a year in review

We can't believe it's already Christmas and the end of another year! This year has been extra special to us with the birth of our daughter and Brady's long awaited playmate and sister. We feel so incredibly blessed, and are thankful for our complete family. Harper's middle name is GRACE.... her name is extra special to me. I wanted a daughter with a somewhat "unique" name and yet I knew forsure I wanted Grace to be a part of her name. Grace because of what it is. God's GRACE is so evident in our lives....
how beautiful the word, yet even more the meaning of it. We hope you enjoy this short video. HE does make EVERYTHING GLORIOUS!!!!

We've come a long way, baby....

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY to my "secret" best friend!!!! :) Were we really nerdy or what?! :) Seriously, you are so special to me. I am so thankful to have such a close friend like you for 30 YEARS! I love our baby pictures together! So glad to have these, I will always treasure them! I am so blessed to go thru life with a friend like you....how many memories we've shared, crazy times, lots of laughs, lots of meaningful conversation, and lots of Gloria Jeans's cappuccinos. I love that we don't skip a beat. Hope your day was special....I tried and tried to get a hold of you....your answering machine is not on?! I LOVE YA, girl!

"aunt Gretchen" how my kids adore you...:)

a cold icy weekend....

Brady eating our cookies and Harper likes to watch cartoons now.
What a great weekend to be stuck at home with a sick little one and all the ice...we decided it was time to make Christmas cookies while we had the chance. It was fun and relaxing in a way, we had Christmas music playing and a fire going. Brady is my helper in the kitchen....but I think he ended up eating more cookies than actual helping! This week Harper came down with RSV and a double ear infection. She ran a 102 temp all week so she slept alot, watched cartoons, and watched us. She's been such a sick little monkey, we are praying she gets better soon! I'm so tired of the sickness! We've had an awful lot of sickness going on here the last few months! Of course the hubby has been healthy, he has an incredible or unhuman immune system I think. :) I'm getting so excited for Christmas...maybe not quite as excited as Brady though. Yesterday he told me that if he's a really good boy maybe he can get a t-r-s-t-u-v-(he spelled)....we apparantly "spell" alot of words out these days since he listens so intently. I asked him what t-r-s-t-u-v- even spelled....he said a "treat". :)

FUN VIDEO of the dancing McGowans....

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1176056289
Click on link above to view us dancing elves. Spreading the Christmas cheer! (thanks Callie!)http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1176056289

back home now....

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! Ours was good and busy. Brady ate turkey for the first time in his life....we told him it was "chicken". After the fact we told him it was in fact turkey, he didn't seem to mind. :) We do about whatever we can to get this kid to eat something decent. On the way to all of our get togethers he kept saying he was going to ask if they had hotdogs to eat! One of my aunts did in fact give in and gave him hotdogs! Anyways...we are home from a quick trip to Minnesota to see my sister. Here are a few pics of my precious nephew and my neices. :) Aren't they cute?!


Brady loves being around his cousins...and Harper was more than entertained. :)

meet HANK.....

Here's the newest addition into our family... HANK. Isn't he so stinkin' cute? My sister Ashley and her soon to be husband just got him on saturday, he's a Puggle. Brady keeps saying "I sure wish we could get a puppy like that." Harper just kept grabbing his skin. (he's real stretchy.) Their daddy says no right now, but I have a feeling that when his baby girl is able to talk and ask for one maybe the answer will change?! That's what we're hoping anyways. :)

what she's doing now.....

Harper is sitting up on her own now! She still falls over sometimes, yet very gracefully. :) These pictures of her I love, cause they show her new expressions for the week. She has always sucked on her lower lip, but for some reason this week...she is doing it non-stop. Probably the last "outside" pictures we'll get of her until spring! It's so cold now! :)

Who's the parent?

For those of you that may think my child is shy....this is my everyday. We have some real silly conversations when we hang out at home in our "jammies". He is quite the character....such a fun good sense of humor he has and shares. I wonder where he gets that from? He may seem shy and mysterious....until you get to know him. Is that me or Lance or BOTH? Ha Ha. :)

7 months old today!

Harper is now 7 months old. WOW. Time is going way too fast! She's trying to figure out how to crawl, and she almost has it! Although we are not too anxious for the crawling stage...if you know Harper you'll know why we say that. She has to get her hands on EVERYTHING somehow and she's a curious lil' thing. She is going to tear our house apart, go thru every single drawer, empty things, etc. Just wait. The funny thing is she doesn't even really sit up yet on her own....but she doesn't want to! She doesn't want to waste time sitting...could it be she has her aunt Holly in her? Busy busy busy. I'm in trouble. :) She'll keep us moving! How precious she is. Daddy is so in love with his baby girl! :)

Mr. I don't take naps anymore...

