Blueberry picking

My family LOVES blueberries!! A favorite among us all. I was determined to find a place where we could all go and pick blueberries this year (last year we missed it and we missed strawberries this year). I took the kids to a wonderful you-pick farm earlier this summer about an hour away. (Matt's U-Pick in Amanda, Ohio). We had the greatest time and came home with about 24 quarts of blueberries (the kids were a huge help in picking this many berries)! :) We've eaten a lot of them, frozen some of them to use for our favorite whole-wheat oatmeal pancakes, berry cheesecakes, muffins, and any new yummy blueberry recipe that I'd like to try out this year, and I made some delicious homemade blueberry jam. I love to can! Making homemade jam is one of my favorite things to do and I love to hear the "pop" that all of the cans make one by one after they've been taken out of the canner. I tried a new recipe (less sugar blueberry jam) that used juice and honey but I prefer the sugar jam (a lot sweeter). I also made the best blueberry blackberry jam too (Dakota and I picked wild blackberries all over our land (I love that wild blackberries are so abundanct here)... that was a great time spent with Dakota except for the few thorns that dug into my hands). Picking blueberries will now be on our yearly traditions list because that's a memory I want to make every year with my children! :)

*The bushes were covered in bird netting and the kids loved picking the berries from underneath the netting especially Wyatt. :)

Goodbye Chloe :(

Today was a sad day in the McGee household. Our cutie pie miniature schnauzer Chloe died. :( We aren't sure what happened to her but by the time we found her she was struggling for each breath (very sad to witness a dog struggling to breathe). This morning we thought she was just sick but by the time we got home after running errands in town for a few hours we found her on the brink of death. The kids are very upset and sad. They were so sweet and covered her little grave with flowers after we laid her to rest and I said a prayer after we each shared some favorite memories of her. How much fun she was, the time she killed a groundhog (she's little dog but had a big bite), and how Sweetie our beagle will miss her so much too because they were best friends. We all shed tears over her sudden death and she'll be missed! Rest in peace Chloe! We love and miss you so much already!!

(this was the last picture I took of Chloe. She needed groomed so badly but she didn't mind the long hair look and she was one good country dog!!)

Time to get back to my blog....

Oh my goodness my last post was over 4 months ago. Yikes! The summer has flown by and been a busy one for the McGee's. The #1 highlight of the summer was our wonderful vacation to Aruba! I took many many photos (thousands) but the one above is 1 of my favorites ***plus you'll be seeing it again around Christmas time. ;) More about our vacation in future posts but I wanted to get a quick post in while I have a few minutes so that I can get back on the blogging kick. The kids are up from there rest time and naps so until next time keep enjoying your summer!! School for Dakota will be here in just 3 weeks.

A nice ending to a very difficult day!

Today was NOT an easy mommy day! The morning was so hard and the kids were very cranky, arguing constantly, and it was rainy outside. The day really did not get any better and David of course was at the firehouse. All the stress of the day was washed away as the kids prepared for bed. Dakota is sleeping with me tonight and to Emma and Wyatt's delight Dakota is allowing them to sleep in his bed. I decided to snap of few pictures of them as they were looking so cute in his bed. They all got together and gave me these precious smiles!! They can make me batty at times but then there are these moments where I just feel like the most blessed mommy!!!!

(I have not been very good at blogging lately! Dakota is 6. Wyatt is 2. Emma is 4. They just grow up so fast!)

Happy 4th Birthday Emma! =)

Happy 4th birthday to my princess Emma! I can hardly believe 4 years has gone by since she came into our lives. She's such a sweetheart and she's truely one of my best friends. I love spending time with her.

