Life as a Fast Food Restaraunt

Fall Photo Shoot...

2007-10-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

There are new pictures of Lily posted at...

http://cccb.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004284&l=2ba2e&id=91300208

Enjoy!

2007-08-21T15:53:00.000-05:00

I posted new pictures of Lily and a few of our house at...

http://cccb.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2003901&l=1d360&id=91300208

if you're interested, click on the link!

Pictures...

2007-06-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

New pictures of LILY and our new family member can be found at...

http://cccb.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2003483&l=d9e74&id=91300208

March 27...

2007-04-09T15:50:00.000-05:00

We did it! The house that we have been working on for nine months is now livable, and almost completely finished! All that is left to do is finish the garage, build a deck, and add some minor details. With the help of some new-found friends, we moved in to our NEW house on Tuesday, March 27th. More details (and some pictures) later...

This site has been giving me a hard time with picture posting...if you would like to see some new pictures of Lily, please visit:

http://cccb.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2003158&l=fcbcc&id=91300208

One Crappy Week...

2007-03-04T18:54:00.000-06:00

It all started on Monday, February 19, 2007...

I was driving home from my parents house, when a dog ran out in the road. To avoid hitting the dog, I quickly stepped on my brakes...and felt a pop. My car stopped, but I knew something bad had happened. I started driving again. I applied my brake to see what would happen...and nothing happened. My brakes worked only enough to get me back to my parent's house, where we discovered that my brake line had sprung a huge leak. So off to Gibbs with my car...

Our story picks up on Wednesday, February 21...

The carpet was put in our new house! We were so excited and headed over to take a look. We were relaxing in our new living room when Lily, who was gazing out the window, stepped in an open heating vent and hurt her leg. Lily got to take her first trip to the emergency room, where she got her first x-rays. The Dr didn't see anything wrong in her x-rays, so he released us. We were given the name of an orthopedic surgeon in Columbia who would take a second look at Lily's leg, just to make sure they weren't missing anything.

We had an appointment with the surgeon on the morning of Friday, February 23...

I woke up at 6am to find Lily throwing up. She threw up at least twenty times in a three hour period. Talk about pitiful...she couldn't walk and she had the flu. The next morning Aaron woke up with a stomach ache, and soon started throwing up AND having diahrea. Later that evening, Lily, who had stopped throwing up and was acting fairly normal, developed diahrea. Just when I think things couldn't get any worse, my stomach started to hurt. I held it off as long as possible, but soon began throwing up. We were officially in the depths of despare. I called my parents, who came and took Lily. She spent her first night with grandma and grandpa while mommy and daddy tried to regain some strength. She came home the next evening...she didn't have the flu anymore, but she had an awful cold (which she decided to share with me).

We are still trying to recover from our crappy week...we all ended up catching Lily's cold, and are still trying to get rid of it. We did finally make it to see the Doctor in Columbia about Lily's leg...she is still limping, but there are no visable fractures. She probably has a muscle injury, which will get better with time.

We are looking ahead to better weeks, and looking forward to finishing our house! It's really coming along...there are just so many little things that still have to be done. Please keep us (especially Lily) in your prayers. God bless!

2007-01-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

The house

2007-01-11T16:58:00.000-06:00

Kitchen

2007-01-11T16:53:00.000-06:00

Livingroom

2007-01-11T16:47:00.000-06:00

Lily, inspecting her new walk-in closet

2007-01-11T16:46:00.000-06:00

The office/guest bedroom

2007-01-11T16:45:00.000-06:00

Mommy's shoes

2007-01-11T16:44:00.000-06:00

Very happy Tinkerbell

2007-01-11T16:43:00.000-06:00

Dancing Tinkerbell

2007-01-11T16:42:00.000-06:00

Pre-Christmas snow

2007-01-11T16:41:00.000-06:00

Lily and Mommy in the pre-Christmas snow

2007-01-11T16:40:00.000-06:00

Lily, asleep with Daddy's old teddybear

2007-01-11T16:39:00.000-06:00

Silly Lily in her pretty dress

2007-01-11T16:37:00.000-06:00

Lily and Mommy

2007-01-11T16:35:00.000-06:00

Lily's first tea party

2007-01-11T16:32:00.000-06:00

My "gingerbread" house

2006-11-12T20:37:00.000-06:00

Laughing...

