Death in a Child's Perspective

Last Friday, a dear 85 year old lady from our church passed away. She was affectionately known to everyone in our parish as "Grandma Mary."

This has been the first taste of death my children have been exposed to. We tried to be very honest with them and to explain that although it is sad to lose her, she is now in a very happy place with God.

Having a casket in the church with a deceased person brought up many comments from my daughters. These girls brought a calming humor in an otherwise somber time.

Genevieve: "When are they going to open up her cage?"

Jocelyn: "Will I be at school when that lady dies on Monday?" (referring to her funeral?)

Genevieve: "Can she breathe in there with that closed?"

Genevieve: "Does that hurt her head to lay on that?"

Or one of the best comments I heard from a little 3 year old at church: "Why does she have her gwasses (glasses) on if she is sweeping (sleeping)?"

Siblings

From the day I found out I was pregnant with Jonah, I was looking forward to the day my 6 and 7 year old girls could hold him, interact with him, and play with him. It makes me smile to look over and see them each reading to him! Not to mention that he loves when they talk to him!

Half-Birthdays

Who DOESN'T celebrate half-birthdays? Okay, well technically, we don't either. But when mommy decided that she made good wholesome meals all week long and was to tired both mentally and physically to prepare another meal, celebrating half-birthdays eating out sounded like a good idea!

As you know, Genevieve was born on her daddy's birthday. She is now 7 1/2 years old and daddy is...well...a little older and a half than that. ;)

Photo bomb courtesy of Jocelyn

Jonah's Baptism

What a special event Holy Baptism is! And my children have it even better because their Grandpa gets the privilege of performing the Holy Sacrament. Jonah was baptized at 41 days old and did really well. Below are a few pictures (in no specific order) of the special day.

 We are extremely blessed to have both grandfathers as clergy in the church and a great set of God-Parents (Ron and Sarah Hartley) for our 3 children!

What kids pick up on...

It never ceases to amaze me what kids pick up on. They truly are sponges and pick up on everything their parents say and do.

I have caught the girls disciplining their dolls by saying to them, "That is unacceptable!"  or "You are being inappropriate." And they say it in the most calm and loving way. (Because that's exactly how I speak when I am angry.) ;)

Or when Jenna gets upset with Jocelyn and says,"Jocelyn, for the fourteenth time will you please stop!"

14? Really?

But this one got us laughing pretty good...

Sam experienced the following while saying goodnight to the girls:
Jocelyn:  "Dad, kiss me like we're married."
Sam: (Nervous at where this conversation was going) "What do you mean?"
Jocelyn: "Tilt your head when you kiss me."

Jonah 1 month

Our family of 5 has survived the first month! The nights are becoming less and less sleepless but the diaper changes continue to be just as frequent. Man can this boy poop! I guess it is directly related to the amount he eats. And by the looks of his cheeks, and his overall weight...he eats well! 

Sweet baby Jonah has been the biggest blessing and a wonderful addition to our family.

Happy Student

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think Genevieve likes school?

We found this on the white board in her room.

(You may need to click on the picture to see it bigger to read.)

Introducing Jonah Timothy McCoy

On Friday, August 30th at 10:25 pm, we finally got to meet my precious baby boy. My doctor says that Friday babies are loving and giving and he has already met and exceeded that expectation! Jonah is absolutely, 100% amazing and I am so in love with him!

From the minute he was placed on my chest after delivery, he had his hands clasped together almost in the praying position. He frequently does this with feedings as well. Very precious!

What a proud mamma I am of these 3 beautiful children!

His shirt says it all!

Introducing Jonah...

His favorite position is nestled up on my chest. He is quite the cuddler and I couldn't be happier about that!

Sam is an amazing husband and father! How did I get so lucky?!?!

1st day of School 2013-2014

My girls are starting 1st and 2nd grade today. It is literally hard for me to fathom! At any rate, they are amazingly excited and I am convinced they will have a great year!

Sea World 2007 vs 2013

Sam and I were in San Diego when Jenna was just a baby. Here is the same picture of Sam walking through the Polar Bear Tunnel at Sea World while holding Jenna in both 2007 and 2013. She has grown a bit hasn't she? And Sam looks the same...with the addition of a few strikingly handsome gray hairs! ;)

San Diego Vacation

Our Family 2013 Summer Vacation consisted of a trip to San Diego, CA. We stayed at a beautiful, super family-friendly resort with multiple pools, hot-tubs, slides, play structures, and activities. In addition to taking advantage of all the resort had to offer, we ventured out to play on the beaches, at Sea World, Balboa Park, and the Zoo.

Our girls are excellent travelers and we had a very enjoyable trip! 

Baby Boy McCoy

38 weeks and counting...
Our son should be making his debut any day now...hopefully sooner rather than later. :)
In the meantime, we took some pictures of the girls and I to try and help remember the pregnancy.

As most mothers know, when you become pregnant, your stomach is not the only area that grows. So, since I have been pretty active with this pregnancy, it was mandatory that I buy a new sports bra to hold me in while I am exercising. I was shocked at the price some people are willing to pay for such a small, unnoticed piece of "clothing!" But I caved and bought a really good quality one, knowing that I would continue using it post-delivery. 

Yesterday, Sam and I took the girls up to White Pass to hike up the mountain and I wore my new garment. Even though I was totally out of breath by the time we got to the top, I mentioned to Sam that I was really pleased with my new purchase and I told him that it "held the twins in well."

Unbeknownst to me, Genevieve heard my comment and said,
 "We are having twins?! Yes!!!"

 Try explaining that one to her! :)

Anyone emotional?

You know you're pregnant when:.....

You actually start CRYING on the phone to the Walmart manager while informing him that this is the 2nd time you have gotten home from grocery shopping and not all of your groceries made it into your bag.

 The girls ran their first "Kids Marathon" this weekend. They have been preparing for it for a few months now and it paid off. They ran their fastest time with smiles on their faces the whole way!

Pre-Race

Post-Race sporting their "Victory" medals

Honesty

Jocelyn made a picture for Sam. She showed it to me and explained that it was a picture of her and her daddy. She disappointingly said, "Only, I had to make daddy have brown hair because I didn't have a gray crayon."

The "New" Blog

In an attempt to satisfy those wanting to read a McCoy blog, and my inability to find spare time to write that blog, my husband suggested a compromise. "Blog Simply." This came about when I had mentioned a funny story to him regarding our daughter to which he told me "blog it!" No pictures needed, no long detailed story, just the basics. And so I am once again in the blogging world, mostly as a way to document things in our life, but hopefully to entertain my followers as well. :)

Yesterday, as we are driving in the car, we passed a man standing on the corner holding a large sign that says, "Will You Marry Me?" and on the other side says "Perry Jewelers." Jenna asked me why that man was asking me to marry him. I explained to her that it was a form of marketing and that Perry Jewelers sells engagement rings etc. She was quiet for a second and then said, "I guess I don't understand because I am a kid, and you understand it because you are an adult." I slightly chuckled but agreed with her that that was possible. She continued, "And plus, usually people on the corners hold signs that say 'Can you give me money?' "