Her morning started off by her daddy bringing her home pink roses. She LOVED them to pieces! She has been saying how much she would love to get roses and today was a perfect day for her to receive them. She had a Strawberry Shortcake Princess party. I made her a strawberry Oreo crust ice cream cake and strawberry cupcakes wtih strawberry icing. We all enjoyed a very yummy brunch... gorilla bread, egg sausage breakfast casserole, banana bread, and Emma's favorite french toast. We played pin the jewel on the princess which was a hoot... all the kids were blindfolded and they had to stick the sticker on the princess. The kids had a blast with the princess crown pinata too. She received many wonderful gifts... dolls being the main thing she was very happy to receive from several guests. She had a wonderful day! I'm so thankful for the 4 wonderful years my Emma has been in my life and another fun birthday party I was able to put together to celebrate her!! =)

Happy 2nd Birthday Wyatt!! =)

Happy 2nd birthday to my sweet silly Wyatt! We had a fun day celebrating the day of his birth. We started off the day with him being silly by eating his oatmeal in his high chair (per his request) (he usually sits in a booster at the table with us). We enjoyed a fun game of Disney Yahtzee. After his morning nap and lunch we headed to the park for a fun hour of play. We had a great time running all around and being silly with our little guy. The four of us (minus Dakota who was in school) enjoyed swinging together and just having fun playing at the park together. The weather was a great fall day and we had the park all to ourselves. =) Following the park we went and got him 2 birthday balloons which he just loved! =) After picking his big brother up from school we headed to Bob Evans for a yummy dinner (he enoyed his pancakes and sausage link). He opened a few presents from us (a dinasour that roars, Wac-A-Mole, and Go Fish...there is a fishing pole that suction cups to the fish and you have to find the right color to win... a very fun game). He needed a little help from his big brother and sister to open his gifts. We'll open the rest of his gifts from family on Sunday at his monkey themed party.
He enjoyed a yummy frosted brownie covered in sprinkles for his birthday dessert. =) He was so cute blowing out the candles and a bit fast for mommy taking the pictures so he got to blow out the candles a few times. His birthday was a lot of fun!! I can hardly believe 2 years have already passed since he came into this world. I'll admit he can be a very challenging child at times but he is still a true blessing from God! I thank God for giving me such a wonderful son!! I love you Wyatt!!! =)

Dakota's 1st day of Kindergarten =)

Dakota has been in Kindergarten for almost a month and he enjoys school a lot. I took MANY photos on his first day and these are just a few of my favorites from that morning. He's such a good boy and was so patient with me and my many photos of him.

He enjoyed a yummy breakfast of cinnamon toast french toast, sausage, and raspberries put in a smiley face. =) His request for his 1st day of school breakfast.





He looked very handsome and cute with his hair all done and in his Spiderman shirt and shoes. He loved his 1st day outfit. =) His Mimi McGee bought him the shirt, backpack, lunch bag, and his jacket. He enjoyed a fun day of school shopping with her and his cousin Hannah a couple of weeks before school.

We walked him to the cafeteria as he started his 1st day on the 2nd day of school because he was sick with a cold on the official 1st day of school. We felt so bad for him. We dropped him off to his teacher and as we turned around I started crying a lot. I gained my composure as we walked down the hall. We missed him A LOT that first day. David cleaned our barn out which was very messy to keep his mind off of his little buddy at school. We couldn't wait to pick him up that afternoon and thankfully the day went by quickly for us all!!

Almost a month later we have adjusted to carpooling, busy days without our sweet Dakota, making lunches, checking his folder nightly, and enjoying our evening together. I have greatly enjoyed all of the cute songs that Dakota has learned at school. He does not like music though (not sure why but he hasn't enjoyed music from the 1st class). He's made a few friends and has had great behavior. I am so proud of my little guy!! I cherish the morning devotions, the prayer, and the songs we sing about Jesus (I've got the Joy, joy, joy, down in my heart... his favorite) before he leaves for school everyday. I wanted to start his day off with Jesus and send him off on a happy note everyday but I have enjoyed myself the change of the words of "the devil sitting on a tack to the devil sitting on an arrow." Ha ha!! He is my little hunter! ;) I wanted to do daily devotions before school with him because I can remember my own father praying with us as he would drive us to school and since I carpool we get to do the devotions before carpool arrives in the mornings. Hopefully he also will remember these special morning devotions too. =)

Letting go of my son has been hard but I see him thriving in so many new ways!! He's such a blessing to my life!! =)