Aydan Goes Under the Knife

Aydan had to have surgery the Tuesday before Thanksgiving...his Doctor was a urologist -enough said- Aydan was so brave and everything came out just fine. Jeff and I were by his side the entire time....the nurses and staff were so impressed by how calm and good he was. We love our Aydan and are sure glad that this is over and done with!

Stem Cells & Washington DC

The Lincoln Memorial


Arlington National Cemetary

The Subway

Jeff all hooked up and watching TV

The final product!

Jeff found out that he was a match for someone in need of stem cells and plasma (he is in the national donor program). It just happens that he is on Department of Defense list too. We found out that the person needing the donation would need it quickly so we had about 10 days notice to get organized so that we could travel to Washington D.C. My sweet sister Neshia came and stayed with our kids so that I could accompany Jeff...she is an angel & made it so we had no worries concerning how things were going at home. Jeff had to have shots for five days that stimulated the stem cells in his body to extract or multiply (I am not sure which is correct). Then on the last day they hooked him up to a machine that took blood out of one arm, then it went through a machine that extracted the stem cells and plasma from his blood, and finally the blood that was left went through a tube and back into his other arm. Jeff was a trooper the entire time and was grateful to be able to help someone out. The first two days he was feeling pretty good so we were able to take in a few sites. We went to Arlington National Cemetery, walked the mall and also visited the Holocaust Museum. I loved every minute of our time in our Nations Capital. I am thankful for Jeff too and his selflessness.

Halloween 2010

We had a week of celebrating Halloween here in Kansas. The kids had opportunities to dress up every day from the 28th up until the 31st. To add to the festivities Jeff celebrated his 39th Birthday on the 29th. Happy Birthday Sweetie! Happy Halloween to everyone!

First Day of School 2010-11

Bryce - Sophomore at Junction City High School

Blayne 3rd grade at Custer Hill Elementary

Aydan 1st grade at Custer Hill Elementary

Wyatt 8th grade at Fort Riley Middle School

YiKEs..............SSSnAkE!!!

I went out back to move the sprinkler and guess what was just outside our fence! Yes a Snake! Jeff and Aydan were the only ones brave enough in our family to leave the back step. Here are a few choice pics (from the back door)....there is NEVER a dull moment at the McKinneys.

March Madness!!

The Grizz turned 6 on March 8th...I am still in disbelief that my baby is as old as he is!! He loved taking Rice Krispy Treats to his kindergarten class! His teacher lets the birthday child pass out the treat and then after everyone is served, the birthday child gets to take the first bite! Aydan thouroughly enjoyed being able to take the first bite and took his "own sweet time." I have been able to volunteer in his class twice a week here in Kansas and really have enjoyed it! When we first arrived and I found out that he would be in school all day (because that is how they do it here), I almost had a heart attack! Aydan has thrived and made many friends and loves his teacher too. I know that I am partial - but he is the most special and smartest boy! He can read and uses big words that never stop surprising Jeff and I like..actually and exhausted which he uses in as many sentences as possible. He also had a part in his music program this year, he did a great job as "Johnny works with one hammer" LOL. I know that Aydan would enjoy life more here if his "best friend" grandma Kathy lived closer, but he will have to talk to her often on the phone and make frequent visits to Southern Utah. He is a joy and blessing to our family....Happy Birthday Aydan Douglas!!!

Trying to get CAugHt uP!

It has been since January that I have posted. I am going to try to highlight the past months. February 2 Wyatt turned 13 years old! Our second born arrived on Ground Hogs Day (it was a Sunday). He was born in the same state that his dad was ...North Carolina when Jeff was stationed at Fort Bragg.Yes it is true we officially have two teenagers in the McKinney house. We had a family party and he also went on a sledding trip with his good friend Luis. Wyatt has always been pretty quiet and easy going...don't get me wrong, he is not a push over, but he gets his point across well "without drawing too much attention." He is an awesome reader and he seems to think out everything he does. I love how good he is to me and I love his thoughtfulness toward his Dad and Bryce.....and most of the time he is great with Blayne and Aydan (he would defend them to the end but they seem to make him CRaZy most of the time. I joke that Wyatt should have been an only child because the chaos that seems to follow us everywhere is not comfortable for Wyatt. He would rather be in his room or hanging out with the pets in quiet. I do not know where our family would be with out "Dub" he is such a good kid and we love his sense of humor and his "voice of reason." HAPpy 13th Birthday Jeffery Wyatt McKinney.

Cheers to the Murie Sisters

Today my sister Jodi would have celebrated her 39th birthday. It has been almost 22 years since we lost her and I still miss her and think about her daily. Our family cherishes the memories and laughs we have of our beautiful sister, daughter, cousin and friend. Neshia and I have nine children between the two of us and three of the five girls share part of her name. All of our kids know about Aunt Jodi and enjoy the memories of her we share with them. She touched many lives during her short seventeen years with us. Growing up the oldest of three girls was great for me....I fought with my sisters, they let me fix their hair, sometimes we got in trouble, but I always remember sticking up for each other! My parents divorced when I was 6, Jodi was 4, and Neshia was just under 2 years old. Our house was full of four strong willed females...I think back on some of the poor guys that took my mom on dates, (we did not make it easy for them)...I guess we just didn't want to share her. Our house only had one bathroom (& the bathroom only had one electric plug outlet-that only worked if the light was turned on)...but that is an entire other story. In the end we all learned to share and love each other dearly! Happy Birthday Jodi....Cheers to the Murie sisters!

Happy 15th Birthday Brycie

It was fifteen years ago tomorrow, that I gave birth for the first time....Jodi Bryce McKinney made her grand entrance into this life several weeks early, at 1:19 in the afternoon. She had beautiful locks of dark hair and pretty olive skin and although she had to remain in the ICU for a while, we were thrilled and blessed to have our princess here. We named her after my sister Jodi and she has always had a sweet and determined personality. I do not know what we would do without our only daughter and oldest child. We count our blessings daily that we have been given such wonderful kids, and even when we fall short and make mistakes parenting, we adore each of our children. Happy Birthday Bryce! We love you and are very proud to be your parents.