Caitlin's First Birthday Party Invitation

Late last week, Caitlin was invited to her first birthday party! It was for Dakota, one of her best buds from day care. So, we all headed to Buckley Park for a lot of fun. Despite the rain that eventually had us packing up early, a great time was had by all. Dakota got some fun presents (a Magna Doodle from Caitlin) and the kids had fun eating Indian tacos (I've gotta learn how to make the flatbeard), Elmo birthday cake (it's a toddler obsession) and playing on the park equipment. It was fun for Ben & I to meet other young couples. I can see many playdates and BBQs in the near future.

Trust me, she loved it! 

Yumm...Indian Tacos! 

I can still fly with Daddy! 

Hi! Can you see me? 

I Love the Slide! 

Up She Goes! 

Daddy & Daughter--off to the park 

If I could curl up...

I have been reminiscing back to the days when I could sit down on the couch or at a coffee house and read for hours, for pleasure. Wishing that I could do that once again, here's a list of books I'd love to read:

• The Mermaid Chair/Kidd, Sue Monk
• The J.A.P. Cronicles
• The Undomestic Goddess/Kinsella, Sophie
• Little Earthquakes/Weiner, Jennifer
• White House Nannies/Kline, Barbara
• Confessions of a Slacker Mom/Mead-Ferro, Muffy (oh, doesn't that sound hilarious?)
• Raising Your Spirited Child/Kurcinks, Mary Sheedy
• Parenting an Only Child/Newman, Susan
• I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Bi-racial Children in Race-Conscious World/Wright, Marguerite

Oh well, I suppose, I could read one at a time. Maybe, by the time I'm 50, I can brag that I've read them all!

Game 7-Pistons 74, Spurs 81

Well, it was a good game. Ben & I were on the edge of our seats (read:couch) the entire time. For much of the 3rd & 4th Quaters the game went like this--tie, one team would get a 2-point and lead, tie again, and so on until the middle of the 4th when the Spurs pulled ahead and Detroit just couldn't keep up. Guys...you came, you played hard and defended the title. You made us proud! Detroit BASKETBALL!

Hands Down!

Here is the t-shirt that Caitlin made (with help
from Momma & Aunt Ally) for Father's Day.
Even though the hands are a little uneven, we
were very satified with the way that it turned
out--considering that we were dealing with
a squirming toddler who thought it would be
fun to cover herself (actually happened,
pictures to come) and Momma in paint!

Father's Day, McLean style

Happy Father's Day! :) We had a feast, prepared by chefs Mike & Ally, in recognition of the wonderfully, loving fathers in our lives. Ally prepared her mom's spaghetti sauce with it's fresh oregano, basil and italian sausage (among other things--she says that the recipe is a family secret which means, I can't have it until 2007, when she & Mike tie the knot), yummy garlic bread, salad and sun tea with fresh mint. Everyone ate their weight in spaghetti, no doubt about it! So full from the feast were we that we lazed about in the grass of the backyard, chatting and enjoying the beautiful day. Family, conversation & good food, a perfect Father's Day in Ben's book. He says that we have to post a picture of the t-shirt that Caitlin made for him. That will have to be a separate post as Ben has taken the shirt to work to show it off.

The Girls on the bus...

My mom picked up this folding school bus for Caitlin.
It has become a hit with her & Ally. They can play
in it for hours on end, having so much fun & many
laughs.

Dog Eat Dog

Isn't Athena incredibly tolerant?

Just layin' around

We all spent a lazy evening out in the backyard just layin' around
and chatting. Here, clockwise, is Winston, Ally (future sis-in-law),
brother Mike, and Athena.

Athena, aka Bean Dog

The Queen herself poses for a picture.
Gray is a sign of maturity and status!

Doggie Sweetness

You have to know how we acquired Athena to truly
understand why this picture is so cute. Back in the
day, a girlfriend of Mike's dog was having puppies
& Mike really wanted one. Of course, the rest of the
siblings jumped on the bandwagon to convience the
parents. We finally decided to have a democratic
voting process complete with a booth. Obviously,
our ballot issue passed. Turns out that my mom
was the only one who was against having another
dog (we already had 2 at the time). Oh well, she
was out-voted! :) A stipulation for "Congress" to
pass the bill was that Mike would have to take care
of Athena. Even though years have passed (Athena
is 6), she still knows, "Who's Her Daddy!".

Winston, no, not Churchill

This is the newest addition to the McLean clan...Winston, my parents' 8 month old Golden Retriever. He is a total sweetheart and so beautiful.

Caitlin & Her "Gampa".

I had to sneak in a picture of my dad with Caitie for his Father's Day present. This was the best shot. (Caitie painted him a picture frame)

Bathtime Fun Reclaimed!

Having Fun With Bubbles

After having to fight Caitlin to take a bath...I got smart and the last time that we were at Rite Aid, I let Caitlin pick out some "special" bubbles. When she saw me put them on the counter, she couldn't wait to get in the tub. The rest, well, it's history! Let's just say that she was very wrinkled up by the time she finally got out. :)

Thank you Elmo for saving bathtime! 

I'm washing--all by myself! 

Old-School Toys

I found a really neat website today for toys like the ones that we all remember playing with--Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys.
Come to think of it, we have a toy store in town that sells a lot of this stuff. Guess we'd better pay a visit and start a "wish list" for Caitlin's birthday!
Anyway, here's the link:http://www.onceatoy.com

Fun with crayons--priceless! 

Get out of "Dodge"

Ben & I decided that since it was such of a nice day, that we needed to, "Get out of Dodge". Thankfully, that's pretty easy to do around here. I suggested that we head south and head up to Buckhorn Lakes. These are a series of natural lakes (crater formed, most likely) that are a very popular fishing & camping spot for Montrose residents. So, we packed up the Trail Blazer and headed up. The road was rough (yep, we actually used the 4-wheel drive) but the sights were incredible. Here are some of the pictures...

One of the Buckhorn Lakes
(Yes, the white stuff is snow!)

Officially at Buckhorn Lakes 

Snow in June! :) 

Breathtaking! 

Lightening twisted tree & the mountains 

The Majestic San Juan Mountains