2006-11-12T20:36:00.000-06:00

Laughing...

2006-11-12T20:35:00.000-06:00

Laughing!

2006-11-12T20:32:00.000-06:00

We are family

2006-11-12T20:29:00.000-06:00

Lily and mommy

2006-11-12T20:24:00.000-06:00

Five generations

2006-11-12T20:23:00.000-06:00

Aaron's pride and joy

2006-11-12T20:22:00.000-06:00

Daddy let her feed herself spaghetti (and then got to give her a bath)

2006-11-12T20:20:00.000-06:00

:) Oh, Lily...

2006-11-12T20:19:00.000-06:00

Helping mommy make brownies

2006-11-12T20:16:00.000-06:00

Painting her pumpkin (with a little help from grandma)

2006-11-12T20:14:00.000-06:00

Giving mommy's pumpkin some love

2006-11-12T20:12:00.001-06:00

Worlds Cutest Pumpkin (it's official)

2006-11-12T20:12:00.000-06:00

Lily's pigtales

Pictures...

2006-10-08T18:25:00.000-05:00

Here are more pictures of our beautiful little girl. We apologize for the delay. We know that her fans have been waiting...

Oh, Lily...

2006-10-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

Coming along...

2006-10-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Lily...

2006-09-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

Aaron and I are no longer the parents of an infant…we’re the parents of a toddler! Believe it or not, Lily celebrated her first birthday on Wednesday (Sept. 13)! I can’t believe a year has passed since our little girl was born. As she grows and changes, she continues to bring joy to our life.

Lily is now over 29 inches tall, and weighs 18 pounds. She has 6 teeth, 3 of which arrived this month. She no longer crawls – she’s a walking maniac. Lily is quite fond of animals, food, attention, other kids, and her family. She loves life, and lives it to the fullest.

The McDonald family has had a busy end-of-summer. We took a trip to Ohio in mid-August, where Lily met her 2 great-great grandmothers. I enjoyed introducing Lily to these special women. I was also excited to show Aaron around their homes and farms, where I have many memories.

From Ohio we headed Indiana, where Aaron was a groomsman in a friend’s wedding. We were also able to spend time with Aaron’s family. Aaron’s brother has twin girls, Claire and Elaina, who will be 2 in January. His sister has a son named Coletrane, (who will be 2 in March), and also has a new baby on the way. I’m glad Lily has so many cousins close to her age. It was fun to watch them all play together, and it will be wonderful to watch them grow up together.

We’re continuing work on our house. It’s a slow process at the moment – we ended up having to replace the entire floor (including the supports). My dad and uncle have done most of the work on the floor, and are close to being finished. I’m not sure how I’ll ever repay them for all of the work that they’ve done on this house! As slow as our progress has been, I can see the finish line.

God has truly blessed us – we want to use our blessings to His glory. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2006-08-13T19:27:00.000-05:00

The summer came, and brought with it a wave of changes. Many of the changes I am refering to can be seen simply by looking at Lily! She has grown so much, and is looking more like a toddler and less like an infant everyday. She is also becoming more active and more active - she's climbing up onto furnature and up stairs, standing herself up, and even walking. She can now take up to 5 steps on her own before diving into our arms.

Another big change that has taken place is for the McDonald family is...a new house! Thanks to Uncle Todd, we are currently renovating our future home. As you will see from the pictures, the house was a disaster area when we purchased it. Now, after a lot of hard work from family members and volunteers, the house is well on its way.

As the end of summer break draws to a close, we are looking forward to NOT going back to school, as well as a break in the heat! We continue to enjoy our constantly changing life, and look to the future with open eyes and hearts. We ask that you keep us in your prayers as we continue to grow and develope as a family.

