Red Ribbon Week & Crazy Hair Day!!!!

This week has been "Red Ribbon Week" at Connor's school, to teach the kids about drugs and saying no to them. Each week they've had a different theme. Monday they were able to wear the jersey or shirt of their favorite team so, Connor wore a USU Aggies T-shirt. Tuesday they were able to wear their uniform shirts inside out. Today, they were able to go to school with whatever kind of crazy hair they wanted. Connor originally requested to have his hair look like a rainbow but, I'm talked him into just doing this. It turned out pretty cool and fun, I think. Rylie also wanted to join in the fun! I didn't do anything to crazy with the style. However, I did straighten it and put some color in it and she seemed happy with that. Tomorrow they can wear levi's to school vs. wearing their uniform pants or shorts. On Friday they get to wear their Halloween costumes to school.

Behind Toe #1 You'll Find.........

..........something I plan never to show you! Ha ha! Ok, so I know you're all probably sick of looking at my feet but, I had to journal/blog my case of the missing toenail before I forgot all the "lovely" details! Monday was a day off of school for Connor, as well as his cousin Ireland. So, later in the day we invited Ireland to come over and play with Connor and Rylie. She did, the kids had a great time, and when it came time to clean up they all cleaned up...especially Ireland! So, for fun, I took them to Harmons to pick out a donut of their choice! Harmons has THE BEST donuts in St. George, that I've experienced anyway. So, we get to Harmons and, of course, Rylie heads straight for the shopping carts that have a car attached to the front so the kids can drive while you push the cart. I love these carts because it entertains my kids and gives me a workout pushing the beasts around. We then head over to the bakery to pick out a donut. We do and start to leave the bakery area. Well, I got a phone call I wanted to take so, I stopped to talk and became distracted from the kids a little bit. Meanwhile, Rylie has unbelted herself and climbed out, and has begun pushing the cart around (her newfound favorite thing to do at the store). Well, right as I turn around to grab the runaway cart, Rylie plows over my foot with the cart! Yes, it hurt like CRAZY and it took every fiber of my being to not say some colorful choices of words. So, I grabbed hold of the cart, tried take some deep breaths and not start bawling right there. I then look down to see blood oozing from right, big toe, underneath the toenail. I reach down to touch it and realize the nail has lifted a bit, or so I thought. At that point, I was crying. I have a low, low tolerance for pain but, if there's blood then it's all over from there. So, I'm standing there crying, blood dripping from my toe, and trying to not freak the kids out (too late). Luckily Ireland was there 'cause she was a HUGE help and was so sweet! Rylie kept saying, "Momma! Ok?" Then there's Connor, "Mom! Do we still get our donuts? Do I get 2 donuts or 1?" It's all about priorities, right? I mean, we did go there to get donuts! Ha ha! So, the bakery employees were very sweet! One ran to grab me Tylenol while another ran to get bandaids, came back,and tried to put them on. She said, "It's a good thing I have gloves on so I don't get AIDS!" Oh well, at least she was helping, right? So, I then hobbled away and did the next most important thing! I paid for our donuts, of course! WE then went to the car and I drove to Mike's parents house. Mike's Dad and Mom instantly sat me down, ran to grab bandaids, ointment, disinfectant, and started to help me. Mike's Dad was very gentle and took very good care of me. So, I went home that night hoping and praying my toe was okay. The next day (Oct. 19th), I took the bandaid to see how my toe was doing. It looked great to me and looked and felt like it hadn't lifted anymore. It was just bruised and sore. A few people suggested I wait a couple days to see what it did. However, I am too overanxious so, I called my foot Dr. and they got me in a couple hours later. He took one look at it and said, "Ohhhh, this toenail has to come off!" I then asked him to clarify what that meant exactly. He then explained that nearly 3/4 of the toenail had lifted, especially on one side, and it had to be taken off. I cried and cried some more. So, he began to prepare for removing the toenail and was about to deaden me. I asked if I could call someone to get Rylie. I had brought Rylie with me because I didn't think it'd be a big deal. Just a simple check-up with maybe an antibiotic for infection? I just didn't want Rylie to be traumatized because I am a baby in the Dr.'s office. So, graciously, one of the nurses came and took Rylie to the front desk and gave her cookies, stickers, and let her color while they did the procedure. My Dr. was AMAZING and so very, very gentle and kind to me! Not to say it didn't hurt to have it done but, he took his time and didn't kill me in the process. After removing the toenail he discovered infection had already begun to form in parts of the nail bed. It appeared that when the cart ran over my foot, it pushed the nail up into my nail bed. My Dr. said it was good thing I went in to him when I did. A couple of days later I would've had a mess on my hands and the antibiotics they would've had to use would've affected the baby. So, for once I am grateful I'm overly anxious about matters of health. They wrapped up my toe good and sent me on my way. I'm glad that is over with but, my toe is swollen, extremely sore, and very painful. It'll get better though. Mike is being sweet and changing the bandages, etc. for me because I can't stand to look at it right now. I'm so sad because I pride myself on having cute, well-groomed toes. NOw I'm going to have a case of the naked toe for a while and it just won't look cute at all. The Dr. said it will take at least a year for the nail to be fully grown, providing I didn't damage the nail bed too much. I've thought that maybe tatooing the toe might help. Maybe a smiley face or something? However, I think I'll just stick to putting cool bandaids on the toe until a new grows out. Maybe I can get a 10% discount on my pedicures? I think it's a fair idea!

