Lately for Each of Us

Kyle:

* has started his own window washing business - sun state windows. so far he has only had residential jobs, but his plan is to work his way to commercial buildings. he has a website he created for sun state windows, he posts ads on craigslist several times a day, and he is making business cards. i am so excited for him to finally own his own business, something he has talked about since we were dating. no longer is he "working for the man" as he puts it. kyle's goal to own a business before he turns 26? check!

* kyle was accepted in to asu's business school and just finished 15 credit hours of summer school with them, studying both semesters. a couple weeks ago he finished the second semester which we were both greatful for. the last week was very stressful with so many long papers and presentations to prepare. but even with all the stress he got straight A's. he especially needed the vacation to california. now he has started school for this fall and i just hope his teachers aren't too hard on him if this baby is born right in the middle of finals.

* it's so cute to see how much daddy loves his girl. addy is becoming more attached to him all the time and follows him wherever he goes. this first week of kyle's new job has really magnified to us how much she loves him. if he doesn't give her his full attention for 1/2 hour she's heart-broken with tears everywhere, and sometimes thirty minutes is not even enough. kyle is so good to her, singing songs, chasing her, and making up new games with her. seeing how great a father kyle is, it makes me sad to think of some people who don't have that kind of relationship with their dad. kyle is amazing.

* (this is a pic i took of kyle last night. he fell asleep while helping me fold clothes. isn't he's so funny?!) and speaking of amazing, that's what kind of husband he continues to be. being the oldest in my family i am very stubborn and outspoken, and kyle is so paitient with me. i can't always make him underdstand that my way is gospel, but no matter what he is great at hearing me out and letting my try to convince him. he is awesome at budgeting and keeps me in line. he studies hard and is very logical. he's the best provider for our family. puts addy and i first and is always concerned about our feelings. plus he is so funny, and if you're married you know how important that is for a marriage. love him to death!

Brittney:

* i am currently 24 weeks along with baby girl mckay #2. kyle and i are currently discussing names and will let you know our pick when she is born, so for the rest of the pregnancy i will lovingly call her "mac" short for "mckay". i am still feeling great - actually no pregnancy symptoms. for the first 16 weeks paranoia took over and i thought i had had miscarriages because there were no symptoms at all. sound great to be symptom free? not really. everytime i went to the doctor i was terrified they wouldn't find a heartbeat. i was scared until i started feeling faint movements at the end of week 19 and continuing to pick up since. so i predict mac will be a mellow girl (hopefully) as i look back on the way this pregnancy has been.

* school is probably a no-go for me since i am due finals week and classes are so full anyway. i really would like to take my next math course so i don't forget everything i learned in the spring, but none are available. kyle found an english class that starts late and ends early (perfect), but online registary says i need to retake the placement test or take eng 090. no thank you. i have actually already taken eng 101, but i was engaged that semester and had marriage on my mind, thus i got a C. kyle teases me everytime we talk about my grades that semester - all C's. so i'm behind and am playing catch up.

* i am starting to schedule photography sessions for the fall now. i took off the summer (you can do that when you are your own boss) since i was pregnant and didn't feel like melting in front of my clients - not very proffessional. i'm starting mid september and will book thru until thanksgiving. then i will have another break for the birth. i can't wait to start! to see my work and pricing visit my photography blog.

* currently (maybe it's nesting) i have had a strong craving for sewing. mostly repurposing old clothes into new clothes. that and holiday decorations. i have an all metal sewing machine that needs repair/tuning i'm not sure which. staying up into the early morning hours reading tutorials and saving pictures is becoming more frequent. i have been begging to get my sewing machine ready for use as an early birthday present (october 7th to mac's arrival might not be long enough for projects). anytime would be great i keep telling kyle. we have moved the furniture in our office around to make room for sewing/crafts. i'm going crazy waiting.

