The Current Contemplation

Contemplating this:



To capture a better this:
It's worth it, right??? Well - that's the great debate right now. I have had dreams of this camera for a few years now, but at around $1000 a pop, that dream remained, well - in my dreams. :) It just wasn't an option.
Then the other day I started playing around on the Internet to find the jewel at 1/2 that originally mentioned price on 2 websites right now. Begin calculations (with birthday and Christmas soon approaching in next several weeks!)...calculations = true possibility!!!
Now, I still can't afford the recent T2i...but I can afford it's predecessor the T1i (which still meets the needs I want!).
So after having numerous back-and-forth email conversations with Leslie and Meredith (thanks guys!), I'm leaning toward the big purchase - let's say HUGE, cause that's what this purchase is for me.
So any thoughts bloggy friends????

Double Well-Checks

Yesterday was the double well-check...Lincoln's 2 year (oh my!) and Noah's 9 month. My sister Amy, being the angel she is (and less than a month away from delivering!!) accompanied us again for the extra set of hands and encouragement. :) She IS a blessing.
We'll start with this Tiger.
Weight: 30lbs (73%ile)
Height: 36in. (85%ile)
Head: 22.5in. (100%ile - ha)

The doc (Jackson - who is my new fav), said that at about 2 years old, we can now start predicting patterns. He said more than likely, when Lincoln is 16 years old, he'll have these same percentiles. Jason was STOKED nonetheless. :) Dr. Jackson said "Yep - looks like he's on track to being a pretty big guy!"
Everything else went great! He said his language development is on track and he sees no issues.

Then we moved on to this little guy (I don't say little lightly):

Because he's still TINY!

Weight: 18lbs (10%ile)

Height: 28in (24%ile)

Head: 46in (65%ile)

The doc said he was not concerned one bit about his weight because he was still growing on the curve. He said just because he's small now means nothing for his future, that you can't start predicting patterns until 24 months. Basically, he wants him to stay on formula until 12 months. They checked his iron levels which were perfect, and the doc said he is advanced for his fine motor skills - great!

Both got flu vaccines, and were sent back to the wild. It's crazy because Lincoln is now DONE will well checks and Noah's next one is scheduled for TWELVE MONTHS...what?? Noah's going to be a year old soon??? Oh my.

And I'll ;leave you with the fun Razorback game this past weekend - Lincoln's first! We stayed a quarter and then I took him home and let the boys stay the rest. The plan worked great and he LOVED it. He even called the hogs with everyone and was quite a hit amongst all his neighbors in the stand. Can't wait for next year's games now!!!

The Tigers

High School Basketball at Betonville started this week and last night was our first "game" (in quotations because seniors didn't play and it ran more like a scrimmage), but we won all four quarters and were still excited for the beginnings nonetheless!
This little Tiger was the most excited of all.

He's always thrilled when we get to go to the gym anyway...the whole way to the gym, he was yelling "Go Tigers! Go Tigers!"
But I think he was mis-informed, cause when we got to the game, he was running around looking for all the tigers. Seriously.
This tiny Tiger also got his taste of his first real basketball action.
By the way, I'm not sure where the curls came from on this kid! Last night his hair suddenly turned curly - it was weird! I was a little worried about Noah and how he would do with the late night (Lincoln never had much of a schedule which always made him a pro at games), but Noah did great! He fell asleep in his carrier 5 minutes into the game and woke up after it was over! But we must have worn the sucker out because it's 10:00am right now and he still has woken up!
One thing I LOVE about Bentonville are the assistants that coach with Jason. I guess it helps that they're all some of our dearest friends, too, but it makes this job so much more fun!
Lincoln LOVES him some Coach Cole (who is soon to be a daddy!!!!!!), Coach Matchell, and Coach Stadel. Get ready boys - many more nights where this one came from headed our way!!! Go Tigers.