Somewhere, Over the Rainbow!

One thing we DEFINITELY don't get to see enough of is rain and rainbows! So, when it does rain and it results in BEAUTIFUL rainbows, such as the pictures you see here, then we have to capture them! We love the rain and even more, we love the rainbows! I think it's one of the most beautiful things that God created!

Bringing Sexy Back!

These gorgeous cankles belong to me! From day one of this pregnancy, my left food has been pretty swollen. Now the love has spread to both feet. So, now I have a huge case of elephantitis in my feet, ankles, and also in my hands. I had to take the CTR ring off my ring finger, on my right hand, because it was cutting off circulation. I've also had to quit wearing any shoe, unless it's a flip-flop of sorts because nothing else fits! What can I say, I just look like a hottie these days!

New York South Mission Reunion

Michelle Anderson, Laura McGinnis, Emily Woodhouse, Lori Oehler
Parker Smith, Laura McGinnis

Melinda Preisler, Laura McGinnis

Nola Otterstrom, Laura McGinnis, Olga Patterson

Melinda Preisler, Laura McGinnis, Emily Woodhouse, Leanne Harrop, Michelle Anderson, Sis. Petty, Lori Oehler

Michelle Anderson, Laura McGinnis, Sister Spackman, Emily Woodhouse

Laura McGinnis, Emily Woodhouse

Laura McGinnis, Michelle Anderson, Sister Spackman, President Spackman, Emily Woodhouse

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On October 1, 2010, we had a Mission Reunion in South Jordan, near the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I hadn't been to a reunion in a quite a while so, I was so excited that I was able to make it up to this one. I hadn't seen a lot of the people at the reunion since I left the mission in February of 2001. I was one of the first missionaries that President and Sister Spackman had so, I didn't know the majority of the returned missionaries there. However, it was definitely worth the 4 hour drive to see the handful of RM's I did know!!!!! I was lucky enough to serve around some pretty amazing, awesome, hard-working, fun, and spiritual Elders and Sisters! My mission was AWESOME! It was great to catch up and see what everyone was doing and what had been going on in their lives. It was kind of funny to see all of us grown up, a lot of us married, with kids, or with awesome careers! I'm so grateful for the friends I've made for life!!!!

