What's Crackin' with the McCrackens?

It has been a LONG time!

2010-07-04T10:14:00.002-04:00

Many months, days, and hours have passed since I last wrote. So much has happened since then. In a nutshell:
1) We moved from Murfreesboro to Ahoskie because we bought a house.
2)Meredith has had three spacers put in her mouth to hold the teeth in place whilst we wait for the adult teeth to come in.
3) I started teaching 4th grade math and science....which apparently is not the case for next year...suppose to be self-contained...I'm less than thrilled with this prospect.
4) Jeff....well he died...twice. On moving day, I found him on the floor of our bathroom. Short story: he had a pulmonary embolism. The saddle-type...sat between his lung and heart. Doctors said it was the largest they had ever seen in a living person. After a week in ICU, he returned home. In Oct. he had 3 fusions in his neck. He still has some balance issues and other issues, but he is alive! Praise God!
5) Caitee is growing like a weed. She has started speech therapy this summer. I'm hoping she'll get placed in the speech program in the fall so she'll be able to start preK when she turns 4.

The girls and I are headed to Texas this summer. I will be attending my 20th high school reunion. And many of my family and friends have not met Caitee...and she is almost 3! Plus we are excited to meet my youngest brother John's two boys!

I have started a weight loss program that I hope will be a life long change for me. I have already noticed that some foods I used to enjoy are too salty, too sweet, or just don't please me anymore. I weighed in last Wednesday and have lost 9 lbs so far. Hope I can continue to lose while in Texas! Y'all keep me on track!

Why can this family not get well?!?!

2009-03-04T21:48:00.002-05:00

UGH! Just as we seem to get over one illness, another pops up. This time it is Meredith. She has a terrible cough. She probably should have stayed home, but she has way too many absences (for a teacher's kid) and I am out of sick days and am paying out of pocket (CHA-CHING!) So........she spent most of the day in my classroom.

I'm ready for spring and summer. We need to air this place out!

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T11:21:00.002-05:00

Well, daycare closed today, but the school system did not. And it being the first of the month, Jeff could not take off.
So we went out for a few minutes!

I know I'm behind...deal with it...ok!

2009-03-02T11:17:00.003-05:00

Here is the snow we got back on the Tuesday after MLK, Jr. Day.

Caitee's impression of the little brother from "A Christmas Story".

Help ME! I can't get up!!!

Meredith trying to help Caitee get up.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

2008-12-25T20:01:00.004-05:00

The alarm clock sounded at 7 am. Alas, neither of our girls had woken up yet. We woke up Meredith first so she could concentrate on her gifts and then help Caitee with her's. We had to wake Meredith up a few times before she realized what day it was. She enjoyed all of her gifts and Santa remembered to bring her those toys which she had been eyeing for some time now. Caitee got up around 7:40 am. Meredith helped her open them up. Caitee was happy just to have boxes. But Santa was good to her as well. Plus they enjoyed all the goodies Santa left in their stockings!
Enjoy the pics! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Yes there was a change of scenery when Caitee woke up. There is a reason why the tree was in that small side room.

Christmas Eve!

2008-12-25T19:54:00.003-05:00

Alas, I did not take any pics. Jeff did so I'll take a look at those and see if he got anything good.

Some sad news, we did have to take our dog, Sparky, to the vet. He was not doing well at all. He wasn't eating (and if you know Sparky, you know he likes to eat), he was yiping a lot. He seemed to hurt all over. Jeff took him in and left him there for overnight (well two nights) observations. They called back after several hours and said he was full of hookworms. GREAT! They also put him on some pain meds. I am to pick him up on Friday. Just didn't feel too Christmas-y without him here.

We hosted the annual family Christmas eve get together. This year instead of a spread of finger foods we opted to make a meal. Jeff made Garlic Shrimp Pasta and Cheese biscuits (just like eating at Red Lobster!) It was all very delicious. We all had to take a rain check on the Bananas Foster....we were stuffed!!!

We all exchanged our gifts to each other. Drank some champagne. After everyone left, we put the girls in the bath and put them to bed.

December 23rd

2008-12-25T19:12:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, December 23, we ate at Guy and Pat's so that we could do a little Christmas celebration with Willard and Brenda before they headed off to Raleigh to spend Christmas with their daughter and son-in-law.

As usual, we ate entirely too many appetizers and were really full by the time the pizza and pasta showed up!

The girls enjoyed opening presents from Brenda and Willard. They gave Meredith one of the Barbie Muses from the Diamond Castle series as well as the dvd of the movie. Caitee received a pushing/walking toy.

Meredith also made a Gingerbread house while visiting with Grandmommy and Emily during the day.

Ok..so mom is a slacker...better late than never, right?

2008-12-25T18:09:00.004-05:00

Well, as you remember from my last post, Meredith turned the ripe, old age of 6! I said to look back for photos...well, they are finally here....the suspense is over.

There is an obvious Disney Princess theme here. Meredith had been eyeing the castle cake for a LONG time! Every time we visited that grocery store, she would ask if it is her birthday yet. Let me tell you...that was all cake! There was lots of it!!

