Way to Go Madi!!

Madi did awesome at her first clogging competition of this year in Pocatello. She got 1st place in her solo freestyle and her team also got 1st place in their team dance called "clumsy"!

She has just moved up to this new intermediate team this year and has had to work very hard to catch up with the new and more difficult steps - Way to go Madi - we are so proud of you!

It is always so fun as parents to watch your kids do something that they love and have fun doing - mom has decided that clogging has come a long ways since her clogging days many years ago - it really is a fun thing to watch!

Elli turns 4!

Wow - I can't believe my baby is 4 years old - it always amazes me how fast time flies by! And lucky Elli - I believe she also got 5 different birthday celebrations. First she got to celebrate with her McDougal cousins which included celebrating cousin Shelby and Olivia's birthday. Then on the weekend of Elli's birthday - our family was in Pocatello for a dance competition for Madison. Elli thought this was great because this meant she got to spend her whole birthday weekend with her friend Halle (our awesome friends the Richards were nice enough to let us stay at their house for the weekend). We had so much fun - besides the competition, we were able to hang out with good friends and we went out for Pizza and then bowling at ISU on Saturday night to celebrate Elli's birthday - the kids had a blast (until about frame 8 and then they were done - small attention span!). Then on Sunday we went to our old ward and had a great time catching up with so many of our old friends and neighbors and then we went back to Richards and "awesome Steph" made Elli's favorite lunch of ham and potatoes and of course Birthday cake -(Thanks, Steph) and we opened presents. It was a great weekend. Then Elli got to celebrate birthday fun again on Monday with cousin Olivia when we met up with their family at good old Chuckie Cheese - the kids played for over 2 hours and loved every minute of it! Then last - she got to have a party with the Gallacher cousins - to celebrate her and cousin Adam's birthday. Sure seems like a lot of celebration for a four year old - but who's counting!
I can't believe how independent and stubborn our little Elli has become. She is very particular on the clothes that she wants to wear each day and they are usually the farthest from what mom would pick. She lately wants everything her way or no way and she is not shy about letting you know this. She has become very clingy to mommy which I don't complain too much about except when it is time to go to primary or preschool. She loves to sing and dance and can make up a song about anything and everything. She always wants to do what Madi and Robby are doing. For how darn stubborn she can be ... she can also be that cute and hilarious- she makes me laugh almost every day - I love you Elli.

Costa Rica Let Down

James and I were so excited to find out that he had won a trip to Costa Rica for being one of the top salesmen for his company last year...until one month before we were supposed to go I was told by my current doctor and my old doctor that I shouldn't go due to where I am at in my pregnancy and the fact that Costa Rica is not known for it's awesome medical facilities and care. I feel a little silly admitting it but I was completely devastated - I became a professional ball baby for the next week(I like to blame this on my lovely erratic pregnancy hormones). So in the end James went to Costa Rica with his Dad and had a great time and I got the awesome privilege of spending a fun-filled week at home with my kids!(But I am not bitter!) I have decided that this baby had better be the best baby yet - good sleeper, great temperament, etc - because he owes his mama!

Ok - I am done venting - James is home now and life is back to normal chaos with 3 months left until even greater McDougal chaos!

Who wants to blog anyway?

I am such a blogger slacker - regardless of being pregnant it seems like life has been crazy lately - but Madi was reading some family and friends blogs over the weekend and informed me that I needed to do a new post - so here goes!
Here are a couple of Christmas pictures (a little late - but humor me, since this is also supposed to be doubling as my family journal). Christmas was great - the kids finally got their "Wii" that they have been asking for since before last Christmas - mom finally gave in and joined the "gaming"world. I am still not sure if it was a good or bad idea. They of course love it but Robby thinks it should be a 24 hr/day event. One good thing with him is no matter what game it is - it is a whole body involvement game! Robby's fave game is Indiana Jones, Madi's is Guitar Hero and Elli's is Mario Kart - never the less, they can all kick mom and dad's butt! Christmas night this year got a little hairy with the winter blizzard that decided to hit Ogden - but Brad and Tammy let us crash at their house and after all the kids were tucked in the adults decided it would be great fun to stay up until 2am and play the Wii -- good times had by all!

In other exciting news... Congrats to James for winning a trip to Costa Rica for being in the top 30 salesman for his company this year! I was also very excited about the trip abroad until about 2 weeks ago I was told by 2 of my doctors that I should not be traveling to far off countries at this point in my pregnancy! So after about a week of crying, screaming and returning all my new capris and warm weather attire - life has gone on and now James and his Dad will be basking in the sun of Costa Rica (I am trying really hard not to be bitter)! Sometimes being pregnant really sucks - but if the baby is healthy, strong and hopefully an awesome sleeper - I will survive!

Thanks to some awesome sister-in-laws and mother-in -law, James and I were able to escape for a weekend without the kids to Salt Lake. It was great and rejuvingating - Thanks to everyone for your help!

Due to some recent events with a close friend of mine - I have to say it has put a lot of things back into perspective and I am so grateful for my many blessings of family and good health and most of all a wonderful family and incredible friends - You are all awesome and I love you!

I love Michael!

You may think I am wierd but I absolutely love Michael McLean! I took Madison to the Forgotten Carols last week and I haven't been in a couple of years and it was awesome. If you have never seen the production it is definately one to take time for - it really starts the Christmas season out with the right attitude! Angie - a friend of mine in High School got me started with Michael McLean and his awesome songs got me through some pretty rough times during those high school years and even today hearing some of them will bring tears to my eyes from some good and bad memories. It was fun to explain the story to Madison behind all the different carols - we went with a bunch of the girl cousins, sister-in-laws and Grandma Ellen - it was a great night!

We love our Elli!

I thought this was a fun story to share and will be fun to look back on for me - it was one of those moments that you see your kids individual personalities shine through!
To preface the story I should let you know that Thanksgiving Day was the last day for "sippies" at our house - they have been put away in a box "to save for the baby"! (Elli was a big lover of the sippy and has actually done better than I thought with them going bye-bye). We were out to dinner the other night at Panda Express and we were each reading our fortunes and Elli's fortune said "Star light, star bright your wish will come true tonight." Well a few minutes later Elli squeezed her eyes shut tight and said "Star light, star bright I wish I had my sippie!" I don't think I have laughed that hard in quite a while. "Thanks Elli for keeping life interesting!"

FYI

I figure this is as good a place as any to get the word out without too much effort. The McDougal family will soon be increased by one ... yep it is true, I am pregnant and due the end of May! It has taken me awhile to actually be able to say it out loud but my waist line is definately expanding and I won't be able to just blame it on too much Halloween candy for too much longer. I still am trying to decide if we are completely insane or blessed - time will tell. I have of course been completely sick and then just last week I got bulldozed with a horrible cold but other than that things are going as to be expected.

Please forgive the Christmas background before Thanksgiving but I was goofing around trying some new ways to spruce the blog up and i figure with the time it takes me lately to accomplish anything... better sooner than never!