Brenna's Day - Oct. 8, 2010

For Brenna's 7th Birthday this year (October 8th) we went and got 7 balloons and went to the park. We talked about Brenna and then sent the off into the sky. Of course, Rylie was really mad after she let her 2 balloons go. She doesn't understand yet. All she knew was that she was mad and wanted hers back. It was funny! Connor understands pretty good now and he'll talk about her all the time and ask questions. After the balloons were released we sang Happy Birthday and then as the balloons started to get further and further away the kids were waving goodbye to the balloons and Brenna like crazy. I know this is probably not anything out of the ordinary but, we thought it interesting/neat that as the balloons traveled up into the sky, they stayed in a group with each other the whole time. The week before, I was up in SLC for a mission reunion so I made sure and decorated Brenna's headstone with the most beautiful roses. Then, my Mom called me from the cemetary to let me know she had put flowers on her headstone. She said the leaves at the cemetary hadn't changed yet, which is strange for this time of year! I can distinctly remember the scene at the cemetary and how the leaves were changing, the air smelled so good, and so fresh. When the season changes and fall arrives, memories of Brenna and the experiences we went through come flooding in. We'll never forget her sweet Spirit!!!!

Pregnancy Update - 29 Weeks

I am officially 29 weeks along today. So, because of having a c-section, only 10 more weeks to go until d-day (delivery day) arrives! Wow! That's just INSANE! Am I ready for this? Not right this second, no. Will I be? I sure hope so! I need to go through all my baby clothes and see if there are any newborn, neutral sleepers, etc. When we moved from Michigan, we sold all of our boy clothes (what were we thinking) because we didn't have enough room for all of it in the moving truck. So, we'll have to see what we can find. Our home is about to get cramped, with the cradle & baby swing being set up soon. We also need to get a dresser. So, lots of preparations and things to do in the next 10 weeks.

There's not much to update, as far as the pregnancy goes. I just know this baby is growing, the movements are getting bigger, and this baby kicks so dang hard! I'm already feeling a lot of pressure but, the Dr. said that's common with the more pregnancies you have. My hands and feet still appear to have a case of elephantitis but, it doesn't hurt much so that's good. I had my gestational diabetes test yesterday and PASSED! So, it's awesome to have something NORMAL happen! Hooray! I'm also down to seeing my Dr. every 2 weeks, so that even makes reality set in more!

More good news from this pregnancy is that I haven't been in the hospital for almost 3 weeks!!!! Woo Hoo! Of course, that's a BIG knock on wood!!!! My last pregnancy update I talked about having a kidney stone. Well, a week later I ran into the same problem but, way more intense and worse. So much so that I was admitted into the hospital from September 14-16th. The pain was so bad and intense that they had to put me on some heavy doses of morphine. They ended up doing a x-ray/dye-contrast test to see what the situation with my kidneys were. Found that I had 2 large stones, one blocking the kidney to where it was causing fluid to back-up into my kidneys and was causing infection. Also found out I have 2 ureters connected on my left kidney, which may have contributed to a good part of the pain I was feeling. The test they ran was a 3 part test. They ran one x-ray without the dye, then injected dye into my veins, laid there for 20 minutes to let the dye filter through, then took another x-ray. Then, I went back to my room. 2 1/2 hours later they did another x-ray, to see how the filtering was happening. Well, in between the first dye test and 2 1/2 hours later, I passed one of the stones...HOORAY!!! Up until that point the Urologist was preparing/thinking of putting me into surgery. He didn't want to because he said the aftermath is pretty painful but, he had to get rid of the blockage. So, after a blessing and prayer, I was luckily and blessed to pass one stone on my own. After that the pain started to go away and I was able to rest easier and be taken off morphine and just be on percocet. So, there is still one large stone still in my kidneys. However, it is not moving and all the Dr.'s involved feel it won't be a problem for me, that I will probably die an old lady with it still in my kidney. They aren't going to touch it or mess with it, unless it starts to move again. I finally went home, a few days later went off pain meds. and have been fine since. Thank heavens. The only other time I had to go into the hospital was the following Monday (September 20th) because for some odd reason I could not breathe to save my life! It was the STRANGEST thing and kind of embarrassing. I had gotten out of the shower, started to get dressed, and all of a sudden I felt like someone knocked the wind out of me and put a thousand pound weight on my chest. At first I thought maybe asthma so, I took my inhaler. It didn't help but, got much worse. I started to black out so, laid down. Mike wanted to rush me to the hospital but, I told him to wait so, I got up and tried to walk around and get some deep breaths. Well, then started to black out again. At that point it had been about 35 minutes and was getting way worse. So, Mike rushed me to labor and delivery. We got there and they quickly hooked me up. The strange thing was that my oxygen levels were 100% and my heart rate was just slightly above normal. The Dr.'s and nurses checked me out, asked question, etc. and are just as baffled as we are! I hadn't eaten or taken any meds. that morning yet so it wasn't an allergic reaction. I was relaxed and totally not stressed when it happened so didn't appear to be a stress or anxiety attack. Who knows? So, they kept oxygen on me for an hour and monitored the baby for an hour. Then sent me home. They think it was possibly a prolonged anxiety attack of sorts, after what happened with the kidneys. So, whatever it was, it was ODD!!!!