The girls all dressed as a Disney Princess. Meredith and Emily dressed as Cinderella. Allie dressed as Tinkerbell, and Caitee dressed as Snow White. It was extremely difficult trying to get 4 little girls to all look at the camera...I give my props to Anne Geddes and her abilities to photograph lots of kids and babies at once!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEREDITH!

2008-11-18T11:41:00.001-05:00

We hope you have the best birthday ever! We can't believe you are 6 years old already!!!

Friends and family...look back this weekend for photos of the birthday party!

Ouch! That had to hurt!

2008-11-18T11:29:00.003-05:00

On the eve of her 6th birthday, Meredith enjoyed a little visit to the ER. She was climbing over the safety baby gate and it collapsed and took her with it. She came running to her dad crying with her hand on her ear. I kept thinking something was wrong with her ear, but then we noticed blood dripping on her shirt. Upon close inspection, we found a gash on the back of her head almost and inch long. She ended up getting one staple without any pain reliever. She was a real trooper! A BIG thank you to Guy and Pat for meeting Jeff up at the ER. I stayed home with Caitee and Sparky. I probably would have been an emotional wreck!

Here is a pic of the staple.

What is wrong with this picture?

2008-11-18T11:26:00.001-05:00

Ok...you probably don't see it. But I do...I was there...I took the photo.
Those are not clamdiggers, peddle pushers, or whatever else people call them.
Those pink pants are Caitee's pants! Yes, they are size 12 months! Meredith is our little comedian.

Tooth? What tooth?

2008-11-18T11:11:00.002-05:00

We've been watching Meredith's loose tooth....yes one she would actually lose on her own and not to the demise of a cavity gone bad (is there any other way, mom?) Upon the suggestion of a good friend (Jennifer Walker), we were prepared to give her a marshmallow to aid in the extraction of said tooth. Prior to this venture, Meredith was enjoying her Happy Meal. When she finished, she approached mom with much excitement to eat a marshmallow. Apparently, the marshmallow had a premature effect and really didn't need to be eaten. The tooth was missing! Meredith, where did it go? Where is your tooth?.....Right here, mom. (pointing to her mouth). Uh, no it isn't! Meredith, did you take it out? No, mom. (Jeff starts performing CSI type maneuvers to figure out where this tooth must have fallen.) No tooth to be found. She has apparently swallowed it!!!!!!!

Oh, the tears! We tried to comfort her. The only comfort was that the tooth was having a party in her tummy with the chicken and french fries AND that mom said she would look through....do I need to say it? But alas, apparently teeth can dissolve when swallowed. So in the end, a note was written to the tooth fairy explaining the whereabouts of said tooth.

And once again....she woke up to $5. What the....? I only remember getting $1 for the first and then 25 cents for each tooth after. Dag!

Oh, the Dental Drama!

2008-11-18T10:51:00.003-05:00

As you probably remember from a previous post, Meredith had her first visit with a dentist back in July. She had her teeth cleaned. Then...the bad news. She had like 4 cavities and one tooth was so bad that it was going to have to come out. Fast forward to October 14. She was a real trooper! She had that ugly tooth pulled out. She got a nice little case to keep it in. She was told to only eat soft foods.....so of course mom and dad allowed her to have ice cream for lunch. Plus she got to go shopping for a Barbie Peek-a-boo since she did SO very well....better than some adults I know! LOL!

Here is a very bad pic of the pulled tooth. It was on her right side....the tooth behind her fang! LOL!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T23:23:00.003-04:00

Meredith dressed as Cinderella! Didn't she look BOO-tiful!
Caitee....poor Caitee...was forced to wear Meredith's Halloween costume that she wore her first 2 Halloweens. But she still looked SPOOK-tacular!!!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-31T23:14:00.004-04:00

We went to Briley's Farm in Greenville, NC on October 25, 2008. We met up with Sarah, Ike, Emily, and Allie. We had a blast in the corn maze, picking pumpkins, hayride, pony rides, and so much more.

Just some random pics!

2008-10-31T23:10:00.002-04:00

Just thought I'd show you some more pics of our two beautiful daughters.

Caitee turns the big 1!!!!

2008-10-31T23:04:00.003-04:00

On September 17, 2008, Caitlin Diane turned the ripe old age of 1. She has had a very exciting first year. She learned to walk on her birthday!!! We are very proud of her and all of her accommplishments so far. Caitee....mommy and daddy love you! And so does your big sister, Meredith!!!

Here is Caitee getting ready to enjoy the first bite of her cake. NOTE: Her hand is not coming up to her mouth.....see following pic.

This is where that first bite landed!!!! Oops! Sorry Grandmommy and PaPa!!!

August-WATERMELON Festival!!!

2008-10-31T22:18:00.009-04:00

Ok....I know...I'm a little behind on some of this stuff.

We went to the local Watermelon Festival back during the first Saturday of August.

