Getting our "Soup on" here

I have been making soups and bread from scratch and I'm so happy with how they are turning out! Our family favorite was the clam chowder and monkey bread! Yum~must be fall!

Kinley's Spotlight

Old King Cole

So There!

McCoy and his aunt Kelsey were having a great time.

He is so fun right now. He is learning something new everyday and making us all giggle. His personality is really emerging. He has been spitting for a while now, but we think it is funny when he does it right back at us.

Yeah! McCoy Started Crawling Last Night

At bedtime I was tucking the girls in and we looked down and he was crawling! The girls and I started to clap, and he thought he was pretty cool. He is a few days shy of 10 months so I'm glad that I won't need to be packing him around the house as much any more. This is about the same age that both of the girls started crawling also. He has been doing backwards stuff and some scooting, or putting his hands down and standing with his legs, so his bum is in the air, but today was the first day that the forward crawling motion came. I will need to re baby proof the house now! This milestone came right on the hills of him learning to wave bye bye. It's pretty cute. I just can't get him to do it on cue yet, when I have the camera, but hopefully soon I will have a picture of that also. O, and the other day (about 9 months old) he looked at me and said Mama. Chad was holding him, so he is my witness. I have been determined to help him say mama as his first word, since Dada was Mailee's and Doggy was Kinley (really I had to come after the dog, really?) Anyway, it worked, me saying Mama to him all day everyday payed off :)No Daddy, that's not a baby doll that I'm crawling to...
... or batteries!
(Chad was out of town this week end so he wasn't here to see this, so I'm glad I got some pictures)

Mom, really... could you shut off the flash!

Where does time go?

I had gotten so behind and so I have spent some time today entering a lot of post's that should have happened over the past 2 1/2 months. So if any one wants to check out the older posts there are many new ones there now. I just like to keep the events in chronological order. It has been fun to spend some time blogging again. Also, thanks for all of the comments our friends and family leave, that is one of my favorite parts.

Papa Jeff and Grandma Lu came to town

The girls got to have a sleepover in Grandpa's motor home... Well not so much a motor home, as it is a 5 star hotel on wheels, or a superstar bus. But they had a great time. Their Papa Jeff is a fabulous cook, so they had a yummy breakfast, played with the two dogs, and Lu got them ready for the day. (So let's say it's her fault that Kinley is in her gymnastics outfit and pink cowgirl boots.) No, I'm kidding, that's got Kinley written all over it, and Lu is just such a sweet grandma that she goes along with it. Thanks for the fun time Grandpa and Grandma, we love getting to see you.
I'm... pretty sure the girls found a place to sleep in there...

Updates

McCoy is sleeping so much better. He now sleeps all night! Every once in a while he will wake once or twice, but I can handle that a lot better than 5 times every night. I am a much happier mama.

Christmas lights. Sorry I didn't get a picture posted of the finished project. We didn't get to complete the whole project this year. Not enough time, and lots of snow. Hopefully next year.

4-Wheeling in the snow

I'm sure Chad had as much fun as Mailee did. This is the only good thing about not getting the city to plow your neighborhood roads :)
Mailee and her Buddie Kohner Brown

Christmas Day

HO HO HO K, that's enough
Grandma and Papa Rackman come watch the kids open gifts every Christmas morning

Such a sweet big sister to cheer her brother on

"What? you got one too?"- Mailee "Santa must have messed up hu Mae cuz you were the one who asked for a DS." -McKinley

His first Christmas
Dad had to help him open his gifts, then he could play with the paper.
Wow, what is that?

A scooter!

Our kids had such a wonderful Christmas. They are so lucky to have so many Grandparents that are so kind and generous!

The Nativity

Mailee was Mary, Kinley an angel, and Coy was the Baby Jesus. The girls loved acting out the nativity with cousins, while listening to the bible story.

Christmas Dresses

Off to church in their beautiful Christmas dresses
They felt like princesses, I couldn't get Kinley to stop spinning around and watching the ruffles float

Rackman Family Christmas Party

McKinley was so excited about her new sweater-of-many-colors, and McCoy was enjoying the tissue paper...with his mouth...of course.
The men
Dennis, Chad, Andrew, Jeremy,
Scott, Gary, and Ryan
The Ladies
Natalie, Me, Sharon, Rose, Cathy
Sami, Brittney, McKinley, Loni, and Mailee
Braxton, Mailee, Kinley, and Brennen
(have you noticed Mae's crazy smile in most of these pictures?)

Dad...Papa...Gary
(yep that's an elk in the background, it wouldn't be my parents basement with out a dead animal on the wall:) Father and son, all partied out

Sweater and Eggnog Party

Wait...is that cousin Eddie? Check our Chad's outfit.
He was sporting the blue leisure pants as well as the black Dickie under a off white sweater. Thanks for making one of my favorite movies come to life.


Our friend Misty won the prize with that best grandma outfit and check out the hair(Christmas lights and all.)

Poor McCoy is probably thinking "what the crap is going on here?"

The Many Faces of our Boy

So Intense!
So Interested!

So Sweet!

Look at those eye lashes, the girls have them too, thanks to the Jensen jeans.

So Smoochy!

So Excited!

Decorating the Tree

The girls really loved putting the ornaments on

Those Baby Blues

His eyes seriously light up when he smiles! It's my favorite!

I know, I'm bias because I'm his mom, but that has to be the cutest face.

These are some of my favorite pictures of him so far.

Let's Wrap

I like all this wrapping stuff
This box of ribbons kept his interest for hours

McKinley: The Pledge of Allegiance

We think it is so cute how she moves her mouth and enunciates her words. We hope you enjoy listening to her as much as we do. She is learning nursery rhymes is preschool too. She is very good at memorizing. It usually only takes her 1 or 2 times of hearing something to get it. Which is scary sometimes. As parents we have to watch what we say in front of her.

Our thumb sucker

McKinley has sucked her thumb since before she was born, (we watched her doing it on some of the ultra sounds we had) and we are not sure when it will end. But, the other day she asked me if someone we know has lots of cavities? I said no those are braces and explained what they were for and the process. I told her she would probably need them one day because she sucks her thumb. She said "I'm never going to do that again"
We have definitely seen it happening less and less. Usually it is at bedtime or when she is board, but if she hears the word "braces" she stops instantly. I do have to say that she has been my only easy baby. The doctor said to just let her suck her thumb cuz they make the best babies. He was right, at 6 weeks she would sleep 12 hours at night, and when she would wake up in the middle of that, she would just suck her thumb back to sleep. If you ask her who was mommy's best baby, she will proudly tell you she was. She also has to pinch the skin on the opposite arm or hand with the fingers of the hand that she has in her mouth. It is quite a comfort thing for her. Kinda wondering what to do, or if I should just let her grow out of it.