The McGinnis Family

I usually always like to update on both kids at once, but this was one I had to get up on its own. Here is my little Stephens Star. She's ready to head to Columbia right now and experience all that Stephens has to offer. For those of you who may not get it, she essentially looks like what I (we) wore when we were in college. It's probably changed dramatically by now given that I left for college over 15 years ago. Still, nothing to me looks cuter in this world than a pair of overalls. She even has her building blocks ready to start building sets. Stephens was such an invaluable experience for me and I hope that she will consider it one day too!

Okay, so we did not do very good in the department of setting boundaries for our room. We firmly believe in co-sleeping with our kids when they are young, which is probably why they believe they own all of the bedrooms in our house. However, when they are this cute it really doesn't bother me too much. In the first picture, I returned from making coffee to find CJ hanging out watching TV. In the second picture, you will see my little fashionista with a leg warmer she decided looked much better on her arm.

Did summer really happen? Has it really been 3 1/2months since I lasted posted? We cannot believe how fast it has gone. Moving just takes a lot out of us especially now that we have two. Time seems to march by more and more quickly. I try desperately to soak up every available minute I can because the kids are growing and changing so much. Most of you know that we decided to have CJ go to Pre -K this year. He loves it and is doing so well. Each night we do homework from workbooks that Aunt Cece sent. Just like his Mama, CJ begs for extra homework- particularly Math. He loves addition, puzzles, and mazes. It will be interesting to see if that stays with him as he grows. He is slowly starting to read on his own. I haven't been challenging him as much as I probably should since he's not in kindergarten yet. He's such a funny boy who likes to tell jokes. He's an avid runner and did great in his running club this Fall. Ceirnan is amazing. Just amazing. People who don'...

I can't believe my baby boy is 5-years-old. It's so amazing to see how he's grown and how much he has learned. He is on the brink of reading all on his own. We've read a few books together and he really enjoys it. This kid is doing Math like a whiz. I wonder if that will stick with him as he grows older. He still loves to build and spends much of his time building whole cities out of his blocks. He is still one of the most gentle and kind human beings you will ever meet. He loves game shows...all kinds. He particularly loves Wipeout and the Amazing Race. You will often find him with his cars or the Little People doing challenges and trying not to "fall in the water". He's a great runner and still loves playing soccer. He loves the outdoors and adventures and enjoying life. He helps out around the house and always kisses and hugs his sister first thing in the morning. The pics above are of his birthday with the family. We'll have another birthday for h...

The end of May beginning of June has been a time for changes. After much searching, we finally made a decision on a house (see above). It's very cute with 3 bedrooms, a sunroom , and a huge backyard. It's about 4 miles from the University and a good elementary school is right across the street. The community has it's own park. We are excited to move over there at the end of the month. Ceirnan is growing up so much. She finally has enough hair to put it in a tiny ponytail. I couldn't resist getting pictures from each angle. She loves shoes and her brother! We hear the chorus of Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! and Bra-Bra or CG all day long. CJ and Case have started fishing in the mornings. Ceirnan even got to go one day. The pictures above are from CJ's first fishing trip. CJ finished his soccer season and is getting excited about pre -k in the fall.

Here we are in May. Life has been crazy, busy, and to be honest a bit stressful. We just sold the jeep this week, which was a much bigger project than we expected. We are hoping to sign the lease on a new house this weekend if all goes well. Then we have 6 weeks to get our old house cleaned out and packed up. Case is facing the end of the semester, papers, projects, and finals! Not to mention he is coaching soccer and the Vice-President of a student organization on campus. CJ is doing great. I know he'll face some sadness at the end of the preschool year. All of his friends are moving on to various preschools. We have plans to keep the dynamic four (Nick, Avery, Sophia, and CJ ) getting together for play dates as much as possible, but it will be hard for him to adjust to all new students. As far as learning and growing goes, he amazes us more each day. He's a great runner and just so smart. Moreover, he's developing an extremely witty sense of humor! Ceirnan ...no longer a...

