Christmas Greetings!

We won't be mailing out Christmas cards this year so I decided to "blog" our greeting. Yes, a personal note might seem more sincere, but I dare you to find a cuter Christmas elf!!

Besides anxiously awaiting for Christmas day, Kaden was delighted to celebrate his 3rd birthday last weekend. (His birthday was actually today, the 8th. :) ) We enjoyed a delicious Curious George cake (aka "Monkey George" according to the K-man) and good fellowship with family.

"Monkey-ing" around with nieces Rachel and Sarah

Anna and Kaden enjoying birthday gifts!

In not-so-fun news, yes, Mike is still seeking employment. It's been a long year. It's hard some times, but gosh...when I think of all the ways we have been provided for, all the lessons God has taught us this year, I am overwhelmed. Let me share just a few:

1.) We are okay. Mike, Kaden and I are healthy and happy. Although I know Mike would prefer to have gainful employment right now, it has been special to have him around. His bond with Kaden has really grown over the past several months and I know the K-man will have to go through some major adjustment when his "Dada" isn't around during the day anymore.

2.) Mike and I have been convicted that it's easy to be generous when you have money. And it's easy to come up with excuses and be stingy when you're stressed about finances. We know that many of you are in the same place or worse. We are trying to learn to be thankful, no matter what is going on, and no matter how much longer it takes to find the right job. (I confess that I am still working on this one! :) )

3.) Personally, I have been convicted that I try to control things too much. I know that's what we always hear in sermons or self-help books, it even sounds cliche. But there are parts of my life where I thought I was just being a good manager, forward thinking, doing diligent planning. God has shown me that I can quickly cross the line into frustration and not letting go. Examples?? Okay, well don't tell anyone I told you, but:

--Mike getting a job. "Lord, hasn't it been long enough? I have a really smart husband! I happen to think he's a great guy! I know the economy stinks, but sheesh..."

--My fertility. I thought we would have more kids by now, definitely biologically but even through adoption. It doesn't seem to be God's plan for us, at least for now.

--Resentment and bitterness in my life. I heard a great sermon months ago. One statement made by Metropolitan Jonah pierced my soul. "If we harbor any resentment or bitterness towards others, we will never grow spiritually, we can never grow closer to God." I immediately thought of some people in my life where I've continued to try to control circumstances, waiting, (with righteous indignation), for so-called "justice" to be done. This has been the hardest lesson for me this year. But I thank God that He loves me enough to humble me and help me see this ball and chain I have wrapped around myself. Do you know how freeing it is to identify a sin in your life and admit it, try to let it go, and seek forgiveness? It's hard, even painful. I still have a LONG way to go, but its also like no other joy on earth.

Okay, that's probably enough. Or maybe it's TMI. I guess I'm more vulnerable this year. Sometimes I think, "Wow! Its been a hard year". But then I think" Wow, we made it! We made it through the year! We're still here! And we still have joy and love in our lives! Wow!"

So, speaking of joy and love, I hope that each of you has a joyful Christmas. More than that, I hope you find joy in the coming year. I also hope you are further along than me and more open to hear what God may be trying to show you. It's not easy, humbling even, but its SO worth it.

Lastly, I hope these videos will give you joy as they did me.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

--Susan

Shootin', splashin', and tuggin'

Summer has definitely reached Atlanta. The heat and humidity are enough to make the sidewalk sweat. And you won't be seeing any straight hair from me again until at least September. Curly and frizzy is the look for me!

Mike is still "employment-challenged" so let us know if you run across any Microwave/RF Engineer positions. You know, like on your way to the store, or when you check your mail or when you watch the Home Shopping Network. :-D On the bright side, he continues to get calls and interviews. For now we are just praying and waiting that God will provide a good job.

Shootin'

Mike turned the big 3-9 last month so I let him blow off some steam* (see initial reference to weather in Atlanta), by going a-shootin'!

Mike had much better aim than I did, but we both had fun. He also ate some manly ribs at the Norcross Depot.

Splashin'

Speaking of being manly, Kaden is gradually conquering his fear of the swimming pool. We got him a floaty bathingsuit (not pictured below) and he's developed a pretty powerful kick. We've told him he'll get a special treat, (maybe even ice cream!) as soon as he can beat Michael Phelps' time on the 400 Meter.

Besides swimming, Kaden attended the vacation bible school at our former church in June. He loved the songs and crafts and bubbles!

We also had a splashin', bubbly good time when our nieces Rachel and Sarah spent the night. Kaden loved playing with his cousins!

Rachel (above) tuning my gee-tarrr and Sarah,(below), reading to K-dog.

Three tired boys...

Tuggin'

After all that shootin' and splashin' and playin', our two boys like to do some tuggin'...each with their stuffed animal of choice...

Stepped on a Pop Top, had to cruise on back home...

So, I'm sure you've all felt a great deficit in your life in recent months. And I'm also sure you didn't realize it was because I haven't sent any exciting blog updates!! Seriously though, most of you know what has or has not been happening with us "McKinleys of the South", and it just wasn't that interesting to post. But, alas, my public cries out to me for more and I hear their woe!

I have a wonderful Aunt Judy who lives in Seattle and recently she told me how much she missed my updates. I was so touched, I decided to write her a poem:

Ode to Judy

Oh Judy, my aunt

Near mountains and sea,

Your accent is way cool;

Your flowers smell sweet.

You married Uncle Bill

So for you do we pray.

But I guess he can't be that bad,

since he picked you for his mate!

(Sorry Uncle Bill, I'm sure you'll get me back some time... :-) )

So anyway, back to the news.....

For those who never saw our CRUISE pictures and actually remember we went on one in February, here you go:

Mike doing his Titanic impression...

Enjoying a nice dinner.

