Testing...Testing....1,2,3

I have been trying ever since I started blogging, to upload vidoes and it just never seemed to work. No more! My test run is the video of the night we told my family that we were pregnant. Let me give you a bit of a buffer......what we did was buy some babyish things (soother, monitor, mobile etc.), wrapped them, and tagged them to my younger brothers, N&B, mom and dad and my grandparents. We told them they were just little gifts but they had to open them at the same time. They all had a note inside to them saying "Merry Christmas (blank), can't wait to meet you July 17. Love Baby McClelland". Here is what ensued! Enjoy.

Another Day, Another Makeover

Unless this is your first time visiting my blog, you may notice the newest design theme. I've been going through, well, a phase if you will, of feeling unsettled and needing a change of scenery. The onset of dreary-ish weather and gray skies have left me feeling very blue and I've been taking it out on my house and anything else around me that can be shuffled to give me something to fresh to look at.

So bear with me if you will......and, as always, thanks for stopping by.

Ladysmith Light-Up 2008

Ladysmith, a town about 20 minutes north of here, hosted their annual light-up last night and our little family (along with lots of our good friends and their families) made the trek to take in the spectacle. We attended last year and really enjoyed and this year was no different.

:: Some of the amazing floats ::

:: Cuddles with Oma and Opa ::
As you can see in the bottom left of this collage, Denay loved the fireworks. I joked to Kerry that I need to hire a pyrotechnician full-time to come over and entertain my child :) We had such a great time. The rain held off and the fireworks show was phenomenal! It must have lasted for at least 20 minutes.
To all our friends and family that gathered in front of Timmy's for the event, we love you and thanks for hanging out!

:: The Great Debate ::

What are your thoughts on these.......Gift Certificate or Gift Cards have long been, as far as I am concerned, a subject of debate as to whether or not they are really a "gift". I guess, yes, in a sense you are gifting someone with being able to shop for themselves BUT I've also heard them referred to as "thoughtless" and "generic" ways to give a gift without having to be creative.

I kind of stand on the fence with the issue. Sometimes I feel like, rather than wracking my brain and stressing out about getting someone that perfect gift that will be useful, getting a friend the gift of getting themselves a gift is the more sensible way to go. But on the other hand am I really GIVING them a gift if they are buying something for themselves?

All that being said I do give and enjoying receiving them but I'm curious about other's perspectives.

What do you think?

Santa Claus Parade 2008

On Saturday night, we took Denay down to Victoria with my parents for the Santa Claus parade. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Ric's Grill downtown beforehand then slipped out the door just in time for the parade to start.

:: Hanging with Opa at the restaurant ::

:: A couple of the floats ::

:: Mommy and her girl all bundled up ::
:: Trev was standing on a light post and I was on the garbage can. Best seats in the house! ::
:: Another wonderfully decorated float ::

:: A lifesize Gingerbread Man ::

:: Opa and his Sunshine #2 ::

:: Santa's float ::
:: The big man himself ::
:: Our Family ::
:: Denay and her Oma and Opa who love her SO much ::

Denay did so well the whole day.......she was totally in awe of all the lights and noises. It has been so extra special experiencing the holiday season so far with Denay. I hope your all able to take in some Christmas festivities in your area!

~ A Day In The Life ~

The following chronologs my day yesterday..........we've been trying to get Denay to take pumped breast milk for a while and having no success. Yesterday my mom came shopping with me to get groceries and when we got home I asked if she would try feeding, since I know it's not the best idea for me to try. We gave it a go with a nipple she got from the hospital and at first it worked but she quickly decided she didn't like it. So I changed it over to her Playtex Nurser and without any fuss, she gobbled the bottle down and fell asleep in Oma's arms.

PTL! I've decided that I'm only going to use pumped for special occasions but it's just nice to be able to be freed up a little!

Was cleaning out my closet of some nice winter jackets to donate and Elmo decided it looked like a nice bed :)Then we went and had dinner at Oma and Opa's house....Oma and Denay had a cuddle infront of the fireplace.
Got Milk?
I did this one just for you Grammie.....*Smile* Denay loves you!

I thought it would be cute if Denay got to wear some dessert on her face.......All is well in the MaC household. We're tripping down to Victoria tomorrow for the Santa Claus parade so check back soon for pictures!

Vaarwel!

*When WILL We Learn*

It is a sight no homeowner. or human being for that matter, ever wants to take in.