Addison:

* addison is so cute and i can't believe how much she is changing, especially in the last month. she now calls me "momma" instead of "mommy" which i am very sad about and currently trying to reverse. she loves her baby doll more each day (all on her own) and shares many hugs and kisses with her. she has learned how to take off her diaper. often when i get her up in the morning she is completely naked in her crib and playing. cute so far until i find a surprise (hopefully never).

* i am thinking about potty training her, but i know she is probblaby too young now. she is 18 months and i would love to have only one child at a time in diapers with the expectant arrival of our new baby girl in december. maybe that's too soon. possibly for her birthday in feb? the question i have running through my mind: what age works and how should i modivate her??

* she pointed to my tummy the other day and said "baby". i don't think she fully comprehends what that means, but it's so cute for her to say that. kyle and i have half-heartedly been trying to teach her this since early july and then when i don't probe, she does it on her own? so cute!

* addy is a very stubborn thing when it come to solid food. she hates it. kyle and i blame it on the thrush she got twice in a short time around her birthday. she ate solids great before that time and i would give anything for her to go back to that habit. she has a bottle all day now, and starves herself if i try to force anything else on her. solids she will eat: tortilla chips, plain chicken, cereal (of course, clone of daddy), and sometimes a banana. not much. i have tried the suggested fruit smoothies which she seems to like the taste but won't drink. does that even make sense? no. so i drink the whole thing myself. i dream of her someday eating dinner with kyle and i, not just watching us eat.

above: addison snuggles up to me on the computer so i can tickle her back with my free hand. she never stays in one position for more than two minutes, but rolls over so i can then tickle somewhere else.

* even though tickling has been a favorite in this family forever, addison is wanting it more and more. lately she lays on my lap and if i continue to just sit there she will grab my hand and put it on her back so i know she wants to be tickled. being tickled is the only thing she will hold still for and it's so funny. this past week, she sat on "mama"s mccleve's lap (that's how she says grandma - slightly different than my name "mamma"). my mom was tickling her skin and stopped for a second, so addison reached behind herself, took my mom's hand, and placed it back on her shoulder. just like her mommy and daddy and something i never want to forget!

L.A. Temple

While on vacation to California, we went to the L.A. temple on Sunday and got to see the newly renovated visitor's center. It was pretty awesome. They really took advantage of the many different technologies available today. One of my favorite things in the visitor's center was the Book of Mormon display. Each Book of Mormon had a chip inside so when you picked it up and waived it in front of the TV it would tell you what language it was in and even give you a verbal sample. There are many features they just installed that are unique to that visitor's center alone. A sister missionary told us they have the video "God's Plan For The Family" just like in Mesa, but L.A. has an extended version. The L.A. temple is beautiful and sits on a hill over looking much of the city. It reminded me of the scripture in Matthew 5:14 which says, "Ye are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hid."

I took this picture. Pretty amazing photography skills if you ask me.

I love this picture of the Angel Moroni. All credit goes to Brittney.

Daddy and Addy.

Together Forever!

Beach Time

i know i keep posting about california, but we did so many things there and i want to include everything! i lived in santa clara when i was young and as a result love two things about cali - farmers markets and the beach. we did see a farmers market on the way to the beach, but unfortunately it was gone when we drove back. just trash in the parking lot to show it had been there, and boy was i sad. but, we had a great time going to the beach. saturday we went and left addison asleep at the house. then on monday before we left to come back home, we went back to get some family pictures. i really missed addy on saturday, but we did have a blast and it was nice to not have to worry about where she was. i don't have a maternity suit, so i just wore my regular one. the usually cute swimsuit made me look overweight and not preggo and i definitely felt stares. all well. we found a ton of sand dollars and cool shells which is so fun for me. kyle said on our honeymoon to las palomas in mexico that i looked like a little girl fishing for shells. he thinks i look like a little girl in a candy shop, but i wasn't the only one looking. i had kirt and jennifer fishing for cool shells as well.

