Pregnancy Stories

The girls have been pretty funny and cute about my growing stomach and the upcoming birth of the next McNally.  Early on, Judd nicknamed the baby "Baby Uno" to reflect our relief of only having one child this time!  Lucy was trying to open a drawer in the kitchen and she bumped it into my belly.  She looked up and said, "Excuse me, Uno." 

We've been trying to get them interested in potty training so I've been talking it up recently.  This morning, I went to the "potty", explaining what I was doing before going in the bathroom.  Apparently rather soon after that, I again said, "Mommy has to potty".  Claire looks at me, tilts her head and says, "Mommy has to potty AGAIN?".  Yes Claire, you try having someone kicking your bladder all day long!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party at the Notos

Pumpkin carving with Grandma and Grandad

Halloween with the Madison Street McNallys

Claire and Lucy had a blast on Halloween! They were a little timid trick-or-treating until they realized that there was candy involved! Grandad came over to see them in their costumes. We finished off the night with chili and apple cider with Aunt Julie, Grami Tami, Uncle Ted, Aunt Kelly, Nora and Jimmy. Claire was a strawberry and Lucy was a cupcake.

Fancy Nancy's

The girls love to play dress-up! Their favorite books are the Fancy Nancy series right now. Anytime they decide to accessorize, they refer to themselves as "Fancy Nancy. Here are the pictures from our latest fashion show/photo-op. These girls just make me smile!

McNally Family Vacation

YUM! Ice cream!!

Evening at the Lighthouse

Playing at the beach/park

Back in June, the McNally's went on vacation in Michigan. Grami Tami rented a house on Beaver Island. We had a wonderful time! The cousins had a fabulous time playing together and having a sleepover every night. The island was a two hour fairy boat ride away. The girls had a blast on "the big boat". We played at the beach, went to the park and the girls enjoyed their first ice cream cones. It was a fantastic week!

"I go Notre Dame"

We went to see the Notre Dame band march through campus for the first time this year. We went with Aunt Kelly, Grandma, Grandad and cousins, Nick, Max, Nora and Jimmy. The girls had a blast! Claire kept saying the whole day, "I go Notre Dame". When I asked Lucy if she wanted to go to school at Notre Dame, she responded with, "Ooh, yeah, it's pretty.".

The girls also said goodbye to our wonderful babysitter this week. They LOVE it when Jordan comes to play. While Claire will have to wait a few years, Jordan IS in fact heading off to ND this week. Hopefully she will still come back on breaks and in the summer. (Or, if she was like me in college, she will want to babysit in order to have $$ to go out!). We'll miss you Jordan!

An Elmo Birthday

We threw an Elmo themed birthday party for Lucy and Claire. They loved the Elmo cakes that I baked for them but were a little scared by the surprise visit from Elmo himself (my friend Katie borrowed an Elmo costume from her aunt!). The video below sums it up and we probably shouldn't have laughed so hard! Thank you to all of our family and friends who helped to make the day so special for the girls (all the wonderful gifts, the yummy food, the beautiful flowers, letting us borrow the fabulous bounce-house and especially to Katie for braving the 90 degree heat and dawning her Elmo costume!).

Our two-some turns two!!

It is hard to believe that just two years ago, Judd and I didn't even comprehend what our lives would be like and all the joy that our two little wonders would bring to our world. It is even harder to believe how much they have grown in the past year! Claire and Lucy, I'm so proud to be your mom. In the last 365 days, you have learned how to walk, talk, feed yourselves, color, "read" books, sing, dance, run, play together, give hugs and kisses and light up everyone's lives that you touch. Lucy, I love the way you look up at me with your arms in the air and say, "I hold you" when you want to be picked up. Claire, you are darling when you ask for what you want and then answer yourself by saying, "ok" and tilting your head ever so cutely. How can I say no to either one of you? You bring so much joy and happiness to our lives. I love you more than words can say.

Lucy and Claire-July 13, 2010 (One year old)
Claire and Lucy- July 13, 2011 (Two years old)