Alone at last...

We brought Mason home on Monday afternoon, it was so scary to be alone with him... Micah and I came up with so many what "if scenerios" the nurses had to make us leave. Ok I was so ready to get home I hadn't been able to sleep (and the Nurses doing their hourly checks sure didn't help to sooth)! I was so excited to get home until I got wheeled to the doors and dropped off at he car, it hit me its just us... we are responsible for this little boys future, its up to us to help him become a good person, and alot of what he will make of this life will be directly connected to the examples we set for him. No wonder I cried the whole way home!

So far it hasn't been so hard, I just don't get alot of sleep. He is a good baby he isn't real spitty or whinny as long as he his fed, changed and warm he is good. Motherhood agrees with me and so much of what I never understood about moms I am finally getting.

This is Nurse Rhonda she was the best and took such good care of our little family!

Micah and Mason... daddy doesn't look exhausted does he?

Mason is happiest sleeping skin to skin with either of, sorry I refused to be photographed for obvious reasons.

Our handsome little man!!

Our Sweet man is here!!!

Our sweet little boy has finally joined the family!!! Mason Neal Clinger entered the world this morning at 7:40 am, he weighs 6 pounds 11.4 ounces and is 20 inches long. His hair is thick and jet black with just the tiniest hint of curl to it! He is perfect! Momma and baby are both doing wonderfully!

Right before we headed into surgery

Mason just a few mins old

Mel in recovery

Our first family pic

Melinda and Mason bonding

Little Mason, finally with a moment to himself!

Melinda and I were talking today, and we are amazed that little Mason is alreay here with us. In retrospect, we're asking where the time went. We waited for him for several years, and we're so excited that he is finally here. Its kind of comical the way we have stared at him all day, (we must be stalkers), but he seems so beatiful and perfect. I think he knows how much his mom and day truly love him.

Almost there...

Less than a day and a half and I will be checking in at the Hospital... I am having constant panic attacks! Someone turned up the Hormones too, I cryed while watching a commercial last night (I think it was for preventing the spread of Herpes). Apparently I have great sympathy for everyone, but Micah( I am holding a grudge over this whole prego thing). I promise once the baby is here I will let him off the hook.
Poor Mic, he is in need of some major guy time, everytime I suggest that he head out to the Golf Course or to watch a game he refuses. Once the kid gets here, my plan is to continue to suggest these male outings and what better guy time than to take his son...haha!

Shopping in Target

I look like a house... 2 bdrm 2 bath I will sell for cheap!!!

Manna from heaven... I mean Mom!!

Micah can't figure out how she fit it all in that little box!! (Next time we move guess who has to come help?!

Well the count down has begun 10 days to go... or more like 9 days and 11 hours. Micah is beginning to think I might be just a touch crazy and I have to agree with him. I constantly feel up then down my cravings are out of control, i wanted homemade rolls so I begged my Mother in-law for her yummy recipe and made rolls at like 1 am in the morning. Last night I decided asparagas and watermelon were perfect for dinner. In my defence I later can reflect that what I felt in that moment was silly and stupid! (for reals who eats asparagas and watermelon for dinner... micah declined and ate top ramen) Here are some pics of what has been up with us!

Here are my yummy rolls!! its close to 2 am here

Micah and I are stocking up on diapers and he is so funny!!! lately he has been figuring out how much time the baby needs to stay in each diaper to keep us at 7 diapers a day! (Thats what happens when you marry an Accountant and a Clinger)

Yay our carseat is in!

36 weeks

37 1/2 weeks (this was taken out side of the doctors office today)

His ying to my yang!

Call of the Wild...

