Monday, June 30, 2008

Tagged.... Again...

I was getting really tired of looking at my last entry. Not because the story bugged me (how insensitive would I be), but because the font was different throughout the entry as was the size of the text. I tried and tried to fix it, but blogger wouldn't let me. So here's the next entry to appease my ever annoyed mind.

3 Joys:
1. My Family (whether it be immediate or extended, I love family)
2. Eating ice cream
3. Reading a good book

3 Fears: I seriously had to wrack my brains for these answers, water came easily, but the other two I spent a lot of time thinking about.
1. Open water (I can deal with it, but it does frighten me)
2. Problems during childbirth
3. Snakes are pretty scary, huh.

3 Goals: I would like to point out that there is no time frame for these goals to be met.
1. Buy a house
2. Lose some more baby weight
3. Get rid of the fish tank. It's seriously gross and the pleco. just isn't eating his share of gunk on the tank.

3 Obsessions: I think the word obsession is TOO strong. It makes me sound manic.
1. Cleaning
2. Leah and Matt
3. Frozen Peach Pie... oh so delicious

3 Random Facts: Note that these random facts do not have to be about me. It's very general, so I will give some very general random facts.
1. In the average lifetime a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.
2. The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.
3. Elephants are the only mammal that can't jump.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Through The Pain

I happened upon a blog about a family who has recently (within the last couple of weeks) experienced a very traumatic event. This family had decided to put in a hot tub and only five days later their littlest child drowned in it. Stephanie, the mother, found her little girl, called for her husband and started performing CPR. Little Camille couldn't have been 1 year old.
Camille ended up in the hospital hooked up to all sorts of things. The parents felt very strongly that Camille had not been in her body since the accident. After much prayer and consultation with the Lord they knew that it was time to let Camille go. She was unhooked from the machines and it wasn't long after that she passed away (June 15).

This family still has three other children, all girls, and it seems that they have found a good outlet in blogging about what's going on and what they are going through. I have to admit, the first entry I read I felt like I was imposing on some extremely personal thoughts and feelings. But I continued to read earlier posts and realized that this grieving Mother needs this outlet. She is using her blog as a sounding board. Something to bounce thoughts and feelings into. I don't think she would feel uncomfortable if she knew I were reading these things, a perfect stranger. I think she wants people to know how deep her heartache goes. Not in a selfish or self serving way, but as a reminder to hold dearly to our loved ones.

Stephanie talks about how her children are dealing with this change. One daughter finding a program from Camille's funeral and giving it kisses and asking when Camille is coming back to play. Of another daughter she said,

"But I still had Lauren, who was still trying to find her place in our family now that she wasn't the baby. That was a hard transition for her. And I was trying to give her all the attention she needed. I was the third kid in my family. My younger brother's were identical twins. As soon as they came along, well, let's just say I was attention deprived as a child and did all I could to get attention. Our family videos are filled with my parents telling me to move out of the picture. That it wasn't my birthday etc... So I wanted to give Lauren the positive attention so she wouldn't have to act crazy to get it. It was a difficult juggling act most of the time.

Lately, I had been seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Lauren and Camille had been playing together more. Camille was finally old enough to play a game or two. Lauren had been playing better with Ann Marie as well. Lauren was finally old enough to get Annie's games. Once in a while I felt like maybe I could have another kid someday. Three had been easy for me. Four felt overwhelming, but I knew it would get better and it was getting better.

Now I am back to taking care of three. And Lauren is not acting out for attention anymore. The girls all play well together most of the time. Three is easy. Three is easy and yet Only Three is so so hard.

This really hit me. You think of all the people you know who have 'surprise' children. And what a challenge and a blessing it is. What on earth would you do without the spirit of that one child in your home? I don't know if Camille was one or not, but it's so applicable to the situation. Children are so much apart of us.

I just find so much strength in this family. Whoever they are, and wherever the live my heart goes out to them in this time of... change. This family is very strong and very united.

At the end of her most recent entry Stephanie challenges all of her readers to take a moment and write down the things your children do; they don't even have to be cute.
So, I am.