2006-08-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

The kitchen

2006-08-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

The livingroom

2006-08-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

The bathroom

2006-08-13T18:47:00.000-05:00

The master bedroom

2006-08-13T18:46:00.000-05:00

Natural Skylight :)

2006-08-13T18:44:00.000-05:00

The office

2006-08-13T18:41:00.000-05:00

Talking on the phone

2006-08-13T18:40:00.000-05:00

Will it fit?

2006-08-13T18:38:00.000-05:00

Showcasing her talent

2006-08-13T18:36:00.000-05:00

Lily's favorite stairs

2006-08-13T18:23:00.000-05:00

Cute as can be

2006-08-13T18:13:00.000-05:00

Showing off

2006-08-13T18:12:00.000-05:00

Grabbing the camera

2006-06-29T16:11:00.000-05:00

Being goofy

2006-06-29T16:09:00.000-05:00

Lily's first baseball game - go cubbies!

2006-06-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

Our little model

2006-06-29T16:01:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the ducks

2006-06-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

Taking a dip in the pool at Great Grandma's house

2006-06-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the dirt

2006-06-29T15:51:00.000-05:00

Trip to the park with mommy

2006-06-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

This one speaks for itself

2006-06-29T15:49:00.000-05:00

Lily and mommy on their trip to the zoo in Iowa

2006-06-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

Great Grandma kisses

2006-06-29T15:47:00.000-05:00

Lily, after a bath

Tube Socks and Chicken Pox

2006-06-12T01:28:00.000-05:00

I guess it's been a while...

So many things are happening and changing in the McDonald family, mainly in the Lily department. Lily will be 9 months old on Tuesday! She is now almost 2 1/2 feet tall, and weighs somewhere around 17 pounds. She has 2 teeth protruding from her bottom gums, and continues to melt hearts with her crooked smile and big, blue eyes. Lily is crawling like a pro these days, and is hard to keep up with. She also pulls herself to her feet on everything in sight, and, this past week, starting walking along the couch.

This past Thursday I woke up to a whimpering and feverish Lily. She wasn't acting like her happy self, and had a bit of a high temperature. That temperature soon rose to just over 102, where it stayed for the rest of the day, and on into the next. She acted normal for the most part, the only difference being a bit more cuddling and more (restless) sleeping than usual. We thought maybe she was developing the chicken pox, but now we're not so sure. She hasn't had a fever since Saturday morning, so our worry has settled to curiosity. Please keep our little one in your prayers!

College graduation has come and gone. As I look back, it's a blur of family, friends, food, fun, fear, and a bit of frustration. Overall, we had a wonderful time, but are glad that it's over!

Again, please keep our family in your prayers! We look to the future with open hearts and open eyes...

PS I will be posting new pictures very soon! (I mainly write this as a forceful reminder to myself)

It is finished...

2006-05-15T23:25:00.000-05:00

I am officially done with school! Well, okay...I'm officially done with my first round of college! After a stressful few weeks, my projects, papers, studying, and tests are all complete. I can't tell you how good it feels to be DONE! I walked across the school parking lot today (after having taken a terrible math test), beaming at the thought of no more projects, papers, or tests!

After four crazy years, I have one wonderful husband and best friend, one gorgeous daughter, one bachelor's degree, one associate's degree, and millions of prayers, hopes, and dreams for the future. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to take this giant step in our lives.

2006-05-15T23:21:00.000-05:00

Lily's favorite toy...she's hilarious on this horse

2006-05-15T23:19:00.000-05:00

Awww...

2006-05-15T23:13:00.000-05:00

New kittens at Grandma and Grandpa's house

2006-05-15T23:12:00.000-05:00

Fun clapping

2006-05-15T23:11:00.000-05:00

Down time

2006-05-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

"Hollywood"

2006-05-15T23:02:00.000-05:00

Serious clapping

2006-05-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

Big girl!

2006-04-30T18:24:00.000-05:00

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches for me...