Micah is the luckiest man in the whole world!!! So we just got got back from Portland and I had so much fun... Micah worked all week soooo his time wasn't as great. On Wednesday night Micah got back to the hotel and we were rushing to meet everyone for dinner and we walked out of our really sweet room and I let out this god awful burp. I sounded like a hippo's mating call, it was loud and it echoed down the hall way. So Micah being used to my jungle calls didn't even break stride, and I wouldn't be writing about my it if we had not rounded the corner to the elevator and walk right in to the manager over the job Micah was working on... I instantly started laughing and apologizing. What could I do other than laugh and make light of the situation! His boss laughed and gave me the "its ok your pregnant" line (thank goodness she is a she). This whole prego thing is a continuous get out of jail free card!! I am wondering if I can get out of a speeding ticket or if I can be the one to fart in the crowded elevator (ok who are we kidding I have so done that one already) or maybe I will use fake labor to cut in line at the grocery store. I have exactly 3 weeks till little man comes and I am going to take advantage of this pregnant thing as best as I can.

Open mouth insert foot!!!!

Well Micah and I went to church willingly for the first time in 3 yrs... and we really like our new ward. That being said they may not like me so much... so we arrived a little late for sacrament meeting and snuck in just before sacrament (i planned it that way to avoid the awkward first meeting) OK so I just postponed it until after, but still it was a sound plan. After the meeting we met several nice members and they being very helpful directed the bishop to us.

The man was so very sweet and very humble and the poor man so unprepared for me!! As we introduced our selves he began to ask the normal questions where are you from? where can I get your records? you know normal bishop questions. So we explained we had no idea where our records are being as we have been inactive for so long! He said and I quote "well bless you for choosing us". I of course being so wonderful sweet and thankful for his welcoming replied "well it was either you or the Catholics" ugh the poor man just stared at me like I had grown donkey ears right in front of him (Mic would say it was an Ass's tail but lets try to keep it clean people). Later as we spoke with the bishop he asked "are you expecting" OK so I am due at the end of June and I totally did not like that question at all, so i looked him straight in the eye and said "no I am just really fat"! For the love I look like I have watermelon down my shirt what did he think? Micah on the other hand believes that my Hormones have finally taken over "WHAT HORMONES"!?

Congrats Falish!!!

I want to Congradulate my very dear friend Falisha who on the 21st became a beautiful Momma to a sweet little girl!!! I am so excited for her and I wish with all my hear that I could be with her snuggling her little one!


Welcome little Leah DeeAnn Way!!!


On Falisha's B-day in 2003 in New Jersey!!! While we were both nannying back East!


On her wedding day!

At the ballet

At B's wedding!!

I can't even express how grateful I am for her and for the friendship that we have shared over the years! Congrats lil' mama, I wish for everything wonderful for you and your new family!!!

Oregon!!!

After calling 10 different offices in Eugene I finally found a doctor who would agree to see me! Seriously, this kid will come whether or not a doctors sees me or not. Its just the C-section bit that gets a little complicated. Micah called to remind me about my appointment today 4 times he kept checking to make sure I was up and out of bed! For the love, he was more nervous to hear how the baby is than even I was. He insisted that i leave 30 mins early so that I could get to the office early... which ended up being a good idea because for some reason I got on the freeway going the wrong direction and had to wait for the next exit and 3 lights before I could get going the right way again. Who does that but me! When i finally got there the staff was so nice and I really like the office. The doc was super sweet... i think we are scheduling a C-section for the 27th of June. I tried to convince the doctor that sooner was better, but he thought differently!!




We went on a picnic with Kyle and Brandi Black and their fun family... we had such a good time! They are such a fun family and its nice to see people from back home! Micah and Kyle went to school together and now they work together at Moss Adams.
Micah is enjoying his new job and although we miss our friends in Alaska we still are glad to be in Oregon!!



Our furniture finally arrived... i swear the movers took the long way!!! At least we don't have to sleep on the air mattress any more (thanks so much Kellie for lending it to us)!

There and back again...

We went to see Micah's brother Charles and his oh so fun family in Cali...a few weeks ago. We had so much fun and we really enjoyed our selves. Thanks so much you guys!

We took the boys on a walk to the dollar store while Kellie ran some errands... poor Gabe and Micah they got stuck constantly waiting for Khale and I! We happen to be a little slow. Khale's legs are short and I waddle like a duck... we made a cute pair! On the way back Kellie drove by and honked... gabe took off on his little bike and he is really fast! (lucky we were only 5 or 6 houses away) After he made it to Kellie he came back on foot to get his booty from the dollar store and I got a great hug... I laughed and asked him if he was worried his mom wouldn't come back and he would be stuck with Uncle Micah and Aunt Melinda for ever... that little snot said yes!!! It makes me laugh so much every time I think of it. We had a great time and can't wait to go back again!