WHAT MAKES LEAH TICK (SOME OF THE TIME)
1. Waking up in the morning or from a nap, entering the room and hearing, "Hi Momma."
2. Saying hi to the fishes
3. Asking for, "Nappers."
4. Playing in the cup of water I give her rather than drinking it
5. Opening the TV cabinet doors and taking everything out
6. Hiding her cup of milk anywhere she can
7. Asking if I'm okay when I sneeze
8. Still needing a finger to go down the stairs
9. Screaming at me if I don't get her some yogurt
10. Nightly prayers, and I Love You's

Yep, hearing this family's story has certainly made me squeeze my Leah a little tighter.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Against A Human?

Brought To You By Adult Toy Parties

Only a 7% chance of survival if an alligator attacked me? Seriously? But I've watched so many episodes of Dirty Jobs and Steve Irwin. But I do like my chances against a small shark, after all 45% is almost 50%, the shark would just have to attack me on a day that I'm feeling super confident.

What the quiz isn't showing you here, but did detail on the original page was the human attack. I scored 30%. Only 30% against a human? That is just silly. I mean, no human could ever attack me, unless maybe, it was Jack Bauer... and then only maybe. Oh, and I'd probably let him.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Celebrations Galore!

June 3: EMILY, Matt's little sister, GRADUATED FROM JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL!

June 5: KATIE, my little sister and the baby of the McGee Family, GRADUATED FROM COTTONWOOD HIGH SCHOOL!

June 15: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADEN QUINNEY! Braden just turned three, he and Leah really have a special relationship. Any day now we expect them to become kissing cousins. Seriously, they adore each other.

June 16: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KALEB SNELL! Kaleb isn't family but he may as well be. Kaleb just turned 4 and Leah just loves him. She follows him around ever so faithfully. I don't think he hates it yet, but I'm betting we are gearing up for that stage.

June 19: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH MCGEE! Zach just turned three as well. This guy is so cute, he just melts your heart. He is smart, witty and just plain lovable. Zach says the funniest things and always has his best smile ready for the camera.

June 19: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MCKAYLEE QUINNEY! McKaylee just turned one and we, unfortunately, weren't able to celebrate with them. The family had just taken a camping trip that Matt and I were unable to attend. McKaylee is a very sweet little girl with a flair for the dramatics. We love this about her. And with a face like a Cabbage Patch Kid, who wouldn't?

As you can see, June is a crazy month but we are so lucky to have friends and family around to celebrate all these occasions with.

SIDE NOTE: Leah is watching me post this entry and keeps singing happy birthday over and over again, inserting each name as the appropriate picture comes up.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Girls, Girls, Girls

A while back Lisa, my sister, bought her daughter, Mckenzie, a little dance outfit. Leah and Mckenzie had so much fun twirling around together. So, about a week ago I found a similar dance outfit for Leah. Remember how much fun she and Mckenzie had together, I had to buy it. The other morning when we were babysitting Mckenzie we got both the girls in their outfits and turned on Bella Bella Dancerella. THE GIRLS LOVED IT!

PLEASE BE AWARE: THERE IS A LOT OF PINK IN THE FOLLOWING PICTURES!

This video is a little bit long. I won't feel bad if you don't watch it all. Some highlights though: Twirling, a mild bonk and the apology afterwards, more twirling, some jumping, extra loud Melanie, and more twirling.

A Change In Format

I'm trying something new, well a couple of things actually: 1st, not posting in ridiculously long posts when I haven't posted forever. I don't need 1 blog entry that lasts 16 paragraphs. 2nd, actually posting again. I realized just now that my last three (dare I say, even 4?!) blog entries were random stumblings from surfing the web... blech. So, here are some little posts from my real life.

This morning I did Leah's hair and it turned out like this! I love it! I don't know how I did it, or what I did differently, but I think the side-swept bang is so cute.

Okay, so this post isn't really earth shattering or important at all, but I'm at a loss right now for something more exciting to write about.

Swimming Days 1-2

On Friday, Matt and I took Leah swimming with our friends Matt and April (along, of course, with their kids Kaleb and Ashton). After the fiasco that was 7 Peaks Water Park a few weeks ago, I felt Leah was ruined for life when it came to swimming. She eventually warmed up to it and let Matt throw her around and even dunk her in the water a few times. Baby steps, right?