I have to say that I love my Dr.!!!! Dr. Chalmers is so awesome and has been so good and patient with me! His personality is perfect with mine and has been very good to stay in touch with me, keep me updated on what's going on, and being honest with everything! So glad I was able to find him!!!! So, now we cross our fingers that the next 10 weeks will be smooth sailing.

Fishing With the Kids!

Last Saturday we decided to take the kids fishing. We had originally planned to take them to Pine Valley because it's so pretty up there and cooler. However, our car decided to give us problems that day. So, we went to a couple nearby ponds. Although we didn't get lucky enough to catch anything, we still had a great time! Between fishing, chasing ducks, feeding ducks, eating lunch together, and just being outside, it was a great day!!!!

Answer the Question Poll!!!

For fun I added a poll to our blog, to see if you think we'll have a baby boy or a baby girl! Fill it out! It'll be fun!

The Monthly Pregnancy Update - 25 Weeks

I'm now 25 weeks along, as of tomorrow. Crazy to think that in 15 weeks (technically 14 w/ c-section) we'll be welcoming another cutie into the McGinnis clan! There's not a lot to update or share this month. The Dr. appointment was just the usual. This was my first appointment that I didn't get an ultrasound. He found the heartbeat right under my belly button at a rate of 155. I'm measuring right on and doing well. My ribs aren't bothering me much at all anymore so, that's a huge plus. However, my carpal tunnel has worsened but, it's all good. I'm wearing a trusty brace when I'm either sleeping or not in public so, that seems to be helping a lot.

As I've mentioned before, this pregnancy has been so much different than the other pregnancies I've had. Just so many interesting, weird things happening. Well, yesterday I was able to add to the list, although not in a way I would've wanted to. Here's the story: As I was driving home from picking up Connor and Aliyah from school, I noticed my the left, middle side of back started to hurt slightly. I didn't think much of it, except maybe I slept weird, turned wrong, or stretched weird. So, I continue driving but notice the pain begin to worsen. It doesn't let up but, continues to get progressively worse. I was about 10 minutes away from dropping off Aliyah and the pain became extremely intense and at that point I couldn't breathe well, was in tears, and trying to get a hold of Mike to tell him something was very wrong. I felt so bad because the kids were all nervous, wondering what was wrong with me but, I could barely talk and was crying so hard, and began to scream a little. Luckily, I made it to Aliyah's home and had her run in and grab Brittany. At first it probably appeared as if I was waving goodbye to Brittany or waving for some reason but, Brittany caught on something was wrong and ran out to help. There wasn't much she could do for me though. It hurt to stand, walk, breathe, lay, talk, etc. So, Brittany grabbed my phone to call Mike and I just wanted to die! My first thoughts were that I was in labor and I was scared to death! So many thoughts and fears ran through my mind as to what was wrong. Brittany was great at calming the kids down, making them feel at ease, and took them into her house while Mike and I headed to the E.R. While on the way to the E.R., Mike called my O.B.GYN to explain what was going on and to see what he recommended. He had us come directly to his office to quickly examine me. By this time I was basically screaming, crying, hyperventilating and in a fetal position. We got to the Dr. and he quickly got me into an examination room. First thing he checked was the baby. We were blessed and so grateful to learn our baby was completely fine and not affected by what was going on. After examining a couple other things and talking to me, we learned that I had a kidney stone. After laying in his office for about 15 minutes, the pain began to calm down. I think it helped knowing that the baby wasn't in danger and that helped me to calm down and relax a little. So, the Dr. recommended that I go home with some strong pain meds. and try to pass the stone on my own. So, we headed home. For the next 20 minutes the pain was very mild and very bearable so, I thought the worst of it was over. Well, we got home and the pain hit again but, harder. This time the pain lasted for 1 hr. 30 min. before the pain meds. finally kicked in and I was able to relax a little. So, from that point on I drank A TON, and I mean A TON, of water! Then just slept as much as I could so I could relax and pass the stone. Well, somewhere around 11pm, I must've passed the stone because the pain disappeared and I was finally able to rest and sleep all night long. I learned a few things that night. #1: I'm so grateful that the pains and problems I was having had NOTHING to do with the baby. #2: Natural childbirth is for the birds, or for women a lot stronger than me, because I could never do it! I am so lucky to have a friend who just stepped up, stayed calm when I was freaking out, and made me and my kids feel at ease and everything would be alright. It meant so much that I could leave my kids with her and not feel guilty or worry the whole time! Love you, Brittany! I am also so grateful to my hubby for his amazing driving skills to get me to the Dr. so fast (ha ha!), for stepping in and doing what he could to make me feel relaxed, for letting me sleep and rest the way I needed to, and for getting up with Connor this morning and he getting him off to school! So grateful he was also able to give me a priesthood blessing! I didn't even have to ask. He came to me, ready willing and able to do so! He really took care of me, made sure I water the entire time, and made sure I was taking my medications. Now I just hope and pray that I never have to go through that AGAIN!!!

