie to bed, I held her close and rocked her to sleep with her head on my shoulder in our glider chair. I couldn't help myself as I began to weep. It was painful and raw... I was so broken-hearted for what I had seen and experienced, and yet, I felt so lucky and blessed to have her in my arms. This little person who I've become utterly obsessed with over the past year is not permanent. Nothing created is...
It reminds me how little control we have in life, and how I need to live in the here and now... not the future, past, or some alternate dream reality. I have to stop complaining and being negative. This is the life we get, so it's time to stop wasting it and start living it. (John 10:10b)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monkeys, Tigers, and... Foosas? OH MY!
Last Saturday we had something very unique and unusual happen for us. Jenna and I actually had the same day off where we didn't have something we had to do! So, we went to the Charles Paddock Zoo located in Atascadero. We had been talking about it forever, but stuff kept getting in the way! So when the stars aligned and we actually determined that it would actually transpire... we were giddy! (probably more so than Kellie). It's super small, but hey, so is Kellie, and she's pretty rad! It's an inexpensive, very fun way to spend a morning or afternoon... ok, done with the sales pitch. Best part for me... Spider Monkey's! DUH! For Jenna, I'm not sure what her favorite was (possibly the Foosa), but I know for a fact she wasn't stoked on the birds, considering she was deathly afraid of a few of them! But for Kellie, I'm going to guess her favorite was the meerkats. And this is why...
New Word
Kellie has learned another new word. The interesting thing though, is she has seemed to move on from saying her first word, uh-oh! Instead, she just repeats uuuuh... uuuuuh... and never delivers on the OH. Her little brain is busy discovering the world so we'll let this little hiccup slide. Her new thing is ouch, pronounced, "OUTH". And to squash any thoughts or accusations of misconduct... no, she doesn't get hurt regularly! (When she does get scathed from her own romping, she cries/screams. When mommy or daddy get bit by her, we exclaim, "OUCH!" Mystery Solved) Enjoy:
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Life is a Highway
This post is a little out dated already... but we're just now finding the time to get to it. Sorry!
Earlier this month, we set out on a momentous excursion to the Pacific North West to visit our good friends, The Hickeys! They live in a suburb North East of Seattle called Bothell, WA (it's actually called North Creek if you want to get picky haha). We were very excited to be able to join them in celebrating their son Thompson's (Tommy) 2nd Birthday, and get to see Erin pregnant with their second little one! So on the evening of January 31st, we set out on our journey up the west coast...
The First Leg
With the car loaded, and all passengers on board, (Brent, Jenna, Kellie, & Finley) we left Morro Bay at about 7:30pm after Brent got off work (a few hours late) and began the trek North. Our destination for night #1 was Grammie and Grandpa Lokki's house in Woodland, CA, about a 5 hour drive. We've made this drive many times before, so it was a walk in the park. Kellie slept the whole way, which is what we were planning for and why we left in the evening. We got in at about 12:30am to find a sleepy pair of grandparents eagerly awaiting their little grand baby! Unfortunately, it was a short visit because we all needed rest. Jim and Lynda both had work in the morning and we had to hit the road in the morning. So we swapped cars (The Lokkesmoes were kind enough to let us take their new Honda Pilot that has 4wd) real quick and got Finley settled in (he was staying with Grammie and Grandpa Lokki for the week) and headed to bed. Round 1... COMPLETED!
The Second Leg
After a slow morning and a very sad goodbye to Finley, off we went for our first real challenging portion of driving. Destination #2 was Brent's sister and boyfriends place in Portland, OR approximately 9.5 hours away. This was the longest Kellie has had to be in her car seat to date, and it was a little scary to think she might scream for hours straight. However, being the good baby she is, she slept almost the entire way! Praise The Lord! It was a beautiful drive up: great weather, light traffic, and lot's of fun gadgets to mess with in the new car! We got to Brady & Kyle's flat in the early evening (Brady was away on a business trip however) and had a chance to catch up and grab some pizza while Kellie went nutty blowing off her built up energy. Her number one choice of entertainment was harassing the behemoth that is Henri, Kyle & Brady's Newfoundland, and trying to climb into his water dish. Their place is on the 8th story of a building in the Pearl district with an all glass wall and amazing views of Portland's West Hills... So rad! Round 2... SUCCESS!!