This is Day Two of swimming. Leah's cousin, Braden turned 3 this last week and his parent's had a party for him on Saturday. We were hoping that with the exposure of water from the previous evening, Leah would take a little better to the water. No such luck. We had to warm her up to the pool idea first and Leah finally became comfortable with it when her cousin and friend showed her what a fun time they were having. Leah jumped on it and had a blast the rest of the afternoon.

Monday, June 16, 2008

A Woo Hoo!

Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?

Yoda

A venerated sage with vast power and knowledge, you gently guide forces around you while serving as a champion of the light.

Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not - for my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminescent beings are we, not this crude matter! You must feel the Force around you, everywhere.

Yoda is a is a character in the Star Wars universe. More Yoda information is available at the Star Wars Databank.

Friday, June 13, 2008

So Cool!

Breathtaking Sky Art

May 15th, 2008 | Inspiration |

Sky Art 1

It looks like sky was the primary source of inspiration for these images. Enjoy.

Sky Art 2

Sky Art 3

Sky Art 4

Sky Art 5

Sky Art 6

Sky Art 7

Sky Art 8

Sky Art 9

[click here for more photos from the artist]

Thursday, June 12, 2008

How Do You Put Your Pants On?

This is pretty cool. The backflip is closer to the end of the video.

Who says putting on your pants every morning has to be mundane?

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just A Moment

Tonight I realized that My Little Leah is quickly growing into My Leah. She and I were saying her prayers tonight and a thought just popped into my head, "Leah is SAYING her prayers." Yes, I have to prompt her but she speaks the words so clearly.

All of the sudden I flashed back to when she was 2 months old and colicky. I couldn't wait for her to grow out of the colicky stage. Then she was 9 months old and I wanted her to crawl, and she was 12 months old and I just wanted her to be able to walk and talk, then it was yesterday afternoon and I wanted her to be out of diapers.

Never before have the words of my oldest sister rung more true. My sisters, Tracy and Lisa, and I were all pregnant and due within 8 weeks of each other and my sister-in-law had a baby only 3 months afterwards. It was Baby Season in the McGee world. I remember that Tracy, Lisa and I were together at some point not too long after Lisa had Mckenzie (this would make Leah 2 months old, Fisher 4 weeks old, and Mckenzie 2 weeks old). We were all sitting around with our brand new babies, each sister holding a baby that wasn't her's. Tracy, the fourth-time mother, said, "You keep waiting and waiting for your first baby to grow up and then you have a 2nd one (and 3rd and 4th- and now 5th for her) and realize how short the baby stage really is. It just isn't fair that they are so little for such a short time."

Of course, I don't have a second child, but tonight I realized that my baby is a toddler. And in not too long she will be a 'kid', going to preschool and learning without me. As terrible as Leah's colicky months were, I wish I hadn't been mentally rushing her through those important times when she was totally dependent on Matt and myself.

Rereading this post, I hope it doesn't sound like too much of a downer. It's not meant to be. Tracy's comment, I believe, was followed by something like, "...it's great to have them grow up and watch them learn..." etc, etc. I do feel like most of the time, I can really cherish the moment IN the moment. You just look back and realize that all of the sudden the tiny 7 lb. 5 oz. newborn you could hold in one arm is now a 22 lb. Singer and Ultimate Fan of 'Mermen' (The Little Mermaid, for any of those wondering).

I love the stage Leah is in right now and wouldn't change how things have happened with her. But, maybe I can remember how I feel tonight and try to keep her 2 years old a little longer.

It's A Long Post

I stumbled upon this and thought it was interesting. Hope I know how to do them all.

50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do

Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a jack of all trades. Contrary to what you may have learned in school, a jack of all trades is far more equipped to deal with life than a specialized master of only one.

While not totally comprehensive, here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do.

1. Build a Fire – Fire produces heat and light, two basic necessities for living. At some point in your life this knowledge may be vital. SORT OF CHECK

2. Operate a Computer – Fundamental computer knowledge is essential these days. Please, help those in need. MOSTLY CHECK

3. Use Google Effectively – Google knows everything. If you’re having trouble finding something with Google, it’s you that needs help. I'M JUST STARTING TO REALIZE I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT GOOGLE BEYOND THE SEARCH ENGINE. GOOGLE REALLY DOES DO EVERYTHING.