Somebody's living room window was just feet away from where a black newer-model Nissan Altima landed after losing control and flipping over into a Herd Road yard Saturday.
It was one heck of a jumpstart to a Saturday morning.
The crash occurred around 7:20 a.m.
"There were three people in the vehicle and driver was given a 24-hour suspension, so he was impaired by something or another," said North Cowichan/ Duncan Cst. Ed Power on Tuesday.
"He was also charged with, under the motor vehicle act, driving contrary to restrictions, which means he must have had a 'L' or an 'N' and had three people in the vehicle," said Power. "I'm not sure."
The driver was also charged with driving without due care and attention.
All three in the vehicle were taken to Cowichan District Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

*photo-Rue Belday and news story-Cowichan Valley Citizen *

My dad took these photos after the passengers had been taken away and the car was about to be removed.

This is a window in the cabin that my parents rent out.......the car sent rocks flying in the air at such speed that they went flying through it.
The final resting place of the car.
The roof had to be removed to extract one of the passengers.
The car came down the bank runs parallel to my parents driveway, hit the bottom, flew up seven feet in the air and clipped this mature tree in half. If the tree had not been there the car would have completely demolished the 600 square foot cabin where the tenant and her teenage daughter live.My dad thought he overheard one of the police officers saying that the car was travelling in excess of 100km/hr in a 60km/hr zone around a sharp downhill curve on a wet road.

Really, Seriously.......what is it going to take for us to learn that drinking, driving and speeding is not funny, or cool, or smart. How many more lives will have to end before we Get it.

I am constantly hearing people complain about the increasing restrictions ICBC is placing on our new and young drivers and how inconvenient it is. **Now let me add that I certainly do not believe that young people are the only ones out there drinking and driving** But the statistics show the better part of these kinds of accidents involve a young person behind the wheel.......so what choice does ICBC have? It's unfortunate that our young teens will have to live with the mistakes being made today when their turn comes to drive.

As terrible as the accident was, it could have been worse, and it is my hope that many eyes will be opened and lessons learned before something more terrible happens.

~ A Knock On The Door ~

I'd like to start out this post by saying that I think it should be outlawed for a chipper courier driver to ring your doorbell before 10:00 in the morning. That being said, I had a pretty rough night with Denay and had just gotten back to sleep when my doorbell rang at 8:40. I must have looked like a train wreck but she didn't say anything. To be honest I don't remember much about the exchange except signing and saying thanks. Normally the curiosity would get to me but I put the package on my landing and retreated back to my bed.

I awoke later and after feeding the baby and showering I finally got to the opening. To my delight, this is what I found.

:: All packed in a sunflower gift bag (you don't know me at all mum), was lots of supplies useful to girl who has a pretty new stand mixer. Thank M&D MaC......you always know just what I need!

Also in the package were some baby gifts for Denay. These were from Trevor's Nanny.....a neat souvenir shirt from Hawaii and a beautiful sliver cup engraved with her name and birthday.

We also got some super cute clothes from Uncle Jim and Auntie Rhonda that will be great for next summer. We are SO blessed!
Thanks for taking the time to ship that out M&D.......love you both!

:: I Could, But, I Just Don't Want To ::

Ever have one of these days?

When you could be doing so may things but you just don't want to.......I'm having a day like that today. My inner child is sitting on the floor, legs and arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed, poo-pooing every item on my "need to get done" list.

I could be hosing out my carport and washing my truck....

I could be folding laundry.....

I could be making use of my pretty new mixer.....

I could be uploading pictures and filling up my blog with things that are more interesting than this.....

I could be searching for a good lasagna recipe to use for our dinner guests on Friday.....

I could be taking a nap.....

I could be figuring out dinner for tonight.....

I could be making a grocery list.....

I could be getting out my Christmas decorations.....

BUT, I just don't want to.

So here I sit, listening to my washing machine and Frank Sinatra crooning "I'll be home for Christmas", wasting away my only baby-free time of the day doing something that doesn't need to be done.

*Sigh*

I digress.......I COULD pick just one thing off my list and try to get it done before Denay awakens, but, I just don't want to.

~ Big Girl's Toy ~

My birthday came early for me this year and I am SO excited! We (I) have been making due with a KitchenAid hand mixer for all our baking as it was a wedding gift. About a month ago we were making cookies and one of the beaters imploded. If you've ever tried to use just one beater, it proves to be extremely challenging. So I told Trev I wanted a real stand mixer and we start shopping around. Ideally I wanted an Artisan model with it's bigger bowl but it was slightly out of our price range. Then while over at my parent's house, I was flipping through their DirectBuy catalogue and I found the model I wanted for the same price as the model below the Artisan. Yay! So we ordered it and last Saturday it arrived, and because of a credit on my parents account, after shipping and taxes, it was still less than the Classic model. Such a God thing. And here is my new beauty........And yes, it is pink! We decided that it wouldn't live on the counter so I could get any color I wanted! It had it's first run last night making banana bread for dessert. SO good and WAY easier! Happy Early Birthday to ME!