Meredith and Jeff rode a lot of the rides, but that ended when Meredith wanted to ride the "Super Slide". You know...the kind you go down while riding on a burlap sack. Well, apparently we all forgot to tell her that it goes....FAST! She stuck out her hand to stop herself halfway down...and ended up with a nasty blister on her palm for quite a while. Before the slide, they rode on the Carousel and the Ferris Wheel. Meredith also rode on the kid's roller coaster and some other little kiddie rides.

This is when disaster strikes!!!

It was hot that day!! Some of us got a little worn out.

Our latest house guest!

2008-09-10T07:10:00.003-04:00

Luckily, she's not staying IN the house. She has made her web outside our front window. She is a yellow garden spider and sometimes referred to as a "Writing Spider" due to her zigzag design on the web.

Foofa!!!

2008-08-13T22:35:00.002-04:00

After being entirely too lazy all summer, I decided it was time to do something for Meredith. She wanted me to make her a cake. What kind of cake? A Foofa cake. For those who don't know who Foofa is, she is a character from the kid's TV show "Yo Gabba Gabba".

Meredith's First Trip to the Dentist!

2008-07-30T18:58:00.002-04:00

Meredith went to the dentist yesterday for the first time (she's actually been begging to go).
While we discovered that she does have some cavities, she enjoyed her time. I took a few photos of the special occasion.

Look at the newest addition to our family....of vehicles.

2008-07-26T12:35:00.005-04:00

I am now the proud owner of a 2006 Honda Odyssey...yes...I own a minivan...and yes....I now own my first foreign car. The world must be coming to an end! Ha!

Just some pics I took recently!

2008-07-18T19:30:00.004-04:00

Here is Sparky showing signs that he does not want Meredith to head off to school any time soon because he knows he'll end up outside all day!

Meredith and her mommy being silly!

On Sunday, we went to visit Jeff's parents and grandmother (and I got my Red Velvet birthday cake....which was totally awesomely delicious...as usual!)

Guess who turned 10 months old yesterday!!!

OPERATION DWINDLE DOWN is in effect!

2008-07-11T14:48:00.002-04:00

Some of my babynames.com buddies know what this is about....I bet the rest of you are dying to know!

Storm a'coming!

2008-07-09T20:28:00.002-04:00

Another storm is approaching (looks eerily similar to yesterday's afternoon storm).

Can't afford Guitar Hero, so we have to play Pool Hero!

2008-07-08T17:02:00.003-04:00

Poor Jeff. Finally gets a chance to get off work early and this is what the weather did! Then as you can see our neighbor's pool decided to take flight and landed in the field across the street. Jeff retrieved it. He says at one point he got lifted off the ground a bit....that's how strong the wind was!!! Yikes!! We got a little hail with this storm too.

Plastic safety doorknob covers...no problem

2008-07-07T09:00:00.002-04:00

Apparently those little safety covers for you doorknobs...you know the kind designed to keep your kids out of whatever room or closet you don't want them to get into...not so helpful when you have a very determined five year old.
Let me fill you in.
Yesterday, Meredith and I had a mother-daughter outing. We went to eat at Applebee's. We ate our meals then shared a molten lava cake dessert (which honestly, she could have eated all by herself). We then went to Walmart, where among more essential items we bought some craft paint (yes thank goodness I bought washable), some paint brushes, and some paper to paint on. We bought these things because Meredith has been begging to do a craft project all summer. I figured since she has an easel...we'll paint.
So we get home. She shows Jeff all the neat stuff she got. We both tell her that the painting can only be done in the kitchen or outside. Apparently that went in one ear and out the other because we discovered her in the midst of her 2nd painting in the middle of the living room floor!!!! I try real hard not to get upset and to instead think of it as "she is really wanting to paint NOW!" So Jeff and I set up the easel and paints in the kitchen. We put her in one of Jeff's old shirts, put her hair up, and let her get started. I reminded her that when painting time was over that we weren't going to get them out until the next day.
So painting time is over, Jeff cleans up the mess (big Thank YOU!), and he packs them away in the bathroom which now has one of those plastic doorknob things because....well....my child likes to play in there and I don't just mean in the sink either!
A little while later, I'm in the midst of feeding Caitee a bottle when I hear Jeff getting mighty upset with Meredith in the kitchen. She had gotten the paints out of the bathroom....the very one that has the plastic thing on the door! At first he thought someone (ME) left the bathroom open, NOPE.....she busted her way through that piece of plastic....tore it right off!
Not sure what to do now....I am taking suggestions!

Photo shoot pics

2008-07-06T10:08:00.001-04:00

First Blog Post!

2008-07-06T09:32:00.000-04:00

Hello all! I've seen a few others blogging about their families and thought this would be a great way for our family and friends to keep better tabs on "What's Crackin' with the McCracken's?"

Maybe this will make me take more pics of the girls.

This week Meredith and I are going to attempt to do some arts and crafts projects. She been asking for a while, and I think it'll be a good bonding moment for us since Caitee's arrival.