4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver – Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help. USED-TA-COULD - 15:2, IS THAT THE RIGHT RATIO?

5. Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle – There will come a time when you’ll be stuck without this knowledge. CHECK!

6. Do Basic Cooking – If you can’t cook your own steak and eggs, you probably aren’t going to make it. VERY BASIC, YES... BUT A CHECK NONE THE LESS!

7. Tell a Story that Captivates People’s Attention – If you can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just save your breath. HMMM...

8. Win or Avoid a Fistfight – Either way, you win. DO VIDEO GAMES COUNT? IF THEY DO, I STILL LOSE.

9. Deliver Bad News – Somebody has got to do it. Unfortunately, someday that person will be you. CHECK. I REALLY DO THIS PRETTY WELL, IN A BUSINESS SENSE ANYWAY.

10. Change a Tire – Because tires have air in them, and things with air in them eventually pop. YIKES, NO CHECK THERE

11. Handle a Job Interview – I promise, sweating yourself into a nervous panic won’t land you the job. OOOH, CHECK!

12. Manage Time – Not doing so is called wasting time, which is okay sometimes, but not all the time. WAHOO! CHECK AGAIN!

13. Speed Read – Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you needed it 5 minutes ago. NOT SO MUCH, WHO REALLY NEEDS THIS THOUGH? IS TIME REALLY SO EXTINCT THESE DAYS THAT I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING SO FAST? EVEN READING?

14. Remember Names – Do you like when someone tries to get your attention by screaming “hey you”? CHECK CHECK!!

15. Relocate Living Spaces – Relocating is always a little tougher than you originaly imagined. TRIPLE CHECK!!!

16. Travel Light – Bring only the necessities. It’s the cheaper, easier, smarter thing to do. HALF CHECK?

17. Handle the Police – Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is Bubba. JAIL, PUHLEASE! IT'S TRAFFIC TICKETS I CAN TALK MY WAY OUT OF, CHECK!

18. Give Driving Directions – Nobody likes driving around in circles. Get this one right the first time. DEFINITELY CHECK!

19. Perform Basic First Aid – You don’t have to be a doctor, or genius, to properly dress a wound. THANK YOU DAD AND GIRLS CAMP, CHECK!

20. Swim – 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Learning to swim might be a good idea. CHECK!

21. Parallel Park – Parallel parking is a requirement on most standard driver’s license driving tests, yet so many people have no clue how to do it. How could this be? DO YOU HAVE AN HOUR? BUT, CHECK!

22. Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise you may wind up like this charming fellow. I DO RECOGNIZE MY LIMIT. CHECK!

23. Select Good Produce – Rotten fruits and vegetables can be an evil tease and an awful surprise. "HOW CAN YOU TELL IF FRUIT IS RIPE? YOU SEE PEOPLE ROLLING MELONS DOWN THE ISLE- OH NO, THAT ONE'S DRIFTING A LITTLE TOO THE RIGHT..." SURE, I GUESS MY FRUIT IS ALWAYS PRETTY RIPE... CHECK!

24. Handle a Hammer, Axe or Handsaw – Carpenters are not the only ones who need tools. Everyone should have a basic understanding of basic hand tools. NOT A CHECK

25. Make a Simple Budget – Being in debt is not fun. A simple budget is the key. CHECK-ISH?

26. Speak at Least Two Common Languages – Only about 25% of the world’s population speaks English. It would be nice if you could communicate with at least some of the remaining 75%. ME LLAMO MELANIE, SOY ALTA, ESTOY DIVERTIDO, TENGO BENTE Y TRES ANOS.

27. Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Properly – Improper push-ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your time. YEAH RIGHT

28. Give a Compliment – It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and it’s free. CHECK!

29. Negotiate – The better deal is only a question or two away. CHUH, ECK!

30. Listen Carefully to Others – The more you listen and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss. DOES NOT SAYING CHECK ONLY MEAN I AM A POOR LISTENER? I THINK I AM SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN. C-H-E-C-K, I'M ABOUT AT THE 'E'

31. Recite Basic Geography – If you don’t know where anything is outside of your own little bubble, most people will assume (and they are probably correct) that you don’t know too much at all. YEAH, CHECK!