shawn rented boogie boards and everyone had fun riding the waves in to the sand. i just body surfed since i couldn't use a board and was able to ride one wave pretty far. to dry off, the mckay brothers and sisters tried to play a game of volleyball. when they realised they couldn't get two hits in a row, they switched to soccer and had a great game.
monday, we took addison. kyle took pictures of her feeling the sand as she walked around for the first time on a beach. her confused and excited face was so fun. then kyle took her to the water to experience the waves. i remember my younger sisters being terrified when they were addy's age and i expected addison to be scared as well. she really surprised me by loving it! we had to even grab her when she ran into the water with out us holding her hand. we will definitely have to go back soon. above: addison feeling the sand for the first time. below: addison loving the waves with daddy!

this cute pic was actually on the way home to az. addison wanted some of my fire cheetos and loved them as you can tell. for the entire seven hour trip, she only had a 30 minute nap right in the beginning and she did surprisingly great! love that face!

Picnic at the Park

saturday in california was spent enjoying the AMAZING weather, going to the beach, and having a family picnic - something residents of arizona would never try in august. shawn and neesha drove us fifteen minutes away from their home to a great park that we were told is very popular. the park is on a huge hill with a road that takes you all the way up to the top and has side streets along the way. we parked up top and were able to take in the gorgeous view all around. everyone brought blankets and jackets being from arizona and not used to the cold temps of 64 degrees and windy. we got a great spot with tables right next to a playground. perfect when there are three kids with tons of energy to spend!

this is shawn and dad grillin' for the family. we had burgers, grilled chicken, veggies/fruit and dip, homemade potatoe salad, chips, and pop - so great when your starving! dad is a great cook and really gets excited to share new recipes with me. he's like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to bargin shopping and cooking!above: neesha and maeli waiting for the food to be ready to eat. neesha is also pregnant and i am so excited to be pregnant with her. #3 for her is due in late march (she's about eight or nine weeks here). there will soon be five mckay cousins running around when we get together, i can't wait! below: kirt stacking his burger like an artist. above: bundled in cali's unusual cold spell for this time of year - loved it! and below is addison just being darn cute by saying "cheese" for the camera!

I'm Sailing!

have you ever seen the movie what about bob? hilarious - starring bill murray and richard dreyfuss. go rent it, you won't be sorry. the title is a quote from the movie and the first thing i thought of when i heard we were going to be sailing in california. unlike the movie though, no one on our crew had to be tied to the mast. pictures from the boat:
after we found shawn and neesha's home in culver city everyone loaded up into the cars and went to the pier where shawn had rented a cute sailboat for several hours. i volunteered for the short ride and shawn took us out around the pier while teaching us sailing terminology and how to's. i loved taking pictures of the docks and was surprised at how fast you can go without a motor. kyle's father taking a turn at steering and (below) maeli helping daddy sail.after my short ride, i traded with kyle and went back to the house with addison who never went sailing because she was afraid to wear a life vest. silly girl.

Finally Here

we made it into culver city around 1:00 pm friday afternoon and we are loving it here. i want to move. neesha told me no one has a/c here because it hardly ever gets hot enough to need it! can you imagine?! they just leave their doors and windows open for a cool breeze when they need it. kyle thinks it's cold, but i love it. being here has made me so happy and reminds me of memories when i lived in santa clara as a young girl. i would move here in a heartbeat if housing wasn't so ridiculous. shawn and neesha will probably live here for at least five years which means we will be vacationing here at least once a year... hopefully. above: shawn and neesha's home with cameron playing out front. below pictures: we took a walk in the neighborhood to enjoy the weather and look around.

addison had never seen anything like this tree (above) and seemed to be very awed by it. so cute.above: each street is lined with trees, at least one in front of each home. doesn't it just make you happy? this blue flower (below) is one i associate with my memories of california. these and vines grow everywhere. beautiful.

kyle's parents are leaving tomorrow afternoon, but we will wait to leave until monday so we can take addison to the beach. oh i can't wait!

