Fun and Sun!

Life and the weather around here has been great :). We've been getting out and enjoying the sun as much as we can. My girls are in love with swimming, so we've been hitting up the beach and the pool! This weekend the new pool at the cottage was finished and the girls took full advantage! It was the calm before the storm out there as this coming weekend all my siblings will come into town and we will have 11 grand kids - 10 of which are 4 years and younger! It will be wonderful and total chaos :).

McLleyton is doing well! Growing and getting stronger. He now weighs more than 1o lbs (he's gained a pound a week...I told him we may need to slow down now :)). He is just beginning to smile, usually only in the morning when he first wakes up and is the most alert, but it makes me excited for the weeks ahead.

Have a great 4th of July weekend!!

Nanny and Poppy hard at work getting the pool all ready!

Matt and Shaelyn showing their approval :)

Monreau LOVES the water!

Nothing like swimming with daddy!

They call this the "shooting star" move!

Monreau and her buddy Olivia...it was fun to swim with the Karstens!

4 weeks old today!

Trouble, trouble!! Another little miss independence move while I was feeding McLleyton...she's pretty darn cute though :).

3 weeks old!

McLleyton is 3 weeks old today and he's had a few firsts!! He survived his first major storm this weekend out at the Lake. It really was one of the craziest storms I've ever been in- HUGE trees fell and the power was our for 3 days. McLleyton and Monreau slept through it all and Shaelyn was fascinated by the power of it all. We were very grateful that the huge oak tree feel to the side and not on the cottage! It was an adventure (and a lot of clean up!!).

A few other first...sleeping 6 hours in between feedings, first time left with a "babysitter" (thank you Grandma!), having a bottle, first Fathers Day, and hanging out in his gymini! Can't be thankful enough for the bonus sleeping hours and he did great on his bottle and is getting more interested each day in his toys.

The girls are doing well! I've been thinking lately that I have to start writing down some of Monreau's one liners...they are SO funny! She has a bit of a funny personality to start and combine that with now being able to say every word and she pulls out some very funny stuff! Of course nothing is coming to mind at the moment, but stay tuned, she keeps me laughing all day!

Shaelyn continues to be my awesome helper, sometimes I wonder if I could make it through a day without her :). She has a servant spirit that I pray will just keep growing and growing! She also can have her 4 year old "sassy" moments that drive me crazy and I keep searching for ways to get her to think about her "tone of voice" and the "words she uses". (I feel like I say those phrases too many times in a day lately!) But, I know it's just par for the course and I've just got to keep on her! Oh the joys of 3 different stages :). Really...I have the best life...and the most amazing husband who lets me be home to take all these joys in!!

Here's a few random pictures from the past week...

Off on a date with Grandpa...and looking so grown up!

McLleyton and Uncle John!

I love watching him sleep!

1st bottle...with the best daddy!

Hopefully his feet will not be as BIG as Uncle Johns :)

He loves his Bath time!

Everyone getting in on gymini time!

He's starting to get interested in his toys!

Two and fun!!

Life with 3!!

McLleyton will be 2 weeks old tomorrow and we're adjusting to life with 3! In fact...I'm loving life with 3 :)! McLleyton is very sweet! He is very chill and so far really very easy! We are already on a very good schedule and he is doing great at night...and life with sleep is always better :). He's eating at about 10pm, 2:30am and either 5:30am or 6:30am! When we make it until 6:30 it's totally light out and really it seems like he's just getting up once. So far he's done awesome about staying awake after eating during the day, but has already learned that during the night we go right back to sleep! Can you tell I'm a proud mommy? :)

The girls are also adjusting well to the changes! It has really helped that they've been taken on a lot of special "dates" and we haven't been trapped at home too much! Shaelyn can't get enough of her brother and still showers him with attention. Monreau has all sorts of nick names for him ...her favorites being "buddy, my baby, brother, McLleyton Matthew...and even an occasional Tarzan" She never seems to bother having him around, but occasionally will get frustrated when I can't help her with something right away. Oh, life being two and the middle child :).

