A New Post...Good Bye Flat Stanley

I an effort to save poor Flat Stanley's life, I am actually going to write a new post. Dear Stanley is being threatened and I just can't take it anymore. SO here it is, new pictures so you don't have to look at Flat Stanley's grinning face everytime you check my blog. ( For those of you who even check my blog, I think there are about 2 of you left.....we all know I definitely am not a blogger.)

Anyways, we had our pictures taken right before thanksgiving by an awesome photographer in our ward. I haven't posted the pictures yet because I wasn't sure which one I was going to use on a Christmas card and I wanted it to be a suprise when you all got it. So I finally picked one, and here are some that I didn't use. She did such a wonderful job. Taking pictures of four kids, especially mine, was definitely not easy. Thanks Gina!

There you have it, and Flat Stanley is no more. But ya never know, he just might pop up some where when you're least expecting it. After all he is flat, and he is a bit annoyed...

Flat Stanley

Yes, I know thses pictures are a bit odd but Adam had to take Flat Stanley to work with him for a project for Cole's class. Flat stanley is a kid who gets flattened (duh!) and his new found adventures as a piece of paper? ( sounds like a great story...I know...what are they reading to my kid?!)

ANYWAYS, I thought these picures were pretty funny. I didnt think Adam was that creative. There were even more pics but I thought these were the funniest And yes, Cole was the little nerdy kid who came with the most picutures. I think he was supposed to bring just one, but what can I say, the kids need some attention! Thanks Flat Stanley, we enjoyed using you to pick up a nasty piece of gum. Just kidding, dear Stanley is safe.

Halloween

Here they are! The MacLean kids in all their Halloween glory!

Pumpkins!

I have taken a lot of pictures and planned on putting them on this blog, but it just never happened. I didnt want all the halloween pictures we took go to waste so I am shocking even myself and posting them before its too late.
I always look forward to halloween because its the start of all the fun holidays and it starts to feel more like fall outside. That doesnt really happen in Texas until about Jan, but its still fun to pretend like the weather is going to change. I bought pumpkins the day they were setting them out at the store. Adam thought I was crazy and that it was way too early. I was the idiot lady with her feet sticking in the air as I was crawling my way to the bottom of the big pumpkin crates. Just call me a pumpkin freak! Anyways, here are some picutes of the kids carving their pumpkins and then with them on our door step. We didnt go too fancy this year so it was pretty fun! Lindsey was unable to get her picture with her pumpkin because we were horrible parents and she fell outof her chair onto the floor. Nice...

Normal Life

Ashley realizing that Halloween is another 40 days away

David got tired of waiting ......
and waiting for his turn to play

David with his best bud Josh after preschool

Well we have definately settled in to the routine of school. Cole tried to escape from kindergarten only one time. He is doing a lot better and my easiest child to get ready for school. He doesnt care what he wears and his hair takes 2 seconds to do. Ashley and David are also enjoying school, and their issues with clothes and hair (especially David) have me frazzled some mornings, but they make it to school in one piece. The hours and hours of extra free time I thought I was going to have only having one child with me 2 days a week has somehow never appeared. I think my house is actually messier and more cluttered now than it was during the summer. I guess maybe I am catching up on lost time and wandering around Target for far too many hours. They knew me by name there, at all 4 locations I frequent and occassionally ask me to stock shelves. Thank goodness for their sweet return policy. I just dump the 49 things on the counter I don't want, keep the ONE thing I do want, give them my debit card to issue my return, and then start the vicious cycle all over again.

So thats my life in a nut shell right now, send kids to school and go to Target.

Kidding, kidding, but some days I feel like thats what it consists of. I am trying to better manage my time and not feel like I need to get a Target fix to complete my day. ( And they really dont know my name there, at lease I hope they don't):)

About a month ago I was called to be a beehive advisor in the young womens program. I was a little nervous at first because I have not been in young womens since I turned 18 and left for college. It has been a great experience so far and I have managed to teach 2 lessons without passing out before giving them! All the girls have been so welcoming to me.

I am anxious for the weather to start cooling off. I think that will happen here eventually. I put our Halloween decorations 2 weeks ago. The kids got all excited and thought trick or treating was just around the cornor and I had to break the news that they still had about 40 days. They were a bit devastated.

Anyways, I am posting some random pictures of the kids to go with my random thoughts.

This is a video of Lindsey just talking. Adam thought I was about to take a picture thats why he suddenly stops smiling. Lindsey is just at that the age where anythig she says sounds cute. Her favorite thing to say is 'scary" when she sees halloween stuff, and "oh man" that swiper says on Dora.

I'm a Free Woman...well kind of

Well there is a reason why this post is late....and actually it really isn't that late. Ashley and Cole started school 2 weeks ago and David just started last week SO I wanted to post all the pictures together.....do you believe that? All the kids were excited to start school the first day. Some have changed their minds since then (Cole), but for the most part everything seems to be running smoothly. (Do you believe that either?) They all like their teachers and have made some fun new friends. Cole even sits next to a girl that likes Star Wars so that was a big score for him!
With David in preschool, I just have Lindsey on Tues and Thur. Even though last week was just the first week of that happening, its been a nice change. She is definatley working her way nicley into the terrible twos and screams her demands whenever she feels necessary. I think I fed her cheetos and m&m's for lunch on Thursday just so she would give it a rest! She is really sweet though, and it has been fun to see her little personality emerge more and more. Thats about it for now, check back to see their end of the year class parties....hopefully I will get at least one post in before then :)
p.s. I am not sure why Adam chose to take their pictures in front of a shrub that totally is overgrown.

