1st Bluebonnet Pictures

We've come to a defining moment in every Texan's life - pictures with the bluebonnets. They are pretty scarce this year, due to the rain shortage. We asked around and found a little spot. I remember looking forward to this moment when I was uptagazillion months pregnant, and probably enjoyed our roadside rendezvous more than the kiddos.

Oh, by the way - Emmie is getting her first tooth! I felt it poking through this morning. It's official ... they're getting big!

Video @ 8 Months

Each month I take several pictures of the kiddos in a chair in their nursery. For their 8 month pictures in January, I took a video too. It was probably supposed to be a picture, but then I realized my camera was on the video setting. That happens a lot, and usually I end up deleting the 2 second video. This one was too cute to delete!

Dan & Jette

Dan loves older kiddos, especially his cousin Jette. He couldn't get enough of her - just the sight of her made him gasp with delight. Now imagine them playing together - lots of laughter. Here is a video...

December & January

December - Christmas Pics:

At my parents' house - after the Christmas Eve service.

Christmas morning - the ladybug is more orange in the other's hand.

Good morning, Emmie....

Christmas Day - snowflakes, ruffles, and stripes - can you stand it!?!?! I can't.

Christmas Day - i love my dan-dan!

Dan climbed Mt. Grandad!

Catching a nap with daddy.

By the tree...

January 2011

Big smiles & a big tongue! She got that from me....

Peek-a-boo!

utter yumminess....

Dan & the Doober.

Hat hair - baby style.

Fleece fun - love these outfits. It turns out there is an adult version - scary, but true!

Our first colds - it waS NOT fun!

my current favorite pic of the kiddos.

I have a couple of videos to post, and then will choose some pics from February & March. Stay tuned, but don't hold your breath ... you may pass out.

my girl

I've got springtime on a winter's day.
When it's (supposed to be) cold outside, I've got the month of May.
I guess you'd say, "What could make me feel this way?"
My girl...

my girl ...

my girl...

talkin' bout my girl...

my girl.

oooooohhhhhooooooooo......

;o)

Sittin', Rollin', "Sharin'," and a little eye candy ... mmm sweet!

Here are some recent pics. D & E are both sitting very well now, with infrequent topples. Dan rolls until he runs into something, and then wonders where he is. He may think that the baby on the Pampers box in the closet is cute, because he rolls towards it all the time. Must be pretty disheartening when he gets there and realizes it's not a playmate....

They are beginning to find that the toy the other is chewing on is more interesting than the one they are wetting down in their own mouth.... The good thing is that they don't seem to mind sharing (currently). Sharing = Swapping. They have also started "interacting." Right now that means that they look at/smile at, reach for, and grunt/scream/"talk" to each other. They are pretty cute - happy viewing.

d & e

Well, it's been a while since the last post.... I could write tons, but how about tons of pics instead? We all know they are more fun anyways. :o) Just a few words before the pics begin. A few words about two precious kiddos that I could go on and on about, and may in the upcoming months. Although, let's not get ahead of ourselves ... the last post on this account was over a year ago! We'll see how much posting I do ... any posts may just involve "photo dumps." We'll just have to see. Sean and I are out-of-our-minds thrilled to introduce you to Emmeline Kay and Daniel Timothy. We hope you enjoy seeing and reading about their doings. How exactly do you introduce two of the most tremendous blessings of our life? Maybe I should start with a couple facts:

• Fact #1: The Lord is good and knows how to give really good gifts! After being on an emotional, physical, and spiritual (and hormonal - literally) rollercoaster of trying to conceive, surgeries, procedures, and one and a half rounds of IVF, the Lord generously gave us the greatest kiddos. We are utterly thankful and humbled (and terrified upon occasion).


• Facts #2: Emmie and Dan were born May 26, 2010 at 9:13 pm. Born within seconds of each other, they weighed in at 5 lbs 15 oz & 5 lbs 10 oz, respectively. They were 36 weeks and 2 days old, which is fantastic for twins. Dan had a very brief stint in the NICU, but both were, and continue to be healthy and happy sweet babies.

What are they like? Well, we've only known them for 6 months, and they surprise us every day with how they act and respond to different things. As of right now, here's what we've observed.

Emmeline Kay a.k.a. Emmie, "e", and Em, is named after Emmanuel, which means "God with us" in Hebrew. Our hope for her is that she will be a woman of valor. A lady who knows the Lord personally and knows that He is always with her. Because of this, she does not have to fear. She can be strong, courageous, kind, and loving no matter her circumstances and challenges. Her middle name is a family name which she shares with her momma and Gramsie. Three generations, pretty neat.

