Maegan's joy-filled life

New pics of the boys

    

Pics of Crew

    A precious brother moment.     Feeling better!   A bit tired today Peeking at Grandma   Daddy & Crew surgery day  This picture was taken on March 22nd, 3 days after Crew's surgery.  He is very thin and gets tired easily, but his sweet little spirit shines!  Every bottle feeding is prayed over as he has lost quite a bit of weight.  Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers that he will gain his weight back quickly and be back to feeling good very soon!

Army game day

Here is a recent pic of Jerry and Cade in their matching Army sweaters.  Aren't they cute?

Happy Halloween 2008!

Jerry came home from his weekly work trip to Chattanooga and immediately began carving his jack o' lanterns.  They turned out really cool.  Here's our favorite:

 

In case you're wondering what the "A" picture stands for, it's the Army Knight, mascot of the US Military Academy football team.  :)

Here is a picture of baby Crew & I last night. 

   

My mom thought his costume was so cute we dressed him up a day early.  Cade wanted to try on baby Crew's costume too.  ha

Will post more pictures tomorrow after trick-or-treating.  This year I have TWO pumpkins to show off~ meanwhile, here are some pics of Cade from his first two Halloweens. I can't believe how big he's gotten since last year.  He's going as Thomas the Tank Engine this year.  Wait till you see how cute he is.  :)

 

Buchanan Photo Shoot

                 

Back to school

I haven't blogged in a while, simply because I haven't had the down time.  The August kits have all shipped and things are about to get a little less hectic around here, so I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my boys and playing outdoors more now that the weather has cooled off a bit. 

The coming of fall is always an exciting time for me- kids are going back to school and all of the new clothing is out at the stores.  I haven't been shopping for myself since before I got pregnant with Crew and told myself I was going to wait to buy any new clothes until I dropped my last 10 lbs of baby weight, but I just couldn't help myself today.  :) I drove to the Gap outlet before picking my niece up from school and bought some long-sleeved shirts for Cade and Crew, and a couple of things for myself.  I love seeing the sweaters and jackets because it reminds me that cold weather is right around the corner.  

This is such a busy time of year for me- it seems like August- December just goes by in a blur and before I know it, I'm putting the Christmas tree away for next year.  My goal this season is to really prioritize and put my family first, and if this means saying no to lots of get-togethers, parties, church events, etc. then that is what I will have to do.  More than anything, I just want to enjoy the fall & winter seasons with my children and make memories with them and with Jerry.  Cade is at the age where he really likes helping me bake cookies, help me with chores, etc, so I think he will understand the meaning of Christmas, especially now that he has a little baby brother. 

Sometimes it seems like everything and everyone wants/needs me to put them/it at the top and it's hard juggling so many hats.  I do the best I can each day and talk to the Lord a lot- I know that His joy is my strength (Neh 8:10) and I can rest in Him.  As I grow older I've really begun to mature in my faith and lean on God's promises through His Word- it's gotten me through some very tragic/sad times but it's also helped me to grow as a Christian, wife and mother.  The night before last my brother Erik and I were talking about our faith (which we do a lot) and he brought up the day back in September 2002 when he got the phone call that my unborn child had passed away.  He said he has always admired how I didn't crumble or let depression get the best of me, and that he knew that the reason why I got through it like I did is because I have the "peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Phil 4:7.)  I know the love of my Saviour and He has given me back 100 fold with the two miracles I am blessed to be raising.  I am so grateful for the challenges I have had in the past because I am a better person for it. 

Here are some new pics of the boys from this week.  This is Cade with his little friend Jadyn.  Jadyns dad Anthony (Brent) Cooper was on the boxing show "The Contender" and will be fighting in a boxing match in Nashville soon- I believe it will be covered by ESPN.  We are rallying support for him so if you happen to be in the Nashville area, be sure and get tickets.  Jerry and I will be there (along with the rest of our church, I'm sure!)  :)  Anthony and Leeann are a wonderful Christian couple and Jadyn is such a sweet little girl- Cade loves her and they play together beautifully. 

My sweet babies- first thing in the morning when they are still sleepy.  :)

Guess what we're doing in August?

Thomas the Tank Engine is coming to Nashville August 30th!  Jerry & I are taking Cade who is a huge fan of Thomas- he loves the mini-trains and has several of the dvd movies.  The funny thing is I'm probably more excited than he is since he's only 2.  :) 

My boy is 2 :)

On July 15, 2006, my world changed forever when Cade Robert-Laurence Buchanan made his debut into the world.  Happy 2nd birthday big boy!  Mommy loves you.  :)

We are having a big party for him with 12 of his little church friends this Sunday afternoon, but on his actual birthday, Jerry & I took Cade to Chuck E Cheese, and my family came to help us celebrate.  He had fallen asleep on the 25 minute drive and was a bit out of sorts when he woke up but he quickly adjusted and had a blast playing games and opening up presents.  Cade really (and I mean REALLY) loves Thomas the Train, so Erin gave him a toy train and Erik gave him a Thomas the Train tent and several dvds.  My mom took some cute photos at the party- I feel so fortunate that my brother and sister love Cade and Crew so much- they both lead busy lives but they always make time for the boys.  I love these pictures of Cade with his "Ti-Ti" (Erin) and his "KiKi" (Erik). 

I took Cade and Zaylen to party city this afternoon and spent $150 on party supplies, favor bags, balloons, candy, etc.; hopefully he has a wonderful time!  :) 

Home

I just updated my playlist with some new songs- I especially like the song "Home" by Michael Buble. My cousin Lisa got married last month and this was the song that she danced with her new husband Ryan to.  Such a pretty, wistful tone to it- kind of how I feel when Jerry is gone during the week.  He travels 3 days for work now, so it's just me and the babies at home, and sometimes it gets very lonely.  It's hard to believe that 11 years have already flown by- I have come to depend on him so much, not just for the daily "husband" things, but as my best friend, confidant, teammate and partner in raising our children.  I couldn't have found a better daddy for my boys; one of my favorite things to watch is how he interacts with them.  Jerry invented the "tickle" game with Cade recently; he tells Cade that he is going to sleep, and says "no tickling Daddy while I'm asleep okay?".  Cade gets this huge grin on his little face and says "ok".  Then Jerry pretends to fall asleep and fakes a snore, and Cade reaches over and tickles Daddy and Jerry pops awake and shouts "hey!".  So cute!  :)

Here is a cute photo of my boys together.  Cade wanted to hold "baby Coo" (as he likes to call Crew).  

Here is my little buggie Crew Boo at 9 weeks- he just started grinning this past week.  :) 

And here is my big boy Cade.  Love that smile!

Page Kits for sale, my layouts, etc

I don't share my own scrapbook layouts very often, usually only with my immediate family or if I am asked to teach a class locally.  Last month, I was asked by my sister Erin's college professor to teach a class for kids at Camp Discovery in Gainsboro, TN.  The camp is sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and hosts children between the ages of 7-21.  Erin, my 6 year old niece, Zaylen, Cade, baby Crew and I went and were so blessed to meet those kids and camp counselors.  It really made me thankful that my children are so healthy.  I donated all the product to the campers and set up the tables with supplies that they could take home with them.   

Here is the layout class I taught: 

And here is another class layout that I taught at my church women;s group back in April:

I actually have a few of each page kit for sale, so if you'd like one, e-mail me at maegan@littleredscrapbook.com.  They are $5 (free shipping!).  :)  (The "My family" layout does not include the alpha stickers.)