So Brady this month has decided that he doesn't need naps anymore....so we do "quiet time" now. I choose not to push the naps, yet I find him frequently still falling asleep in "surprise" places....the other day he fell asleep sitting up! He was talking to me non-stop about something, then the next thing he was very quiet...when I looked at him he had fallen asleep sitting in a chair talking to me! Tonight he was on the couch about supper time. So Mr. I don't take naps anymore is one that still really needs them! :)

my superhero and my lil' frog....

Have a Happy Halloween!

he's got the moves

Here is that video I tried to post earlier this week of Brady dancing. He's our little hip shaker!

yucky tummy....

Okay, so the hip shaking video wasn't working so I'll tell a story. Yesterday my sweet little angel named Brady apparantly was sneaking some candy that I didn't "know" about....he must of had quite a few when I wasn't looking. Well I had my 6 month old nephew yesterday all day and when it was time to take him home I thought "ya know, I'm tired...I'm going to run thru Starbucks." Brady asked if he could have some apple juice there...I said "sure". Well the juice must of "topped" him off with the sugar high. All the way home he complained about how his tummy was "yucky"...."mommy, my tummy is so yucky" he would say. By the time we got home, he was quite emotional about it so I picked him up to hug him and tell him he's fine. At that "perfect" moment....his yucky tummy was ALL OVER ME! Not kidding...my clothes, my hands, my feet, my HAIR. YUCKY is right! I just shreaked....until I looked at Lance's face and we started cracking up. He was holding Harper who was trying to figure out what all the fuss was. Anyways...long story short...he confessed that he was eating too much sugar! Distracted mom or mischevious boy (is that how you spell it?)? At least we all have a sense of humor. What was the funniest was when we were tucking him into bed and I told him next time don't throw up on mom and he replied chuckling " yeah, next time I might throw up on dad! "

indescribable heartache for a mommy...

Recently I came across a blog that has totally captivated me. It's absolutely heartbreaking....about a baby girl named Copeland. Her mom had started a blog when she was pregnant and found out her baby girl had Edwards syndrome. Her writing is absolutely amazing as she shares and pours out her raw emotions of losing her baby girl when she was only 8 days old. I stayed up one night late reading every journal entry and bawled my eyes out. My heart aches for this mommy and I hope others like you can pray for her and her family as well. It has impacted my life greatly after reading her story about baby Copeland. If you are interested...I added her link under my "friendly bloggers". She is grieving so much right now and needs prayers!

East to West by Casting Crowns

So I was driving to work this morning and this song came on the radio....I had heard of it recently but had never actually sat and listened to the words, I don't know why, maybe it's because I can never "hear" them cuz I have a 3 yr old in the back seat talking or should I say shouting about something and a 6 month old who complains the whole time she is in the truck for some reason. Well...I enjoy wednesdays a.m. after I drop them off with grandma and head to work because I can actually hear the radio and music I love to listen to! I really enjoy music, and God has spoke to me alot thru music over the years. It made me think back to where GOD found me, and when I first actually "grasped" the truth that had surrounded me for so long. But it's not about me holding on to God, but more GOD is the one that is holding on to ME...there's great peace and confidence in that! One of my fav books in the Bible is John...because of this great truth. Anyways...I could go on and on but I don't want to give a sermon...:) just pause my project playlist of songs (the pink thing playing music on the right side of my blog) and push play and just listen to this song! (the video is pretty cool too.) I love it....:)

Rough day for some....

Brady had to go to the doctor the other day for a quick anemia test...they pricked his finger to get some blood samples. While we were there I thought "hey, I should get the flu shot for him too while we are here." Much to my surprise he flipped out screaming like you wouldn't believe....I think the entire office heard him! He didn't say a word all the way home, then when we got home he sat on this chair and literally frowned and didn't say anything for almost a half an hour! Of course I thought it was quite funny so I had to take pictures...he didn't even crack a smile! Afterwards he finally spoke up and said "why did you make them give me a shot?" I realized then that he thought I was doing it to "punish" him!!!! Life is rough isn't it? For it's the pain in life that makes you stronger. :) Don't you wish somedays your biggest worry was getting a shot?!

30 Happy Birthdays to YOU!

If only we knew THEN what we do...

NOW!!! :) Can you believe we are heading into our 30's? Happy 30th Birthday to a dear friend of 30 years! Your the leader of the pack ya know?! :) I've always treasured our friendship since we were little....grateful to have such history with such awesome friends! It was great to celebrate with you the other night! :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY my FRIEND. Love ya girl.

HAPPY FALL!

We went to Tanner's this week when it was still 90 degrees....now all of a sudden it feels like FALL! Yipee! I love this cool weather and hope it stays like this for a while! :) Have a Happy Fall everyone!

Weekend away...

We went to Indiana this weekend to visit my brother and his family. It was such a great weekend! We all went to the Indi zoo one day....it was a great zoo! We got to "pet" sharks...

see lots of neat animals....Brady enjoyed the "farm" animals alot too.
He was so excited to "see something else" as he put it...always on the go. He couldn't wait to see what was next! We saw a dolphin show that was really fun too.The babies did extremely well despite the heat and such a long day. Here's a pic of Harper getting Lance in the face...she was cracking up! She was thrilled to be out of her carseat! :)
After the zoo we all headed to P.F. Changs for a yummy meal....one of our favorite places to eat! Brady loves the white rice! :) We go for the lettuce wraps.