The lovely view from our cabin.

Our ship, the NCL Spirit.

We had a wonderful time, ate lots of good food, (too much in fact!), and met some very nice people. Most of the travelers were retirees, but that was fine with us. I know it will shock most of you to know that we did not stay up all night and pah-tee. Actually, we tried to get in bed by 10 each night since our excursions usually left early the next day. (And for myself, I wanted to be in bed early because the boat did some MAJOR rocking at night as they would cruise to the next port. I even broke my toe one night....but that's another story :-) ).

I think the highlight for us was Cave Tubing in Belize. I was thankful the guide didn't tell us about the eels in the water until AFTER the trip! :)

Fast Forwarding to May, one of my best friends got MARRIED in May:

Melissa and Patrick saying their vows by the river in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Since Mike has been layed off, we have had a couple fun, cheap OUTINGS. We took Kaden to Stone Mountain a few weeks ago, and he loved putting his hand in dark, mysterious holes.

Mike and Kaden feeding the geese....all 57 of them.

Last but not least, Mike's PARENTS came for a visit a couple weeks ago. After stripping wall paper and regrouting the bathroom, they were ready for some fun in Charleston, SC!

Touring the famous Drayton Hall in Charleston, SC.

Kaden really enjoyed the petting zoo at the Magnolia Plantation. (And yes, this is a LIVE alligator!)

Mom, Dad and Kaden by a large Magnolia tree with hydrangeas blooming to the right.

Santa went snorkeling!

Okay, okay, YOU try to come up with a concise blog heading that includes both Christmas holidays AND your Caribbean cruise. :-D

At this moment you're probably thinking, "Huh?  We just finished Saint Patrick's Day and March madness is almost underway!  What's this about Christmas??"  Well, if you remember my previous blog (see below), I am still trying to catch you up on my amazingly exciting life. One more blog should do it.

Christmas in Spokane

We went to Spokane for 2 weeks in December, preparing ourselves for a dry, brown Christmas.  We were pleasantly surprised (as opposed to most of the people who LIVE out in the northwest) to find tons of snow coming down the day we arrived!  In total, we had over 4 feet of snow during our visit.  We had a lot of fun with family, but Kaden still is not too sure he likes snow...especially when its cold!

This is Mom and Dad McK's front door walk way...after Mike cleared out a path!

Kaden wasn't too thrilled to decorate the tree in his PJs.  I think he suspected "nite nite" was coming soon...

Mike had fun shoveling 3 feet of snow off the RV!

Aunt Dana reading to cousin Scott and the K-man.

Nathan holding the newest McKinley cousin: Asher Mark Stouffer. :)

Garrett, Emmett, Kaden, and I walked on the snow covering the front yard (at least 3 feet deep here)

Okay, I couldn't help posting so many pictures....so you'll have to wait until my NEXT blog to hear about the cruise.  TTFN...ta ta for now!

4 score and several weeks ago (or so it seems)

My, how time flies.  I never thought I would be such a slacker, wasting away 4 WHOLE MONTHS without blogging.  I must confess that in the past couple months I have been "facebooking" a lot more which is basically, an easy/lazy way to blog.

But I have returned! Fear not!  For lo, my blog updates will now be with you once again.

I've kept up with most of you over the past few months, but I'm all about communicating and outlines so here goes...

1. Pregnancy no more but that's okay.

2. The K-man is 2!

3. Holidays with the fam

4. The cruise

The Pregnancy

I think everyone knows by now that we miscarried the baby.  It was a tough time, but we are all doing well. I am very thankful for the joy I was allowed in being pregnant for a couple months.  I am also thankful that God has given me an amazing husband and a precious little boy (and a cute dog too).  We found out on election day, so while you were all waiting in line to vote and watching the updates on the news, we were driving around Atlanta and Alpharetta to various doctors and ultra sound offices.  Amidst the stress and sadness, we experienced a very precious moment that I have already shared with many of you, but I must share it again.

When we were at the first of many doctors' offices, we had just heard the initial bad news of "something doesn't look right/good".  Mike, Kaden and I were waiting in a vacant office while the nurse made additional appointments for us.  Kaden saw that I was crying and came over, climbed into my lap, looked me straight in the face and said "I sorry.  I sorry mommy".  He then took my Kleenex and wiped my tears.  I could NOT have been more blessed or comforted at that moment.

Our baby's grave site

When someone dies in the Orthodox church, they have a prayer service and a burial service...no matter how young the individual is.  This was a new experience for me, but very therapeutic. We had a service called a Panikida at our church.  Then, the weekend of Thanksgiving we drove out to a monastery in South Carolina.  It was a heavy day emotionally, I was a bit overwhelmed, but I was also able to let go and trust that this little one is with her Maker now.

The service at the monastery

Kaden enjoying some Koliva (traditional dish prepared at an Orthodox service.  It is usually made of grains and fruit, symbolizing death and the resurrection of the body)

They had some very sweet dogs and kitties exploring around the Monastery.

Kaden had fun with a friendly gray kitty.

Healthwise, I'm doing great.  We are continuing to pray for God's leading about more kiddos and would appreciate your prayers as well.

Gosh, this blog is getting long!  Okay, I'll just share about Kaden's birthday and then wait until my next post to get caught up.

The K-man is 2!

Kaden turned 2 on December 8th.  We had cupcakes at our house but the BIG present was a trike!  He then got a second birthday celebration with all the fam out in Suwanee.  Some pics are below...

I'm a bad dude!!...now if only my feet could reach the pedals! :-)

Another amazing creation by Jolayne...

Kaden likes to share his nachos with Fezzi.

Kaden had a wonderful birthday, especially since he got to open Christmas presents on the same day!!  I guess having a birthday in December isn't so bad??

To be continued...