Almost the First Day of School!!

Well, well, well......I am not even going to address my lack of blogging skills. I am going to continue on like I have posted everday. Thanks for all the funny comments. I even stopped checking my blog because I was so embarrassed, thats why I haven't even commented back.
Anyways, its hard to believe that summer has come to an end. I have so many fun pictures that I would like to post, but I think I will wait until I can figure out the slide show option. So to celebrate the end of summer ( not that I'm celebrating), our school has a welcome walk where you meet your teacher for the first time when them come knocking at your door on a designated night. It's hard to believe that we would be waiting for 2 teachers this year! Ashley and Cole were both excited...but David was a little ticked that no one was coming to meet him. We made cookies to help pass the time until they came, and of course to suck up to the teachers. Both kids teachers are really nice and Cole even got a good friend in his class. The next night we got to go check out their classrooms and put away their supplies. Adam unfortunatley was unable to come, so it was especially fun with all 4 kids by myself. Luckily Ashley's teacher handed out candy that Lindsey screamed the whole time for while Ashley and I labeled about 50 school supplies! It was fun to get to have a little preview of the upcoming school year and Ashley and Cole are excited (at least for now, we'll see when 6:30 rolls around for them to get up)





David was feeling a little left out that no one was coming to meet him

Ashley and Cole ready to meet their new teachers


Checking out her new classroom
Cole unloading his school supplies
Cole' s new classroom

I'm a Dork!

I was trying to post picutes in the wrong layout, that's why it was not working. This is much easier. My sister Emily helped me figure it out. Thanks Em!

A Good Excuse

I know that most of you who were checking my blog have probably now stopped. I am sure that my mom is the only one still checking, but only out of duty as my mother. (Thanks mom!) Well I wish that I could say that my time as been taken up with so many new and exciting things that I just haven't had time! (Dang it) But, needless to say, it has been chaos as usual. Someone got the bright idea to buy a smaller version of a leggo star wars ship to build. Its cheaper and because its smaller, it would be faster to build. Those all were true, and I in fact was the one that finally built the stinkin thing because I could not handle David asking every 3 minutes when daddy was coming home. I think this was Adam's plan all along. I forgot that leggo ships, especially those are really only meant to be looked at than played with. And for David who gets ticked off when even the slightest thing goes wrong, like screaming "I hate you" to the button on his pants because he cant get his pants buttoned. You can only imagine his rage when the ship was literally breaking every 5 minutes. So instead of blogging, I was putting together a star wars ship for the 30th time while trying to calm down the insanity of a four year old. AND because I built it, I was the only one that could fix it ( Thanks Adam) I wish I had a picture to post of the final product, but it has been broken into pieces, not by david but by me! I guess the picture would be of me sobbing as I rebuild that dang thing again!

My second lame and valid excuse was that I have been TRYING to read Breaking Dawn and catch up on my sleep. On Friday I went with some friends to the midnight release of this last book in Stephanie Myer's series. Though there were other adults there, we definitely were outnumbered by teenage girls wishing to be a vampire. Needless to say, I wasn't bored waiting until midnight because of the "interesting" people I was able to watch as we waited. At midnight we screamed with delight. Just kidding, We walked down stairs and got our books and headed to an all night reading party. It was a lot of fun. We did not make it the entire night, but I guess I am cool again because I stayed out until 2:30. I still haven't even finished the book yet!!
I am going to try and post the picture of the kids again. I have lots of pictures from our trip this summer so I hope to at least post pictures of that. I think I am going to post more pictures than write so all my far away friends and family can remember us :)

Peer Pressure!

So I finally gave in and started a blog. OK, I know you get it, its a big deal and everyone should be happy blah, blah, blah! And for a FEWof you that even know I have a blog and I am getting harrassed to post 16 times a day! What is with you people! Please just give me a chance to create my masterpiece and figure out how I can tell you in a oh so cute way that David intentionally peed all over the bathroom floor today and that the pee is probably still there. Hopefully the roll of toliet paper he completely unrolled and left in a heap on the floor will have worked to my advantage and cleaned the mess up for me. ( Is this where I am supposed to insert a picture of David standing next to all the pee and toliet paper ?)Dont worry, I really am going to try and make my postings worthwhile and maybe throw in some real life amongst telling you how wonderful my life is.Here are some pictures of the kids we took while in Vegas. For all those who have forgotten us while we have been in Texas (Jenn!) Ashley is 7, Cole is 51/2, David is 4,and Lindsey is 18 months.Thanks for the peer pressure because it probably would have been a week or more before I ever posted again. Its nice to be harrassed sometimes. :)
P.S. I have tried for an hour to post pictures but its just not working, I will have to call one of you tomorrow to figure it out! Sorry I stink at this!

You Did What!?!

Are you serious!?!...yes, that is what I am sure many of you, if not thousands of you are saying to yourselves as you realize that I did in fact create a blog. I am not quite sure what I am doing, but I thought maybe I should at least give it a try?......