:: We Will Remember Them ::

As you all know, November 11th is Remembrance Day. It's a day that has never been closer to my heart, now being part of a "military family".

Our church asked Nathan to come up on Sunday and share a bit about the Afghan mission and about being soldier. He spoke so well and I think touch a few hearts when he talked about how all a soldiers wants is for his fellow countrymen to appreciate what they've done.

This morning Trev, Denay and I drove down to Nanaimo with my parents for the parade and ceremony that Nathan was apart of. We got Denay all bundled up as the weather was pretty drizzly and cool.
The parade began.....
Nathan is directly in the middle of this picture......and the tallest guy.
Again.

Miss Muffett dozed off......thank goodness.

This gentleman was standing to my right and just touched my heart......he sung with such feeling and was in tears the whole ceremony. I can only imagine the memories and experiences behind those tears.
The March Past and Citizen Salute.....Nathan is the guy with the dot on his head.
We hunted him down afterwards to take some pictures. Nathan has been in the military for almost nine years and I've never seen him in his dress uniform. We also found out he was awarded a combat medal for his service overseas.
Strolling with Oma.....
I truly and sincerely hope that you got out and attended a memorial ceremony in your area. I think I can be pretty confident in saying that everyone is separated by no more than two or three degrees from somebody who has served our country, and possibly paid with their life. Ninety-seven Canadian have given their lives for the sake of the betterment of a country that needed them. Each one of them was someones son, husband, boyfriend, friend, brother, uncle and many of them were soon to be husbands and fathers. War touches us all, let us never forget the sacrifices made by so many and their families.


"Let us remember before God, and commend to His sure keeping:
Those who have died for their country in war;
Those whom we knew, and whose memory we treasure:
And all who have lived and died in the service of mankind.
They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning;
We will remember them.
Lest We Forget.
When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow,
We gave our today.
Though they have passed from our midst,
Let us never their sacrifice and service.
All gave some.
Some gave all.
We Shall Remember Them."

::: Growing Like A Flower :::

Today our little Miss Muffett turned four months old........unfortunately that meant it was time for shots. Do I ever hate that part. Denay handled it fairly well considering......Here are some pictures for ya'll to enjoy.

:: Denay's wearing her costume she got from her Uncle Ryan ::

:: Denay got this adorable jumper from her grammie and we christened it tonight ::

:: All strapped in the snuggli and ready to go ::

:: Rosey cheeks and noses ::

:: Happy girl ::

We had her measured and weighed today........she went from 7lbs 2oz at birth, to 10lbs 6oz at two months and was 12lbs 2oz today. She has also grown 2.9cm in length since last visit. All of her measurements were small again (between the 3rd and 25th percentile) but the nurse said as long as she is not losing it's okay. She's really beginning to come into her own and really develop personality.

:: How we love her..... ::

"Just keep swimming, just keeping swiming....."

Today we got invited by our good friends D&B to go swimming at our brand new pool in town. I was a little hesitant at first because we didn't know if Denay was too young or if she would like it, but, we figured there's only one way to find out, so after a big group pizza lunch, we headed off to the pool.

Denay was a little fussy at first (because she was really tired) and after about a half hour she fell asleep. I let her snooze with me while Trev enjoyed the slides and diving boards. I passed her off to Trev and she woke up so we were able to play a little more and she loved it! I was so relieved that we didn't have to leave after 10 minutes with a screaming baby.

Just as we were ready to leave Trev ran to the car in his wet shorts and bare feet and grabbed the camera to document Denay's first swim.........

:: Mommy and her girl ::

:: The three of us ::
:: The whole gang. D&C left before we took this picture. It' so fun with everyone's kids (Sydney is missing), Denay, Michal and Tyler. And Becca (brown swimsuit) and Natalie (blue swimsuit) and Chelsey (missing) are all pregnant! I am so extremely grateful that we are able to call these awesome families our very good friends.
:: Waiting to get changed ::
:: LOVE this shot. I like the pool mommy! ::

:: All dressed and ready for dinner ::
After such a great experience I have a feeling we will be going to the new pool quite a bit!

*Side note - all us mommies and daddies and babies were all huddling together hanging out and I had a realization of how parenthood changes you. I told Natalie and if I was this same age and single and unmarried, and saw all these people my age with babies I would feel bad that it's so boring and you can't enjoy yourself. But now having a child, it is SO much more with them....

::: Vaarwel Friends :::