Best of Friends, and oh so very cool

Lilah & McKenna visit Santa

This blog will be going inactive in favor of Facebook (Mark or Jaime) and our (almost) newly redesigned NellNell website.  As you can see it's been a year since this one was updated, so I'm sure it won't be missed much.  We are still keeping it around, because there might be a future need, and there are still some good posts that I like to go back and look at from time to time (Lilah's Birth and McKenna's Birth).

It's been a long time since I've updated this blog, what with Facebook and Twitter and so forth.  But here I am, and here I go.

At the Woodland Park Zoo w/ Poppy

McKenna has started full time Kindergarten and is getting along quite well.  After our first parent-teacher conference it is official that she is very bright, very friendly, and a "true humanitarian".  She is reading short sentences and writing small words very well.  We'll have to watch her boy situation very closely as she grows up as she always seems to have some new boy writing notes to her or her obsessing over somebody new.  It should be fun.
Lilah has started preschool 2 days a week and is also progressing along quickly.   She is making many friends and is very inquisitive, always asking what the words to songs mean or why the person on the radio said this or that.  She likes to play with her sister and you can see her figuring out how to do things exactly how McKenna does them, although she ends up putting her own spin on most things.
McKenna and Lilah are both back in swimming lessons.  Lilah is still learning the basics of floating, and paddling and breathing, while McKenna is actually swimming short distances all by herself.  I'm looking forward to this summer when I will put up an above ground pool I bought from someone off craigslist.  It's 18' round by 52" deep, so they can actually practice swimming and have a lot of fun hopefully.
This past month has been the month of sickness for the NellNell clan.  We keep passing a really bad cold/flu back and forth that always seems to spin off into something else for the next person.  Right now Lilah is getting over a double ear infection and bronchitis while McKenna now has a very bad head cold (again).  Jaime is now getting back her sinus infection for the 2nd time this month.  I am, at the moment, feeling pretty good.  Although I'm a bit tired being that it is midnight on a Sunday work night.  :)
So that being said I better sign off for now.  Until next time.....

Oh yeah....go see The  (new) Muppet Show in theaters now!

It seems as if it's been awhile since we've properly updated our blog. Things are progressing very quickly it seems in the Beadnell household. Jaime and I just attended Kindergarten orientation for McKenna a few days ago. She'll be going to Canyon Creek Elementary, which as we found out, has the largest population of any elementary school in the district. Which means that the full time class that we'd like to get McKenna into will require a luck of the draw in a lottery system that they hold after everybody registers. We just watched "Waiting for Superman" so we know the outlook is cloudy. ;) She is very ready and excited to go in any case.
McKenna has also just started to fundraise for a TrikeAThon to benefit St Jude Children's Research Hospital.  She's only been doing it for 2 days and so far many people have generously donated $385.00.  Her original goal was $150, while her class goal is still set at $1500.  As you can see, she has already shattered her individual goal, and we hope the class does better than than their goal for this exceptional cause.  If you have donated, thank you very much.  If you haven't and you'd like to monetarily you can go to her St Jude webpage.  If you'd like to help other than monetarily, you could post the link (www.mytrikeathon.org/mgb) and a short blurb about the cause on your Facebook, Twitter, or Blog.

Lilah is doing great, she is wearing "big girl panties" now throughout the day and is extremely proud of herself. She's turned into a real prankster and comedian as well.  She knows that McKenna doesn't like mustard, so every time Jaime or I are making sandwhiches, she'll open the fridge and grab the mustard bottle and hand it to us and say, "McKenna want's a bunch of this on in her lunch!".  The other night while I was putting her to bed, (I usually dance with her in the dark and sing her a little song before I leave) she turned to me, put one finger on my lips mid song and said, "Shhhh, you really shouldn't sing that.  Try the ABC song" and then started to giggle.  She is learning her alphabet and numbers from her sister, and they both play together for hours with their dolls or making pretend.  It usually consists of McKenna telling Lilah what to do and say and then Lilah going along with it for a bit and then turning trying to turn the tide.

Jaime is as busy as ever in her job.  She is also busy around the house and managed to plant 60 new primroses the day before it snowed for 2 days straight.  (The same day I mowed the lawn thinking that the bad weather was done).  We finally ushered her into the smart phone digital age with an Android LG Optimus V from Virgin Mobile.  I have nothing but good things to say about Virgin Mobile (it runs on the Sprint Network), the plan for unlimited data and unlimted text and 300 minutes is only $25 with NO contracts.  The same plan on Verizon would run about $80 (which is what I have through work).  If you are looking for an inexpensive high quality cell phone and carrier, I would certainly recommend Virgin Mobile.

I've been busy racking up the ebooks on my Kindle during my lunch breaks at work.  And fiddling with my own Android HTC Incredible.

That sums up all I can think of for the time being.  I've just posted some more pictures on our website.

Until next time, Stay Classy!

McKenna is participating in a Trike-a-Thon at her preschool to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Her personal goal is $150 and her school's goal is $1500. If you'd like to help out, you can donate any amount you'd like at the link below or http://bit.ly/gdjzRj. St Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance and no child is denied treatment because of a family's inability to pay. It's a great cause and a fun time for the kids involved. Thank you!