32. Paint a Room – The true cost of painting is 90% labor. For simple painting jobs it makes no sense to pay someone 9 times what it would cost you to do it yourself. THIS IS SOMETHING I WANT TO CHECK OFF SO BADLY, IT HURTS!

33. Make a Short, Informative Public Speech – At the next company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what you’ve been working on over the last month, a short, clear, informative response is surely your best bet. “Duhhh…” will not cut it. I'VE NEVER EVEN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS.

34. Smile for the Camera – People that absolutely refuse to smile for the camera suck! CHEESE AND CHECK!

35. Flirt Without Looking Ridiculous – There is a fine line between successful flirting and utter disaster. If you try too hard, you lose. If you don’t try hard enough, you lose. OH, FLIRTING, FUN. CHECK!

36. Take Useful Notes – Because useless notes are useless, and not taking notes is a recipe for failure. 7TH - 11TH GRADE WAS FULL OF USEFUL NOTE TAKING. CHECK!

37. Be a Respectful House Guest – Otherwise you will be staying in a lot of hotels over the years. I THINK SO, CHECK!

38. Make a Good First Impression – Aristotle once said, “well begun is half done.” SURE? CHECK?

39. Navigate with a Map and Compass – What happens when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of nowhere? CHECK!

40. Sew a Button onto Clothing – It sure is cheaper than buying a new shirt. CHECK!

41. Hook Up a Basic Home Theater System – This isn’t rocket science. Paying someone to do this shows sheer laziness. CHECK!

42. Type – Learning to type could save you days worth of time over the course of your lifetime. CHECK!

43. Protect Personal Identity Information – Personal identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief. Don’t be careless. THANKS MATT, CHECK!

44. Implement Basic Computer Security Best Practices – You don’t have to be a computer science major to understand the fundamentals of creating complex passwords and using firewalls. Doing so will surely save you a lot of grief someday.

45. Detect a Lie – People will lie to you. It’s a sad fact of life. CHECK!

46. End a Date Politely Without Making Promises – There is no excuse for making promises you do not intend to keep. There is also no reason why you should have to make a decision on the spot about someone you hardly know. ABSOLUTELY USED TO BE SO GOOD AT THIS, CHECK!

47. Remove a Stain – Once again, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one. A USEFUL TIP, AND ONE I'LL BE LOOKING INTO. BUT FOR NOW, NO CHECK

48. Keep a Clean House – A clean house is the foundation for a clean, organized lifestyle. CHECK!

49. Hold a Baby – Trust me, injuring a baby is not what you want to do. CHECK!

50. Jump Start a Car – It sure beats walking or paying for a tow truck. CHECK!

Monday, June 9, 2008

The Living Planet Aquarium

On Saturday Matt, Leah and I went to The Living Planet Aquarium.

The Jellies

More Jellies

Leah and Matt looking at, you guessed it, JELLIES

That dome thing that Matt and Leah were looking into from the above picture looked like this.

Here's Matt touching the Manta Ray. It's blurry because Matt had to take the picture himself. I was trying to convince a 2 year old not to jump into the pool with the Manta Rays.

This is what I saw when I reached in to touch the Manta Rays. I didn't really want to - see his eyes? It looked like he was just waiting for some unsuspecting human to reach their quavering arm down so he could swim up it, latch onto the unsuspecting human's face, and suffocate that unsuspecting, totally paranoid, human. I would never have such irrational fears, so I did (eventually) reach down and touch the little sucker's wing. Very weird, I must say. Sort of felt like a wet sponge? Maybe?

Leah finally learned that frogs say, "Ribbit," not, "Yum-yum."

I think this picture is silly: who sells a badger at the gift store in an A-Q-U-A-R-I-U-M! What you can't see in this picture is that Leah is standing 10 feet away, scared to death of her father. She wouldn't go near any of the other stuffed animals after this.

Born Twice

If you haven't seen this story, you definitely need to. I'm still astounded!

Here's the still photograph slideshow, it actually shows some pictures of the surgery:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/25004390

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Tagged A While Ago

I was tagged a while back and was just going to ignore it. But seeing as how I am a little bored tonight, and my blog is just calling my name...

Here's what to do: Google image your answer and then post the first picture that comes up.

FAVORITE TREAT: Cake Batter Ice Cream