Impromptu Vacation to Cali

this picture has nothing to do with the post, i just wanted to show you how much i am already popping out with sweet baby girl #2. i am 20 weeks 6 days here. finally i can wear maternity clothes! yeah!

yesterday kyle's parents left to california with colin, heather, and jennifer to visit his oldest brother shawn and his family. shawn and neesha moved to culber, california (near santa monica) in january of this year, and grandma and grandpa have already visited i think fives times. it is so nice to have them closer than indiana! it happens that kyle has a two week break from school right now and kirt is driving from florida all at the same time. so when kirt is rested -either late tonight or early tomorrow - the four of us will drive together to join the rest of the family in california! woohoo! today is cleaning, shopping, and packing day all rolled into one. can't wait for the beach!

We're Growing... By Two Feet!

get the title? i thought it was clever. this pregnancy is a surprise to most people, although some family could tell my tummy has been taking on a new shape for a couple of weeks - no matter how hard i tried to suck it in. two people that didn't notice, kinda funny, were both of our dads. they had to be clued in by our moms! so while kyle's family was quietly suspecting for two/three weeks, my family was calling at 12:30 am, constantly asking me many questions, and grilling me about if i was pregnant. so i lied. a lot. and i'm not sorry. i stopped going to my parents to avoid the questions, and then i got calls about that. but kyle and i like to wait for three months before telling anyone. it's fun to have a secret for a while. we found out back in april - while we were staying at my parents for a babysitting job down the street. at first i wanted to surprise kyle and tell him in some cute way. but, the minute he came home to me smiling, kissing him and telling me i loved him, he looked at me and said, "are you pregnant?". should i have been offended that he thought i was acting like that only because he suspected i was pregnant? don't i treat him like that everyday? maybe if i would've stopped to think about it, but i was in dreamland, having wanted to get pregnant since november of last year. i had begged and pleaded, cried, refused to talk to him, promised rewards, and anything else i could think of to no avail. all kyle could think of was how much we were spending weekly on formula and diapers. he told me that as soon as jesse and michelle got pregnant we could too. we had heard them say they wanted to wait until summer of 2011 - a year and half away.

i don't really know what changed his mind just four months later. maybe he was fed up with my whining, but boy am i thankful! my pregnancy with addison was, for the most part, a breeze. i got sick for three weeks early in the first trimester and for the duration had to be careful of what and how much i ate and drank. i only threw up four times. my mom said it wasn't fair. this time around it's even easier. no nausea or sickness at all - just tired. i know others who get really sick and have horrible pregnancies, and i am so blessed to have it this easy.

i am 20 weeks along - that's four and a half months based on a ten month pregnancy (how ob/gyns measure it) but not looking as a doctor, i'm five months. halfway there! and because i wasn't pestered at their house, kyle and i have been spending these last weeks at his parents house to avoid suspicion from my family. (funny since kyle's parents were also suspecting - at least they were quiet about it.)

we told kyle's parents saturday night so they could let everyone know on their weekly sunday calls to the rest of the family not in town. we told the whole mccleve family last night during brag time for FHE. last wednesday we had our ultrasound and sealed up the gender pics. i took them to the bakery and had a cake made with either blue or pink icing inside. (kyle and i didn't peek at the gender). so after we told my family at brag time, we announced that not only were we pregnant, but we were going to find out the sex of the baby for dessert! usually when someone announces they are expecting, you have to wait for months to find out boy or girl. it was so fun to have two surprises in one night.

we let my dad cut the cake and what do you know? the mccleve family curse is STILL alive. (six girls - no boys - in my immediate family and many girl cousins) we call it the mccleve curse although i know kyle is really to blame, the father always determines the sex. even though i have had dreams of blue icing, i really wanted a little sister for addison and i couldn't be more excited!! having all girls really isn't a curse and i hope they will be really close. two girls to dress up!

**edit: we only took video, but jenell sent me these pics from that night.

ok a vote right before my dad cut the cake to see what everyone thought we were having. a little more than half screamed "girl!" in the pic below, watermelon is being cut and eaten while people are waiting to find out. watermelon to me says mccleve family.the evidence:we are so happy to be welcoming another little girl soon!