9 Months (9 On/9 Off)

Today is Noah's 9 month birthday! How exciting! I think this past month has been the most fun so far with this little luv bug.
He's super mobile which is always exciting, and he's discovered a whole new world this way. I think Noah had just as much fun with all of Lincoln's new toys last week as big brother did.
He has also started eating solid foods - I pretty much will chop up what we have for dinner and give it to him - and he eats like a champ, even with NO teeth yet! I will usually feed him some of his baby food, too, though because (a) we have a LOT of it still, and (b) to ensure he gets those yummy veggies in full. He still eats his rice cereal in the morning mixed with some fruit.

His sleep habits haven't changed much. Still sleeps un-interrupted from about 7:30-7:30 (love the mornings he goes all the way until 8:00!).

He hasn't shown any attachment issues yet which has been nice since we take trips to the gym, bible study, and church where he is left in the nursery.

He's not the toughest of little guys. Ha. He tends to get upset at the smallest little "bump" - usually made by Lincoln.

He LOVES Benny! Which works perfect because Lincoln loves Bruce - a dog for each.

HE takes a morning nap for about an hour (I will only let him sleep an hour), and then I put him down for his long nap when Lincoln goes down (usually about 2.5-3.5 hours).

He's still our content little guy. Loves to be held, loves to just and watch Lincoln (this often gets him giggling), and can just play nicely by himself or with us.

As for mommy, you always hear "9 months on/9 months off"...I always thought the losing-baby-weight ordeal would for sure be quicker than that for me! It was with the first, but with this one, it literally took all of 9 months. But I am now, finally back to where I was before, my clothes all fit, and I am back at running! So happy 9 months for us both. :)

Starting to Hear Those Silver Bells (or it could be Noah over the monitor...)

No secret us here at the McMahan house have become highly focus on where our money is going in the past year (I even write another blog about money to keep track of everything)...you know - we've become that awkward couple that "can't go out to dinner" or have to bail on certain things because we're really tyring to be that conscientious of it (sorry if it's you we've in fact put in an awkward situation).
But so far - over all - I have found true joy in this season of our life and it's been exciting to see how God has been working in our hearts regarding money. Don't get me wrong, we have by no means been perfect (or even close at times) to managing this as it matches up with the desires of our hearts, but we're in pursuit...and thank you Lord for grace. :)

I will confess I have found myself blatantly coveting some things when I engage in the good ole fashioned "compare game", but, again (thank you Lord for grace), He pulls me back.

Now.
Christmas time.

(prepare yourself for the GASP) - last year I didn't decorate. Not one thing. (Go ahead and gasp).

I'm sure I wrote a blog about why, but this year I'm ready. SOOO ready.

After seeing how excited Lincoln got over his birthday, I can't WAIT to start decorating (like explosion decorating - pillows, sheets, christmas junk galore) and explain to him every little detail of Christmas, seeing him get excited every day and explode with glee on The Day.

So while I have a collection of stuff in the attic, I don't have enough to go all out - which is precisely what I plan on doing (except for the yard - no high electric bill please).

So I want to hear what you do to make your home feel special at Christmas! Traditions with your kids? And most importantly - where is the best place to get fantastic deals on decorations???

(If I can't stay in our crazy budget, I might use what I have this year and use some Christmas money after the holidays to hit up the mega sales.)

I wanna hear from you on this please!!!!!

Sorry If This Is Gross

We're having a very lazy Tuesday...still in PJ's (wish mine were as cozy as this little man's!), naps early (they're both already down and it's not 11:00), and lots of playtime in tents and with books and tools.
And of course I had my camera nearby and wanted to take a picture of Noah in his cute cozy PJ's.
When he sees the camera, his face lights up and he automatically rushes to you.
Here he comes...

And then he sits up to pose.
However, I snapped the shot right as he puked (or "spit-up", as it's more nicely referred to).
Little sucker. Yup - that's rice cereal and bananas in a down pour.

Solids

I think I'm a little behind on this one (hence I forget Noah is 3 months away from turning one and not still a newborn), but I let him do solids this weekend (even though the little sucker still has no teeth!).
I think he was a fan...
Still getting the hang of it...

But we'll get there. Tonight's menu? Beef Stew (minus the juice for Noah, of course). Yum.