Wanna Scooby Snack?

With all of the weird bugs and viruses going around, I think we have caught them all! Dylan and Ava Grace have had colds, then I came down with a strange virus that caused me to get really dizzy and nauseous. Now that it is Monday, I’m happy to say that we are on the upswing of it all!

Michael unfortunately either got hit with a stomach bug or food poisoning Friday afternoon, which put him out of commission for the rest of the night. Not a great time to get sick, if there is any, because he woke up early on Saturday and took the LSAT—hoping he will make it through the hours-long test without puking! He survived, and I’m happy to report that he feels fantastic about the exam—everyone cross their fingers and toes!

Dylan has been really in to helping mommy and daddy around the house which is so much fun. He has been sweeping the floors, being mommy’s assistant chef during dinnertime, and is Ava’s personal safety director. This weekend, he got to help daddy wash the Tahoe and he thought that was the coolest thing! I hope his enthusiasm for doing household chores holds out for another 16 years. Somehow, I doubt that though.

Poor little Ava Grace. Ever since Dylan was little he has had an aversion to juices. Both kids eat fruits like they are going out of style, but any kind of juice does not agree with them—automatic diaper rash. Unfortunately, I found that is the case with Ava after giving her apple juice for breakfast on Sunday. We were out of milk and for some reason I didn’t think twice about it. She was a very unhappy camper for the day and only wanted mommy to hold her and rub her back.

Watching Dylan and Ava interact amazes me more and more every day. They play so well together and are so consider of one another. They hold hands in the car and share their favorite cookies -Scooby Snacks-with one another, and if I’m quick with the camera I am able to catch them cuddling. It just makes me smile!

The Stadium

Since I am trying to catch up on housework, along with watching the Cowboys v. Giants game, I thought I would do a short post on the old v. new Stadium. Now, since my family is from New Jersey, I grew up as a Giants fan. As I got older, I made that "crutial" change to a Cowboys
fan. As my husband puts it, he wouldn't have married me if I wasn't :-)

Now with all of us being die-hard Cowboys fans, Michael took Dylan to the old stadium when they were auctioning off items. In fact, you could purchase the hole in the new stadium. That's right, you could "own" virtually nothing...except the air that happens to pass in and out of the stadium.

Here is a picture of the new stadium. Michael says the picture doesn't really do it justice, and of course now seeing it on television there are so many bells and whistles that I really wonder if there is more than just football going on there! With $12 beers, $60 parking spots, and $90 large pizzas, I think the McDanal crew will watch games wearing our jerseys, eat Mom's Famous Chili and Daddy's Wingies, and do our touchdown chicken dance at home for many more years to come!

The Big 3-2

Michael turned 32 on August 24th, and I decided to throw him a little party--a surprise party.Those that know me well know how I cannot keep anything fun or exciting a surprise. For example, I always tell Michael what gift I’m giving him for birthdays, Christmas, etc. way ahead of time—or I just give it to him when I purchase it, well in advance of whatever occasion we are celebrating. So, to have a surprise party for him and actually pull it off, I felt a sense of accomplishment!

We had a fantastic dinner at Avila’s beforehand and let me tell you their margaritas are yum! They also have great posole soup which is worth going back for. The tables are pretty close together, so we ended up eating, talking and drinking (a little too many) with a fantastic couple the entire time. Afterwards, we went to my old stomping ground off Henderson. Ahh, I miss my patios :-) We went to Vickery Park for a trusty pear ale and then off to Top Golf—where everyone was waiting.

Michael was so surprised to see everyone and he had a blast. Of course, how could I have gone wrong with golf, beer and friends, right?

Best Buds

Ava Grace has found her new favorite spot in the house – underneath her crib! She brings her pillows, books, and stuffed animals in there. Dylan also shares her joy in using her bed as a fort, so they have a blast before bedtime.

Speaking of bedtime routines, the kids love to brush their teeth together and it is hard to get their toothbrushes from them because they love it so much. They can't seem to do anything without one another these days.

Dylan was a little under the weather on Sunday evening, so we vegged out and let the kids watch a Veggie Tales movie and I think they liked it :-)





Earlier in the day, Michael made his buffalo wings for the kickoff of the Cowboys first game of the season. We were all dressed for the occasion to support our team, and hope that there will be many more wins to come!