Our booty from the dollar store, gum and snorkle set!

2 sets of brothers aren't they all so cute... I mean handsome!

We took the boys to a car wash and they got a kick out of it... i am not going to lie I liked it too!

We're Back....

Our last day in Canada was our favorite! We spent the night in this cute little motel in Cache Creek, BC only to wake up and see this awesome Castle hotel a parking lot over from were we slept. We had so much fun we finally got away from the snow and cold and found Hope... seriously this little town called Hope in the middle of no where was the place I want to retire! It was so cute and sunny and green oh how wonderful it is to see green. We also found out that Hope, BC is where 'First Blood' the first Rambo movie was filmed! Micah got his pic taken as rambo, I personally think he looks and sounds more like The Terminator!







We made it into Washington this afternoon, ready to start all over again!!

Greatings from Canada

So far we have been doing really good... Kade and DeAnn are real troopers! We have been blessed with beautiful weather and clear roads... so far so good! The weather report says that we should have snow tomorrow. We have been having so much fun with the walkie-talkies that Kade brought. Micah and I are having a good time and I hear constantly "babe, remember to stretch you legs and wiggle your toes" he is so cute with me and the baby!


Kade & DeAnn at the border

Micah & Kade at the border

Micah & his little house!!! AGH can I just tell you how big I feel and I still have 11 weeks to go!

Watson Lake we love this place

Kade and DeAnn made it!

We picked up our poor tired travelers at 1 am in the morning(3 am their time). On the way home we saw 2 moose almost like I planned it! We got them settled and ready to for bed and ended up staying up chatting for 2 hours before we headed to bed. We had to be up at 7 for the movers and as soon as the movers started going I kicked Micah out the door to work and Kade and DeAnn out to go sight seeing. The movers got done finished finally later that afternoon, and we all headed to Sour Dough to suprise DeAnn's little brother Elder Barney! Then we took a drive around the Turnagain Arm out to Girwood it was so fun!


This is Cutie Pie DeAnn with Micah's brother Kade and her little brother Elder Barney we all went to dinner at Sour Dough!


I do believe I am almost as big as that Mountain behind me!



Us on the Turnagain Arm, our last look for a while!

Our Neighbors....

I was leaving for work the other day and as I pulled out of our drive way there stood a cow moose and her calf! I was so excited... we see moose all the time but I still can't get used to how amazing they are! I drove the long way out so I could get a good pic of them and if you look at the momma's back legs she is missing one from the ankle down. I think she must have stepped in a trap. We have a problem here with trappers. I personally think that its not very sporting, we do have the guns...Hellllo, that usually means we win.

Our trip to Seward...

Micah had to do a little audit in Seward so I went with him for a fun day trip! We had fun wandering around this little town in Alaska. It was the so nice to get out and take a drive! Although I have to say that we did this trip at the end of January and it took me that long to get the pics off the camera. I am going to do better I promise!



We drove around Seward and found the coolest little waterfall coming down the side of the mountain and going right into the inlet!(Micah is so cute)


It was so cold I was trying to show my breath to Micah and of course he took the pic then.


This was on the way home, I thought it was so pretty!

Two weeks to go!

Sooo...for those of you who don't know, Micah and I are moving to Eugene, OR. We are so sad to leave all our new friends and a company that is like family! The opportunity to be closer to family is to great for us to to not jump at the chance. We are preparing to leave Alaska by going to all our favortie places and eating at all our favorite restaurants.



This is us at Simon & Seaforts!



Us at dinner with the beautiful Knik Arm in the background. ( Micah loves this pic, I think I look like a small house,ugh the joys of pregnancy!)

We are so excited for Micah's brother Kade and his fiance Deanne to come and visit... they are so great to come and drive one of our cars home! They are so brave to spend that much time traveling with us!