The Third Leg
Up and at 'em early for our final day of travel, thanks in part to the infant alarm clock. We headed out to breakfast with the sister at a nice little place called Besaw's, after which we cruised around and got the tour of the city. A much anticipated stop at the world famous Voodoo Doughnuts was shattered when we walked up to the door to find signs that read "closed"! A man working inside popped his head out and said, "Sorry, they'll be open tomorrow though." TOMORROW!? WE'RE ONLY HERE TODAY! Thank goodness we've experienced the goodness once before... anyways. We hit the road for the short trip to our final stop. By this point, Kellie was onto us, and wanted nothing to do with her car seat. Anytime we got her close to it, she lost it. And rightfully so. Pretty sure she'll be traumatically scared by it. But hey, what kid hasn't been right? J/K She's a trooper! We cruised on into WA state and got to The Hickey's place before we knew it (The 3 hours seemed like a trip to the grocery store after all that driving!). It was a relief to have 3 states, 1,050 miles, and about 18 hours on the road behind us. It was finally time to relax!... until the kids decided they were arch nemesis' and their prearranged marriage was on the rocks!
I've decided to break up the trip into multiple posts... keep you wanting more. Well, and I'm exhausted and sick of writing for the time being. I'll leave you with some photos and a video. Until next time
Earlier this month, we set out on a momentous excursion to the Pacific North West to visit our good friends, The Hickeys! They live in a suburb North East of Seattle called Bothell, WA (it's actually called North Creek if you want to get picky haha). We were very excited to be able to join them in celebrating their son Thompson's (Tommy) 2nd Birthday, and get to see Erin pregnant with their second little one! So on the evening of January 31st, we set out on our journey up the west coast...
The First Leg
With the car loaded, and all passengers on board, (Brent, Jenna, Kellie, & Finley) we left Morro Bay at about 7:30pm after Brent got off work (a few hours late) and began the trek North. Our destination for night #1 was Grammie and Grandpa Lokki's house in Woodland, CA, about a 5 hour drive. We've made this drive many times before, so it was a walk in the park. Kellie slept the whole way, which is what we were planning for and why we left in the evening. We got in at about 12:30am to find a sleepy pair of grandparents eagerly awaiting their little grand baby! Unfortunately, it was a short visit because we all needed rest. Jim and Lynda both had work in the morning and we had to hit the road in the morning. So we swapped cars (The Lokkesmoes were kind enough to let us take their new Honda Pilot that has 4wd) real quick and got Finley settled in (he was staying with Grammie and Grandpa Lokki for the week) and headed to bed. Round 1... COMPLETED!
The Second Leg
After a slow morning and a very sad goodbye to Finley, off we went for our first real challenging portion of driving. Destination #2 was Brent's sister and boyfriends place in Portland, OR approximately 9.5 hours away. This was the longest Kellie has had to be in her car seat to date, and it was a little scary to think she might scream for hours straight. However, being the good baby she is, she slept almost the entire way! Praise The Lord! It was a beautiful drive up: great weather, light traffic, and lot's of fun gadgets to mess with in the new car! We got to Brady & Kyle's flat in the early evening (Brady was away on a business trip however) and had a chance to catch up and grab some pizza while Kellie went nutty blowing off her built up energy. Her number one choice of entertainment was harassing the behemoth that is Henri, Kyle & Brady's Newfoundland, and trying to climb into his water dish. Their place is on the 8th story of a building in the Pearl district with an all glass wall and amazing views of Portland's West Hills... So rad! Round 2... SUCCESS!!
The Third Leg
Up and at 'em early for our final day of travel, thanks in part to the infant alarm clock. We headed out to breakfast with the sister at a nice little place called Besaw's, after which we cruised around and got the tour of the city. A much anticipated stop at the world famous Voodoo Doughnuts was shattered when we walked up to the door to find signs that read "closed"! A man working inside popped his head out and said, "Sorry, they'll be open tomorrow though." TOMORROW!? WE'RE ONLY HERE TODAY! Thank goodness we've experienced the goodness once before... anyways. We hit the road for the short trip to our final stop. By this point, Kellie was onto us, and wanted nothing to do with her car seat. Anytime we got her close to it, she lost it. And rightfully so. Pretty sure she'll be traumatically scared by it. But hey, what kid hasn't been right? J/K She's a trooper! We cruised on into WA state and got to The Hickey's place before we knew it (The 3 hours seemed like a trip to the grocery store after all that driving!). It was a relief to have 3 states, 1,050 miles, and about 18 hours on the road behind us. It was finally time to relax!... until the kids decided they were arch nemesis' and their prearranged marriage was on the rocks!