2006-04-30T18:18:00.000-05:00

Rainy days

2006-04-30T18:07:00.000-05:00

Perfect

2006-04-30T18:05:00.000-05:00

Sunscreen gone wrong

2006-04-30T18:04:00.000-05:00

Practicing her Cherry Queen wave

2006-04-30T18:03:00.000-05:00

Showing off those arms! (Texas Trip)

2006-04-30T18:00:00.001-05:00

Yes daaaaaaarling?

2006-04-30T18:00:00.000-05:00

Virtuoso...

7 states in 7 months...

2006-04-26T13:22:00.000-05:00

Lily has official visited seven different states...and she's only seven months old! The McDonald family recently returned from a mini-vacation to Texas and Oklahoma. We had to travel to Lawton, Oklahoma for Ben Wellsand and Sarah Banks' wedding on Saturday (April 8th). Lawton is only thirty minutes or so from the Texas boarder, so we decided to head down early and spend a couple of days in Fort Worth, Texas. We went to the zoo, went swimming, spent an evening downtown, and simply enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Lily loved seeing the sights with mommy and daddy, and was more well-behaved than any parent could imagine. She drew attention and compliments everywhere we went, and was always the life of the party. Lily's favorite event was swimming in our hotel's indoor pool - regardless of the chilly water. She kicked her legs, flailed her arms, and grinned as her daddy guided her back and forth across the pool. It was so great to watch her experience something new, and to have just a plain old good time.
We then headed to Oklahoma for the wedding, stopping along the way to experience a dust storm and view a waterfall. We really enjoyed the opportunity that the wedding gave us to "re-unite" with some old friends who we hadn't seen or spent time with in a while. It was also nice spending a little time with Ben and Sara, and with their families. I've known Ben for almost four years now, and it was exciting to see him take this step in his life. It's obvious that Sara truly makes Ben happy, and to see them come together as husband and wife was an unexpected pleasure.
We are now back in Moberly, pushing through the tasks that life throws in our way. I only have one and a half weeks of classes left, and then finals. Sure, that sounds great, but...it's not. I have a dreadful case of senioritis, which is making it very difficult to write papers, complete projects, and take tests. I cannot wait to be done!
Please keep our little family in your prayers. We continue to struggle financially, but are surviving by the grace of God.

By the way, CCCB commencement is on May 19th at the MACC activity center, and Aaron and I will both be recieving our diplomas! Woo hoo! You are all more than welcome to attend, and are also invited to the graduation party/bonefire at my parent's house that will shortly follow the ceremony. Drop me a little note if you plan to attend the bonefire...please :)

Happy 27th to you...

2006-03-27T12:00:00.000-06:00

Where to begin? It has been a crazy year thus far for the McDonald family. I'm trucking through my last six weeks of school (woo hoo!), and am more than ready to graduate in May. Aaron is still working at the Wal*Mart Distribution Center on the weekends, and puts in some extra hours every once in a while. He's a very hard working, and his pay raises and increasing opportunities reflect that. Together, we are preparing for the changes that will come with end of our college days. We are currently looking into some investment opportunities, and are developing some ideas for a little extra income. Please keep our current projects (and ultimately our future) in your prayers.

Lily's half birthday snuck its way into our lives on March 13 - my oh my, how time has flown! These are some of the occurrences that have taken place in Lily's life since I last wrote:

March 15 - Finds her ears! Pulls on and sticks her fingers in them constantly for 2 days.
March 16 - Appointment with Dr Simpson - screams bloody murder through the entire exam, and even more when she's given her shots. The Dr and his assistant couldn't believe how loud she could scream.
March 17 - While lying on her back with her arms in the air, Lily discovers that she has hands! She watches carefully as she opens and closes them over and over again.
March 18 - Tried B-A-N-A-N-A-S! She's never turned down food, and today was no exception.
March 23 - Catches daddy's bad cold. It's obvious that she doesn't feel well, but she's a trooper!
March 26 - Lots of new things today! Takes some Tylenol Cold medicine and gets some baby vicks vapor rub on her chest. She also tried apple juice for the first time. She really likes the juice, but keeps choking on it - it's thinner than milk, and she's not quite sure how to handle it yet.