All I can say is that we are in the thick of it. For all of you who have older children, you know how busy things can get. Between Daddy's school, CJ's school and soccer , Mama's teaching, work, and class, and Ceirnan's general business, we are worn out! It's a good feeling though to be blessed enough to do so many amazing things. We just got back from VA where we had an amazing day hiking and climbing Humpback Rocks. The day ended at the base of a mountain and an amazing brewery called Blue Mountain Brewery. It was one of those days that you wish you could hold onto forever. As night drew near, the kids laughter floated through the air and all was right with the world. Ceirnan and CJ continue to become closer and closer. They truly love spending time together. CJ is excelling in school. We were so pleased when his teacher said academically he is off the charts. Sorry- as his Mama I have to brag a bit. Ceirnan is equally inquisitive and bright. I think it...

Despite missing Mama's cornbeef and cabbage, we had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. We woke up to a wonderful breakfast, went on a beautiful country drive, visited the local Irish store for some new gear and a quick Irish coffee, went for a stroll through the Philadelphia Zoo, and ended our evening at a local brewpub with live music and amazing young Irish dancers. It was a great family day. Case and I managed to get in a pint or two and the kids were thrilled by everything. CJ even got up and danced a solo with a little urging from Mama and Daddy. He is planning on starting Irish dancing lessons this Spring. Here are some pics of our adventures.

We are wishing for spring. We keep getting little glimpses of it and are ready to welcome it in. As the start of the semester arrived, we found ourselves extremely busy. Casey jumped into a full-time load and I began teaching two courses for the first time in a long time. The days are busy and the nights even busier. Despite this, we are still having a great time as a family. We managed a trip down to Virginia Beach and then got to stop at all the beach towns from there back home. It was great fun. CJ loves the arcade and Ceirnan just likes to walk around on her own. They both love the hotel and getting a chance to swim. We are all so ready for it to warm up so we can go camping and hit all of our fun swimming holes. Ceirnan just had a visit with her specialist at CHOP, Dr. Chang. He was very pleased at how well she is doing. Hard to believe at this time last year, she could not even move her fingers. He graduated her up to a free finger splint, which she will enjoy much better than he...

Umm ...am I really just posting Christmas pictures. It's Jan. 21. The answer is yes. The kids were spoiled for Christmas, which is just as it should be I suppose. Christmas started out on 12/12 with an early visit to Santa. We had a lovely morning enjoying the kids and watching them play with all of their new toys. Then we welcomed the newest members of the family to the house- Goldie and Jelly. Goldie is CJ's goldfish and Jelly is his snail. On the following Friday, we were treated to an adorable Christmas program at CJ's school. We headed out to Kansas City where the festivities continued. We spent Christmas Eve at Grandpa and Grandma Becky's where CJ got some real cowboy boots and Ceirnan became a little fashionista with a fun new outfit. We woke on Christmas day to see that Santa had come again to PopPop and Nana's. The morning was filled with fun as Aunt CeCe and Cherie arrived and Uncle Eric and Aunt Alycia came too. We even got to stick around to see ...

Is it really a new year? Have we really found ourselves in 2011? Life is such a quick journey. I wish that we could just slow it down, pause more often, savory as many moments as possible. Those are some of the goals that the four of us are going to strive for this year. As we jump into the new year, Case and I are trying to focus on continuing to build a healthy and happy family. Sitting here, I just cannot believe how much our children have learned and grown in the last year. CJ has grown about 2 inches since October. He is beginning to sound out words and has even read a whole book on his own. He has an amazing sense of humor and he loves to tell jokes. He loves his sister and gets excited to greet her each morning. He is adding more and more numbers and can do some simple subtraction. He sings a lot and has a great imagination. He loves his family. He's really deap and he has such a strong soul. Ceirnan is my beautiful gypsy dancer. She dances all day long- sometimes to music...