Here is my baby exhausted after a long, fun weekend. He loves being around his cousins so much! I'm sure he wears them out though! :) Thanks Jeremy, Angie, and girls for such a great time! We love spending time with you! :)

6 MONTHS OLD...

Well, my baby girl is 6 months old this week! Can't believe how she's growing and changing so fast! Harper is so incredibly sweet....we kiss her and kiss her and KISS HER! She is such a joy in our household. We've decided that she is as easygoing as you can get, yet she is aggressive in what she wants. We think as she gets older she is going to be fun loving, laid back, and not afraid of ANYTHING. She has such a sweet spirit about her....so precious. I think the only time she ever cries is if she is over tired...otherwise she's a happy little girl. :)

Today we had her doctor appt....she is now 14 pounds 10oz. She has almost double her size since birth. She is in the 25% for weight and height.....a petite little one. (Brady was always in the 75% for height) She may have my mother in law and sis in laws petite genes....we shall see. She had to get 4 shots today, plus the flu shot....Lance is always the one to hold her down, but today I had to do it for the first time by myself. :( So sad. Brady and I both looked at each other w/ tears in our eyes as she was screaming with each shot. And for those of you who know me well...NO, I did NOT pass out! (I didn't look though!) :) Hopefully she'll be a tougher cookie than her mom. Brady was so sad that she was so upset....all the way home he talked about why they did that to her. He's starting to be the protective big brother. :)

Anyways....we are so thankful for our sweet baby girl....she is so loved, especially by her big brother. :)

The headband and flowers....

Okay...so where did I get these darling headbands and flowers you see Harper in all the time now? Two very awesome girls from church started a business.....check them out! I've had lots of comments and questions about them....so here you go! I added their link to my favorite websites....(on the right side of my blog, scroll down.) Giggles&Grins. Thanks Jodi & Jill! :)

It's official....

As I was giving Brady a bath last night before bed he said "Hey MOM?!"...then proceded to ask me a question. I responded "MOM?!*?!*" (I have always been "mommy" or "momma" in the past 3 years.) He replied with..."yes, I call you MOM now, and daddy is DAD....your still mommy and daddy but sometimes your name is just mom and dad." What do you say to that?!?! :) My little boy is growing up....and I'm feeling old all of a sudden! I guess to me MOM sounds old...mommy keeps me sounding younger?!?! (Can it be possible to have a mid life crisis when your going to turn 30?!?!)
So I guess it's official......I'm MOM. :)

thanks to a great friend...

I was in need of a babysitter last minute one day this week while I worked....

Thanks to a dear friend for helping me out last minute! Thanks for the cute pics too of our babes together! I think Brady has a "crush" on your daughter. :)

my nephew...

I took these pictures of my sweet nephew, Corbin.

He gets to hang out w/ aunt Heidi every tuesday while his mommy works.

We love to spend time with him! He's so cute, isn't he?! I'm a proud aunt! :)

what we've been doing lately...

Harper:

I found something new to suck on...my toes!!!

I'm waking mommy up more at night cuz I'm growing, but I didn't like that cereal I'm supposed to eat!

Brady:

I have been riding my bike alot and am pretty good at it!

I am getting ready to start AWANAS and am sooooo excited!

I got to go see my first parade w/ my aunt Joni and my grandma.

I'm trying to obey my mommy and daddy.

I like to go on the four-wheeler.

Lance:

started a new job recently at OSF and seems to be enjoying it. No more call! Yipee! Went golfing recently, working on our yard, helping around the house. (what a good man we say!) :)

Heidi:

Loving life. I am loving this nice cooler weather! Been more busy than usual it seems lately! Been to Chicago shopping recently w/ a friend, trying to go thru kids clothes they've grown out of, trying to spend more time at home w/ the kids during the day, doing "kitchen haircuts", and trying to take more time for myself....which doesn't happen too often! The list could go on and on. I just wish we could freeze time. I look at Brady and Harper sometimes and just can't believe how time flys....they change sooo fast! The biggest thing on my mind lately is to just trust God. I'm realizing how much I worry and worry and worry. (mostly about the kids!) Brady tells me...."just don't worry about it mom!" :) God speaks in many ways, right? Instead of me teaching him, so many times he has corrected me! Hmmmm...what's wrong w/ that picture?

A few more....

okay, so I found a way to add words onto my pictures.....

so fun to do....

I could get totally addicted to this! As much as I love pictures, I better stick to doing hair! Unless everyone's hair falls out I guess I could come up with a new hobby!

Harper Grace....5 months old!

here are some recent pics of our tiny monkey.

No smiles this day.....

oh, but how sweet. :)