And the big news for the month...Lily said her first real word! Last night, while her grandma was holding her and I was trying to finish a paper, Lily became fussy. She was looking over at me, and grandma prompted her by saying "mama"...and there it came! Lily looked at me and said "MAMA"! What an incredible feeling to hear those words come from your child's mouth! I've never been happier! Daddy's a little sad that he didn't get to hear it...and a little jealous too...but we're hoping that it will happen again very soon.

Tune in again soon for more news...same bat time, same bat channel.

Nicknames...

2006-02-15T12:10:00.000-06:00

Lily is officially 5 months and 16 days old! The time is flying. She is growing and changing faster than I can document. Her latest accomplishments and quirks can be most easily displayed by her many nicknames:

Chewy - About a month ago, Lily began studying people while they ate. A short time later, she started imitating everyone's chewing motions. Next, Lily's chewing motions became much more frequent and more defined...apparently she caught someone chewing with their mouth open, and liked their style.

Piglet - Lily likes to snort...it's quite cute. She also likes to eat...eat, eat, eat, eat, eat! The combination of these to facts has gained her this nickname.

Skinny Mini - As I mentioned before, Lily likes to eat. She is very serious about her eating, and gets very angry if she doesn't get food right when she wants it. Though her main source of food is still bottles of milk or formula, she is eating baby food now. So far she has had squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, and peas. She likes every food we've given her thus far, and wants to eat the food that Aaron and I are eating. Regardless of her eating habits, Lily is tiny. At her last doctor's appointment (mid-January), Lily was 24.5 inches long (70th percentile for her age), and weighed 12 pounds 14.4 ounces (30th percentile). She continues to be long and skinny, and is looking to pass her mother in stature by the age of 6.

Squeaker - Lily loves to squeak, and does it constantly. She sucks air in through her mouth, and makes a noise in her throat like a squeaky toy. She does it mostly when she's playful or excited. She saw another baby at church on Sunday and began squeaking over and over again...it was as if she was speaking her own secret baby language.

Drool Queen/Slobber Monster - Lily is teething! She has two teeth that have FINALLY broken through her bottom gums, though you can't really see them yet (unless she's crying). This cutting of teeth causes Lily to drool more than ever. It also causes her to chew on everything in site.

Muscle - Lily is very strong. Since she was born, she's been trying to sit up, and when she does, you can see her baby six-pack. How jealous am I? She is getting very close to actually sitting up on her own...she grunts and strains and trys so hard, but just can't get it quite yet. She is also trying to crawl, but is currently relying on swimming, bouncing, rolling, and spinning to get herself where she wants to be.

Pumpkin - This is the one nickname that I have called Lily since her birth day. A few hours after she was born, I was getting a breast-feeding lesson. During the lesson, the nurse who was helping me squeezed Lily's head, and I couldn't help but think how much it made her look like a cute little pumpkin. Since that day, Lily has been my little pumpkin.

More of Lily's latest...

2006-02-13T14:51:00.000-06:00

Rose colored glasses

What a babe

See my feet?

Bet you can't do this

Our little angel

Lily's latest...

2006-02-13T14:34:00.000-06:00

Snoopy gets Lily kisses

Playing with daddy

First time coloring...mommy helped a little

What a pair

Squash attack

5 Random Facts...

2006-01-30T12:20:00.000-06:00

I was tagged a long time ago by Robin Koffarnus, and then again by Jessica Harper, so I am now forced to present 5 random facts about myself. I hope you enjoy these...I spent an entire hour in College Algebra thinking about them.

1. I love art and antiques, and wish I had the money to build up a collection of both.

2. I once washed a pair of pants in a fish bowl.

3. As a child, I was a "model" for my dad's photography business, and was pictured in a number of magazines and misc. publications. I'm one of those child super-stars that dropped off of the face of the planet at the age of 12. (Okay, so I wasn't a star...but I was pretty super).

4. I have always wanted red hair.

5. I have a great amount of admiration for my Grandpa Beaverson and Grandma Lacey, who have very different, yet equally incredible, artistic abilities. It's a dream of mine to decorate my home around their creations.