Thanks for checking in on us! Please also check in on our friends the Stones (in links) and keep praying for their beautiful son John!!!

Here's some pictures from life at home...

Just so sweet :)

Talking with Daddy while he washes my hair :)- McLleyton loves his bathes!

This is my sweet Monreau...oh the interesting things a 2 year old does while you're stuck breast feeding :). I was just about finished, so I told her to go get ready to take a walk outside :)- she came back SO proud of the fact that she had her Crocs on and happily announced that she wanted to wear "2 hats"! She constantly adds laughter to my day...I love her little personality!

He's already outgrown 2 outfits...how does this happen so quickly?!

My sweet 3!

So proud to be a big sister!

Handsome in brown!

First few days...

It's amazing how in less than a week this little boy seems to fit just perfectly in to our family! I wasn't sure how "excited" I was to get back to the newborn phase of life, but now that we're here I really wouldn't want to be any where else! McLleyton is making it all seem very easy though! So far, he has been a great baby! His past two nights have been amazing and a little sleep is always a good thing :). It so much fun to get to know him a little bit and I'm very grateful for the time I've just had with him as the girls have been off with Matt or hanging out with grandparents- I am treasuring these days as I know they are about to end and I'm not going to be able to just sit and look at him much more! Life as the third is all very different, but there is no doubt he will feel VERY loved!!

He had is one week check up today and is looking great! Packing on the weight as he was up to 7lbs 12 oz after just 6 days (he left the hospital on Wednesday at just under 7lbs)! He is definitely a good eater! Here is a few pictures from the past couple of days!

Looking chubbier already :)

Got to love how they sleep through it all!

Playing music with daddy!

Snuggling with Shaelyn for family movie time!

McLleyton's Home!

It was a quick 28 hour stay in the hospital and we're home! It seems amazing to have this sweet little boy with us! He has two very excited sisters and is getting SO much lovin' :). Shaelyn sat contently holding him for over an hour this morning, she has such a sweet spirit about her! Monreau likes to "pet" him as she calls it and was so excited to show me all the decorations she hung up around the house for "baby Lleyton's party". It's pretty amazing to know that I'm the mommy of these three beautiful children :).

Here's a few pictures from coming home...

The name "Tarzan" is sticking around as Shaelyn has introduced her brother to several people as McLleyton Matthew Tarzan Shatto and has called him Tarzan several times :). It totally cracks me up!!

It's amazing how each time you come home with a new baby the older siblings seem just that much older! Monreau seemed to grow up months in a matter of hours!

It's a...BOY!!

We are so excited to announce the birth of our son...

McLleyton Matthew Shatto

7 lbs 5 oz 20.5 inches

6/2/2009 at 2:45pm

He is beautiful and healthy and we feel so blessed to welcome him into our family!! Labor was a quick 2 hours and everything went great! Thanks for your prayers!

It's June!!!

It's June...which for us means this little one should arrive soon!! He or she seems pretty content in there and overall I haven't felt to anxious about being finished with the pregnancy...but now that it's June I'm getting ready! For all you girls who have done the pregnancy thing- my doctor update as of today is that I'm dilated to just about a 5, 90% and "the head is a low as it can go"...so it feels good to be half way done before I start and that hopefully things will go pretty quickly and on there own!! Thanks for your prayers!!

The other big news in our house is that as of a few weeks ago the girls are sharing a room! I can pretty much sum up this experience with one word...interesting!!! I think any time you move a just two year old into a big girl bed you're never quite sure how she'll react...but when you do it and add a playmate in the bed next to her, it's really interesting :). Shaelyn has been great! She is a rule follower and really does obey. Monreau...yeah, not so much!! We've been trying different routines to see what works best and the other night we had put Shaelyn to sleep first and then put Monreau in later. A little while had gone by and I was in my room and heard on the monitor Monreau saying "Shae Shae wake up, wake up Shae Shae", so I hustled down stairs and I found Monreau literally sitting right on top of Shaelyn, poking her and whispering for her to wake up! Shaelyn slept right through it :). Oh, the joy of having a little sister!