Message for G-Grandma

Mackenzie absolutely LOVES her Great-Grandma, and going to visit her at her house. Randomly, as we drive down the road, she will point towards the highway and say, "Can we go that way? Down the long road, to G-Grandma's house?" I tell her we can go, but not right then. . .we have to wait until we have some vacation!!

Well, Mackenzie has made a very special message for her G-Grandma. . .

It's in the GENES!

Mackenzie has completely outgrown her "nursery" so we are moving her into a bigger bedroom. . .what used to be known as the "guest" room. The "nursery" will then become the "exercise" room. This process is actually taking us some time. . .we had to first clean out the guest room closet (filled to the brim), under the bed (again, stuffed with stuff), and then decide on how we were going to decorate the new room for Mackenzie. So far, the new closet is painted. . .pink! Boy do we have a lot of work ahead of us!!!

To save some $$ we ventured over to the Home Depot. I heard that they were having a fabulous sale on their lighting fixtures. Matt, Mackenzie, and I browsed around, but didn't see anything that struck our fancy. As we headed towards the exit Matt remembered that he needed a new paint roller bucket thing-a-ma-bob. So he headed towards the paint section, and Mackenzie and I stopped to look at a patio furniture display. It was actually a very nice display of beautiful wicker furniture, with really fluffy seat cushions, and some cute little decorative pillows. Nice, right? Well, to the untrained eye (that would be mine), it looked like an everyday normal display. To Mackenzie's eye, it was a very UNRULEY display. She took about 5 or so minutes to arrange, straighten and fluff each and every decorative pillow. When she would finish with a pillow, she would give it a pat. . .almost to say, "good pillow. . .you are perfect now." When she had finished her self-given obsessive chore, she left the display in search of her father. I watched, mouth wide open, in total disbelief as my child walked away. . .no doubt completely contented with the world now that everything was in it's place. Who does her behavior remind you of??? I'll tell you. . .HER FATHER!!

She may look like me, but she is her father in so many ways! I have another perfect example from tonight. She requested popcorn for dinner. I was actually kinda excited about it because she usually turns up her nose to a fresh bowl of popcorn. So, I nuked some horrifingly-fake microwave popcorn. Hmmmmmm. It was yummy. While she was munching away I endevored to make her a much healthier dinner. Her favorite staple food, chicken nuggets, some raspberries, a tomato, and some skim milk. The popcorn was instantly forgotten when her feast was placed in front of her. Now, being 3, what do you think she ate first?? THE TOMATOES! YUCK! Then the raspberries. . .and then she only ate 3 of her nuggies. . .she is just like her FATHER. . .and I love that about her!!

Entertaining ME again!

Last night Matt and I volunteered to babysit Calvin, the 4 year old boy of some very good friends of ours that happen to live across the street. He is a wonderful little boy, and never gives us any problems. In fact, we love it when he comes over because he totally entertains Mackenzie. And, he does a much better job than I do!!! Anyway, I planned on entertaining the kids by (surprise, surprise!!) baking up some cupcakes. I chose strawberry, well, because they are so tasty. . .and pretty. . .and I just really like them a lot!

I got the cake mix, icing, and three ingredients required (they were box cupcakes after all) prepared on the kitchen island. I scooped the kids up and plopped them down on the stools in front of the island. . .and then got them busy. Their first task was to line the cupcake holders with the little paper thingys. They did a wonderful job!

I let them take turns helping me prepare the cupcakes. They each got to add an ingredient (I handled the eggs), and then took turns mixing the batter. They even posed for some photos for me. . .they were way precious. And they LOVED making the cupcakes!!

After our cooking adventure was over, we started watching "The Incredibles". I love the relationship that Mackenzie and Calvin have. . .they never fight. . .and are rarely jealous of each other. We all had the best time, and I was very glad that our neighbors gave us the chance to spend time with their precious son!

Cliff's Self-Portrait. . .with a dab of GEL

So at work today, one of my co-workers, Cliff, began a story about his wife "making" him put gel in his hair. . .once the product was in, his son (and I am sure wife) started laughing hysterically at him. . .apparently, they were laughing about how thin his hair was. . .or appeared to be. . .Cliff said it looked like he had four little tufts of hair on top of his head. . .

I really, really enjoyed his story. So much so that I told Cliff that from now on he needed to: 1) take a picture and 2) BLOG about it. . .for all to see. Seriously! If life is that fun, SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE. He didn't share my view. He didn't get it. . .he just didn't understand the power of the blog. He did, however, draw me my own little picture of what he looked like. And now I am sharing it on MY blog! (click on pics below to make them bigger)

While I was at it, I thought that I might as well share some drawings that Mackenzie made last month. . .January 13th to be exact! I was quite impressed with her artwork. . .she did these all by herself. . .she picked the subject. . .then drew to her little heart's content!

