Mac Friday

How many of you were up before the crack of dawn, being shoved, yelled at and wishing you could just find cover and possibly sneak in a nap later? Yeah, me too -- except I wasn't braving the stores. I was protecting myself from my own rambunctious kiddos as we shared the guest room at Grandma and Papa's, trying not to wake up the rest of the house at such an ungodly hour.

But instead of showing you the gory photos, I'll leave you with the precious trio I'm crazy thankful for this year and every year.




Hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday.

Lucy's East Coast Adventure in Photos

Reminder: Send me your mother/kid photos (see post below). I'm getting some great photos and can't wait to share them!

Greetings from 30,000 Feet!

Chick trips have taken on a whole new meaning this week as Lucy and I fly cross country on our very first Mother/Daughter adventure.

I was able to combine personal and professional business in Boston and finally bring her back to meet my east coast family. While I'm quite bummed that we couldn't make it an entire family affair, I'm looking forward to the one-on-one time with my daughter.

We've been in the air for about an hour and Lucy already has the plane eating out of her hand. I'll post the journey to the big event as much as I can -- here we go!

Happy 40th Birthday, Brady?

Once upon a time, there was a sibling trio -- two boys and a girl. The oldest brother was very smart and quite particular. He liked things a certain way and had no problem letting you know it.

The second brother was quite different. He could charm anyone and could get out of any trouble with just a flash of a grin. He also had quite the temper and you knew when he was ticked off.

Last but not least was the little sister. While you might think she was behaving herself, behind the scenes, she was working her brothers over -- secretly manipulating and scheming.

The siblings had their share of ups and downs and experienced a whole bunch of life together. Eventually they grew up and had families of their own -- the oldest brother had two adorable and funny little boys, the middle brother had a beautiful and smart little girl and her hilarious and sweet little brother, and the little girl ended up...

Repeating the very same cycle with the very same personalities.

Introducing... the original Jacob, Brady and Lucy.
Timmy, David and Jackie

Happy 40th birthday to the '70s version of Brady -- my brother Dave. xo

Holy Aunts and Uncles, Lucy!

These are my siblings. Yes, I have THAT many siblings (13 of us total). Here we are with my parents and new bro in law at my sister's wedding last week. Lucy's going to have a lot of names to learn...on my side of the family alone, she has nine aunts, 11 uncles and 28 cousins.


You know what's really cool? Since the birth of my mother in 1935, Lucy will be the 62nd person to enter our family. And it's incredible that even after all the children who've come into our family over the years, everyone is still excited to meet the newest member of the clan. And yippee, they won't have to wait too much longer!

Not to be outdone on the excited part... the Mac side of the family. On Jeff's side, Lucy has...well, an uncle. Here's Scott!


And here he is with Auntie Pam. What they lack in numbers, they make up for with fun, lots of love and they're geographically desirable--living in CA!



We hope to have some Grandma and Grandpa pics to add when we see them later this month. Until then, enjoy our east coast adventure--in photos.

Hooray for Jay!

My 15-year-old nephew has been playing piano for just under three years. Here's his performance from this weekend. Can you believe that? You'd think he was playing his whole life.


See... I don't just brag about MY kids!