So there you have it - 5 things about me that you might not have known before. I now tag Aaron McDonald...this is my attempt to get him to update his xanga site.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year...and Happy Valentines Day (at the rate I'm going, I won't post again until then)

2006-01-14T00:27:00.000-06:00

What a joyously busy holiday season we had! It all began with the completion of my fall semester at MACC on December 16. I celebrated by going out to dinner, eating cake and ice cream, and watching my mom open presents...okay, so all of that was really for mom's birthday, but it was a nice way to end the semester.

Grandpa and Grandma Beaverson came from Traverse City for a visit, and met their great granddaughter. They arrived on the 18th, and spent the next 5 days with the Missouri Beaversons/McDonalds. It was great to see them again. I really miss seeing them as often as I did when we lived in the same town! I was tempted to stow away in the back of there car when they left for Michigan, but I knew that Aaron would miss me, so I didn't.

Aaron, Lily, and I opened our presents at home on Christmas Eve when Aaron got home from work. I can't wait until next year when Lily will understand Christmas a little bit more...there's nothing comparable to the excitement and anticipation of a child at Christmas.

On Christmas day we went to church, then headed out to my parents house. We spent the day with dad, mom, and Chris...we opened presents, ate, played games, and simply enjoyed each others company. It was a wonderfully relaxing Christmas day.

Next on our holiday plate was the arrival of my Uncle Sam, Aunt Debbie, cousin Jonathan and his wife Ruth, cousin Lacey, and Grandma Lacey. We always have a fun time when we get together. Every year (actually, these traditions only just started last year) we have a poker tournament (no cash, just chips), and a gingerbread building contest. I am proud to say that I won the poker tournament, but, sadly, I lost my champion status in the gingerbread building contest...oh well. Aaron, Jonathan, and Chris also started a new tradition this year - they blew up all of the gingerbread houses with guns. Just guess whose idea that was.

To sum up our Christmas season, we traveled to South Bend, Indiana. We visited Aaron's parents, brother Chad, his wife Erin, and their almost one-year old daughters, Claire and Elaina, and Aaron's sister Lora, her husband Adrian, and their son, ten-month old Cole. We also saw an assortment of Aaron's other relatives and friends. It was wonderful to see everyone again, and incredible to see how my nieces and nephew have grown! We now know what we will be dealing with in a few months...

As of today, Lily Ann McDonald is four-months old! She spends her time singing, teething (aka screaming), rolling around, reaching for things, grabbing (especially mommy and daddy's faces). She is so much fun! I love play, talk, and snuggle with her...and, for now, she enjoys playing, talking, and snuggling as much as I do. It is amazing to watch her grow, and to see her skills improve. She is learning new things to do and new sounds to make every day...it's really quite inspiring.I apologize for the month and a half that I have sloppily stuffed into this entry. As you can tell, it's been a very hectic month and a half. I hoped to do a strictly Lily entry very soon.

God bless!

2006-01-13T23:11:00.000-06:00

Cousin Elaina

2006-01-13T23:07:00.000-06:00

Uncle Aaron and Cole

2006-01-13T23:06:00.000-06:00

Aunt Erin enjoying her niece

2006-01-13T23:04:00.000-06:00

Loving the lights

2006-01-13T23:03:00.000-06:00

Sassy already

2006-01-13T22:46:00.000-06:00

Aunt Annie and Cole

2006-01-13T22:45:00.001-06:00

Cousin Claire...I think...

2006-01-13T22:45:00.000-06:00

Daddy and Lily on Christmas day

2006-01-13T22:39:00.000-06:00

Lily with her new favorite toy - Aussie, a bunny her Great Grandma Beaverson got in Australia

2006-01-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

Enjoying time with cousin Taylor

2006-01-13T22:37:00.002-06:00

Great Grandpa Beaverson, hoping Lily will carry on the Irish red hair

2006-01-13T22:37:00.001-06:00

Meeting Great Grandma Beaverson for the first time