Emmeline first revealed her demure, pensive, straightforward, and sweet side. She can be a little slow to smile, but when she smiles, she goes "all in." At full smile, she usually sticks out her tongue a little, and makes a little "thhh" sound. precious. She cracks herself up listening to funny sounds (like sneezes) and loves to laugh at bedtime.... She loves the morning, "Raffee" - a stuffed giraffe, staring at Dan, and puts everything in her mouth, including Dan. She loves bold colors and prints, and I think her favorite color may be yellow. She it sitting up on her own, but I'm afraid of her tipping backwards, so I don't leave her backside. Her eyelashes are better than mine, and her lips ... eat your heart out Angelina! Here are a few pics of our Sweet Emmeline during the last 6 months:

Daniel Timothy a.k.a. Dan, "d", Superdan, and Danimal is named after the Old Testiment prophet. Our hope for him is that he will be faithful to God all of his life, no matter the lions den or persecution. His middle name is a family name that he shares with Sean's dad, Tim. His Ada will have to teach him how to live that name fully!
Daniel is jolly, wide-eyed, and sweet. He smiles with his entire body and usually accompanies his pervasive smile with sqeeks or throaty sounds. He loves the morning and being awake in general. He does not like going to sleep and will put up a pretty good fight during nap time and bed time. His entire fist fits into his mouth, as do all five toes(video included). College Gameday is already a ritual, and he loves it when his daddy helps him root for the Georgia Dawgs. (Don't worry, he's an Aggie fan, too.) He loves it when I sing his song, especially the part when I say, "He runs so fast that you can't see him. He jumps and he swings on the jungle gym, Daniel Tim." Here are a few pics of our little Danimal.

And a few of them together.

And a few of their birthday and some pregnancy pictures. A few days before their birthday, my waist was 48.5 inches in circumference. Yep ... that's FOUR FEET ... I was a tank. I'm having trouble with some of the pictures. We may upload these later.

And for a special treat, here's the Superdan greasing up his toes before he saves the day....

A Sneak Peek ...

for Shay & her lil' Lady!

























Just razzin' ya, Shay! Here's a clearer picture of the quilt top!
Hope you like it!

Quilts ~ My new favorite use of a sewing machine...

Here are a few pictures of a quilt that I made recently for a sweet baby girl named Caroline Jade that is due in October. Her mom, Marci, has an unparalleled ability to show love and kindness to everyone around her...she radiates the joy of the Lord! Marci has been such a sweet friend to me this year, so I wanted to make something extra special for Marci & Caroline for her baby shower. My friend Melissa introduced me to a lady that goes to Grace who is a quilting GURU. This generous lady taught me so many new things, and I am so grateful! She taught me the basics of quilting - I even learned to whip-stitch. (I know how to do it, not spell it....) She was an amazing teacher; and, with her help, Caroline's quilt turned out sooo amazing.

The fabrics are by Heather Bailey - my favorite fabric designer. Her fabrics are bright, bold, and feminine. I love them, and have spent hours - no - days on her website. You should totally check her stuff out! http://www.heatherbaileystore.com/

Summer Dresses

Hot of the machine - 2 summer dresses. One for Elsa, and one for me. We will be beating the heat in style.

SEW up-to-date

Sorry for the lapse in posting - we've been pretty occupied at the McG household the past couple of months. I had a relatively major surgery on March 18th for fertility issues and Sean completed his first hectic semester of teaching + research. God showed Himself to be a shield, a sweet savior, and a tremendous source of strength to us this semester. We are very hopeful about the future because we trust in the compassionate and gracious God, who is slow to anger and abounds in lovingkindness and truth! He has good things in store for us ... naturally we have opinions on what these things should be and exactly how they should "play out," but we trust Him and surrender our strong will to His almighty will. His yoke is easy and His burden is light!

One thing that I've enjoyed doing the past few months is crafts. Not the popsicle kind, but hard core crafting. I'll tell ya that Hobby Lobby has made trillions off of people like me! Recent crafting began with painting - no pictures taken because they stink, then it shifted to cross-stitching for the niece & nephew, onto embroidery, and then (to save the best for last) sewing! The sewing machine is Sean's Grandmommy's, and I've convinced myself that it misses her skillful hands. Sometimes I wonder if it sighs when I enter the room.... Every once in a while, it burrs, "That a girl - way to sew that seam!" (Yes, I sometimes personify inanimate objects.) Here are a few pics to share - after all, what would a blog post be without a few pics? (the answer is b.o.r.i.n.g.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!

I've got chills, they're multiplyin'
'Cause today is a very important day.
For somethin'-somethin' many years ago,
my Michael was born, and that's somethin' to celebrate!