Random Pictures

My new experiment/try on Rylie's hair
The back final-product of my new experiment on Rylie's hair.

Grandma M. bought a cute little fairy dress-up outfit.

24 weeks along

(Mike took this "amazing" picture! I asked him to quickly take it and he did just that. He didn't warn me, give me a count down, or anything before he took it. So, I look like somewhat of a dork).

Connor's First Day at School & First Lunch at School!

Connor, standing outside of our house, before we headed off to school.
Connor & his teacher Ms. Jones

Connor & Aliyah giving a "Woo hoo!" shout!

Connor & his classmates playing with playdoh a few minutes before school started.

Connor standing in line with his classmates, in the lunchroom.

Connor cheesin' it and Aliyah eating her favorite part of lunch, the pickle!

Connor & Aliyah enjoying lunchtime!

Connor & Aliyah in line before they leave the lunchroom & head back to class.

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School got off to a great start for Connor! The week before school started he had kindergarten testing. The teacher he tested with, Ms. Jones, was so great with him and made him feel at ease. Well, when we came to Meet & Greet night, at the school, we saw the class lists and found out Connor's teacher was Ms. Jones! I was so excited and relieved about that! At least he would already know his teacher. THEN, on top of that excellent news, we learned that one of Connor's best friends, Aliyah Staheli, would be in his class! I was grateful for that also! They really get along well together!

Connor started kindergarten on Monday. He was so excited and has been counting down for a very long time! We have to leave for school at around 7:50am so, we get him up at 7am to get ready for school. He is so awesome at waking up and each morning he acts like it's Christmas morning. I know this will eventually wear off but, I'm grateful for it while we have it! The night before Connor started school he told me he didn't need me to take him into school, that he wanted to do it alone. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen until the 2nd day. Anyway, I veto'd his request and still walked him into school and to his class! He seemed very content and just seemed to be watching everyone & everything going on around him.

They also allowed the parents of the kindergartener's to go to lunch with their kids one day. I thought Connor would be over-the-top excited about Mike & I showing up for lunch. He was happy but, I think we were more of an accessory to his lunch, not a big deal for him. It was fun to sit with him and Aliyah and watch them during lunch. While I wish he missed em more, I am grateful and so happy that he doesn't struggle going to school or being without me all day.

I can't believe this time has come. I knew it was coming and was excited but, now that it's here it's so weird. I thought life was hectic with my kids running around me all day but, now I realize that things were a lot more simple when Connor wasn't in school. I'm very excited for him to be in school. He loves to learn and has been so bored at home! I'm happy for him to be taught new things and to be excited about school! Such a fun time in his life!