I've decided to break up the trip into multiple posts... keep you wanting more. Well, and I'm exhausted and sick of writing for the time being. I'll leave you with some photos and a video. Until next time
Friday, January 20, 2012
Clap, Clap, Clap!
What a week it's been!
Jenna, Kellie, and Finley went to Woodland to visit her parents for the MLK weekend, from Saturday morning until Tuesday afternoon. It was very weird to come home to an empty house! When I work 72 hour shifts, I'm gone from my family for almost as long, so don't know why it was so much harder... Anyways, it made me realize just how blessed I am to have a family to come home to every day! Very glad to have them home.
Another milestone for our little Kellie to report.
She can clap now! After mom went to work yesterday morning, I put Kellie in her high chair for breakfast, and she just started clapping all on her own. Funny thing is, we've been trying to get her to do it for months now. She use to flap her arms when we would say/show her clap, which we lovingly dubbed her "chicken wing!" We sure are gonna miss her chicken wing, but she's just as adorable clapping away like a crazy girl! Can't believe that in just a few days she's going to be 10 months old. Better start planning her first birthday!
Jenna, Kellie, and Finley went to Woodland to visit her parents for the MLK weekend, from Saturday morning until Tuesday afternoon. It was very weird to come home to an empty house! When I work 72 hour shifts, I'm gone from my family for almost as long, so don't know why it was so much harder... Anyways, it made me realize just how blessed I am to have a family to come home to every day! Very glad to have them home.
Another milestone for our little Kellie to report.
She can clap now! After mom went to work yesterday morning, I put Kellie in her high chair for breakfast, and she just started clapping all on her own. Funny thing is, we've been trying to get her to do it for months now. She use to flap her arms when we would say/show her clap, which we lovingly dubbed her "chicken wing!" We sure are gonna miss her chicken wing, but she's just as adorable clapping away like a crazy girl! Can't believe that in just a few days she's going to be 10 months old. Better start planning her first birthday!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Ringing in the New Year with a Shot in the Leg...
This past week Kellie had her 9 month old pediatrician appointment (and another immunization shot). That's right... I said 9 months. How did this happen?! I feel like we're in a time warp. It just amazing how far this little person has come in 3/4 of a year... she's crawling at lightning speed, standing up while holding onto things, jabbering in some language that I'm pretty sure the dog understands, waiving "bye-bye" to daddy as he leaves for work, thinking that clapping means flapping your arms like a chicken, eating tons of new things on a daily basis (stink bugs included), and getting into as much trouble as possible, whenever possible. WOW! I'm tired for her and all that change... I can't believe just one year ago she was inside her momma still cookin' and the size of a spaghetti squash. God's creation is pretty stinkin' amazing...
Being slightly competitive, and thinking that I (and my family) are totally awesome, I love learning Kellie's stats whenever we go to her Dr. appointments to see how she "compares." So here is what we learned:
Age: 0.75 years
Weight: 16lbs 13oz (20th percentile)
Height: 27.75in (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 45.4cm (80th percentile)
What did we learn? She's a lean-mean-headbuttin' machine! Okay, okay... maybe that she's tallish and thin like her mommy, and a fat head like daddy. What a combo!
Well... I'll leave you with some photo evidence of the aforementioned trouble she's been busy finding. Enjoy!
Being slightly competitive, and thinking that I (and my family) are totally awesome, I love learning Kellie's stats whenever we go to her Dr. appointments to see how she "compares." So here is what we learned:
Age: 0.75 years
Weight: 16lbs 13oz (20th percentile)
Height: 27.75in (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 45.4cm (80th percentile)
What did we learn? She's a lean-mean-headbuttin' machine! Okay, okay... maybe that she's tallish and thin like her mommy, and a fat head like daddy. What a combo!
Well... I'll leave you with some photo evidence of the aforementioned trouble she's been busy finding. Enjoy!
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| Being her sneaky self at the Dr.'s office |
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| Caught escaping after learning how to open the slider! |
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| Apparently she can climb stairs now?!?! |
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| Loves going on the swings at the park! |
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Just Getting Started...
Well Hello There!
So we thought we'd jump on the bandwagon and start blogging. Just a little insight into our life of growing a family and living the dream on the Central Coast of California. Still trying to get our bearings, but we'll do our best to post on here as often as we can find the time. Hope you enjoy!
The McNichols
So we thought we'd jump on the bandwagon and start blogging. Just a little insight into our life of growing a family and living the dream on the Central Coast of California. Still trying to get our bearings, but we'll do our best to post on here as often as we can find the time. Hope you enjoy!
The McNichols
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