Yes, today is the birthday of a gentleman.
A dad whose keen skills of productivity
go hand in hand with quick humor
and a constant willingness to play fluffy-bunny.

Today is the day the Lord gave us Michael.
A man whom I dearly love.
He is the best father in the whole wide world;
and, for him, I thank the Good Lord above.


Happy Birthday, Michael!
Love,
Tara

A Psalm 19 Sky

Psalm 19: 1-6

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

To our Georgia friends - we hope your sky looks like this soon! We're praying for you & your protection in the middle of the storm. Hunker down!

HApPy BiRthDaY, HuTcH!

Happy Birthday, Hutch!

Click below for a special B-Day song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AelmBI0sJ3A

We love you!
Unc & Aunt Ra-ra

(Hutch, our nephew turned 2 today. According to recent polls his current likes include cats and balloons. We are so excited to see him in a couple of weeks, and wish him a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

Practical Ingenuity

The typical hamburger bun package contains 8 buns. In our house:

2 people = 2 buns per meal

8 buns for two people = 4 meals

4 meals of buns = dinner boredom and carb overload

THEREFORE when I saw these at Kroger, I think I audibly said, "Oh my, no way! Someone, somewhere is a genius." To the practical genius, THANK YOU!

Taking Office

Not only was today a historic day for the US of A, but it was a special day for the McGuire household. At approximately 8:00 am, Texas time, Sean addressed his first set of citizens of ACCT 405 during this Spring semester. Could his speach be considered understated poetry? Well ... ACCT 405 is titled "Income Tax" .... However, with God all things are possible! Did he begin with a good ol' fashioned HOWDY AGS? How many uninterupted sets of laughter did he receive? I'll have to find out later tonight during my daily briefing. I'm sitting on the edge of the couch cushion, full of gratitude and praise. Thank you, Lord, for this great blessing!

Gotta get off the couch and into the kitchen ... the guest of honor will be home soon.

Snow Nose & Other Scooby Oddities

Do you remember those Hypercolor t-shirts that were popular in the late 1980's? They changed color in response to heat. I know that I had one, but I don't remember wearing it much. It was one of those things that was cool in theory, but not so pretty in practice. ANYWAYS, Scooby's nose is kind of like a hypercolor t-shirt. In the cooler months, it is pinkish. In the summer months, it's brown. This cool phenomenon is pretty common in labs, and is called a snow nose. I love it. After his paws and his sweet spot, it is my favorite physical feature of our bubs.

Here are a few photos that demonstrate not only the snow nose, but his personality...

"I'll settle for a little attention, but can I have my breakfast now, please?"

(Snow nose shot - taken last week.)

Ain't nothing better than a sand covered, long-haired 95lb dog.

(Brown nose shot - taken this past summer.)

And ... a few extra pics, just for the fun of it.

When Scooby needs to go outside, he does a funny thing that is a mixture of sighing, clearing his throat, and fake coughing. He used to body slam the door with his hips, which was pretty funny. This way of getting our attention makes us laugh, too. I'm not sure if the sound in the following video is good, but you'll get a visual idea.

Happy New Year!
Tara

IT'S SNOWING!

Today, December 10, 2008 is goin' down as one of my favorites. I have an unrealistic, but total infatuation for snow. Maybe because I grew up in Texas.... Today, as I watched beautiful, ginormous, fluffy snowflakes floating down a sky that smelled like fresh carbonated water, my inner snow bunny wanted to hippy hop around our yard and let out a high pitched squeal of absolute thrill! I just love snow - it is a special gift that for us Southerners, is extraordinary!

I will probably regret this later, and take this first video off line. However at the moment, I'm feeling no pain, nor shame. Enjoy the flakes ... pun intended.

Here are some fun pics, too!

"Scooby, this is snow. Snow, meet Scooby."

"The world changes when it snows. Everything softens. It gets quiet."
"When it snows, something inside me says, 'Hey, that's your present.' I don't think it will ever change." Lorelai Gilmore, one of the Gilmore Girls

The Halls are Decked ...

... with all kinds of merry-ness! I had such a great time decorating the house for Christmas. I got crafty this year with some garland, wire cutters, wooden letters, and last but not least ... some Mod Podge! This was my first MP experience; and, I must say, it was quite fun. I do wonder about its name - anyone know where it came from?






May all our hearts be totally decked out with the joy of this season!


Hark, the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark, the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."


Merry Christmas!
~ Tara

Tagged

I've been tagged!

Here are the instructions:

1. Go to your pictures

2. Upload the fourth picture in the fourth file

3. Post the pic

4. Tag four friends

Scooby on the breakfast room floor this summer.

Stacy, Jamie, Tim, and Waco you've been tagged!