Oh, and in case you are wondering. . .she was a perfect angel at school today. No write-ups or SLAPPING!

Not MY Mackenzie!

It's happened. . .it's happened before, and I am sure that it will happen again. . .but it is still so shocking! When I walked into Mackenzie's classroom today to pick her up from school, I noticed that she was tucked under one of her teacher's arms while they read a book. I thought to myself, "Oh, what a sweet child I have. . .and I am so glad that her teacher's love her enough to cuddle." My sweet thoughts were cut short by the other teacher in the room, who came up to me and said, "I think Mackenzie might have a behavior report today." That was her nice way of saying that she knew Mackenzie had a report, but that I needed to check her mailbox. When I peeked inside, there it was. . .the dreaded behavior report. . .awaiting my signature. . .my admittance that my child is far from perfect.

So, you ask, what did she do??? Well, apparently she wanted a toy that another child had. He used his words to express that he didn't wish for her to take (most likely by force) his toy. So, she in turn used her. . .well, um, hand. . .to. . .um, slap him across the face. Now, believe it or not, I did ask for a "gentle" demo when we arrived home. Trust me, even though she didn't physically smack me, her demo was enough to prove to me that she, well, slapped the other child. . .hard.

Now, you ask, what was her punishment???? First we had a "chat" in the car. She hates chatting, despises them in fact. I remember how much I hated chats from my childhood, so it's the one (of a million) things that I share with her now that I am a parent.

When questioned, Mackenzie didn't have a reason for slapping the boy. . .other than the desired toy. So, during our drive home, I had time to think of a suitable punishment. No cartoons, in fact, no TV!!! Did you hear the protesting???? By the time we actually arrived home (about 1 1/2 hours after picking her up. . .we stopped at Lowes for a while), she was starting to become a wee bit disobedient. So. . .in addition to no TV, she also got a bit of room time. . .alone. . .

Her behavior reports are few and far between, and usually consist of some weird way that she has physically harmed herself. Last time her hand was pinched under a chair that she decided to crawl under. So I guess we are lucky. . .so kids are written up weekly, the really bad ones are written up daily.

That being said, face slapping is totally unacceptable!

Entertaining Mackenzie. . .and Maybe Mama too!

I always feel bad if we leave Mackenzie for a day to enjoy a little "adult time." And since Matt & I left her yesterday to go to see Body Worlds 3, I was feeling twinges of guilt this morning. So, I devoted the entire morning to her. . .no TV, no phone, & no COMPUTER. The first thing Mackenzie wanted to do was play with her mazes. She loves mazes, and if I do say so myself, she is very good at them! (Click on any picture to make it bigger. . .notice that she has started posing. . .she is lovin' the camera these days!!!)

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After what seemed like 20 mazes, she grew a bit bored. I asked her what she wanted to do next. . .her immediate response: make COOKIES! Now we had to decide what kind of cookie to make. Daddy voiced his opinion on the matter. . . "we" decided upon soft and chewy Molasses. YUM! Mackenzie and I set up to make daddy some cookies. Mackenzie mixed the dry ingredients, and I mixed the rest (actually, my stand mixer mixed the rest). I dropped them on a cookie sheet, then baked them for about 10 minutes. . .and voila! Perfect cookies. Daddy must have agreed - he ate FIVE of them.

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Once we had cleaned up our cookie mess, Mackenzie decided she wanted to paint. We broke out the washable paints and a strip of butcher paper. Her heart was only half into painting, and about 10 minutes after she started, she was finished. She hopped down and ran around for a while. . .

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For as long as we can remember, any time Mackenzie is deeply concentrating, she sticks out her tongue. She did it during all three of our projects this morning. . .take a look. . .

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After the paint mess was cleaned up, I looked at the clock. It was nap time. . .for both of us! I still needed to catch up from last night. So, Mackenzie and I read some books and then took a (LONG) nap. In Fact, that is where she still is. . .peacefully sleeping off her morning! I can't wait to see what the rest of the afternoon brings!

Body Worlds 3

Yesterday Matt and I, along with my parents, Matt's cousin, Terra, and her boyfriend, Anthony, went to see Body Worlds 3. It was simply amazing!!!! The lines were incredibly LONG, and the Science Center was packed with people, but it was totally worth it! If you get the opportunity to go, take it! In fact, buy your tickets online NOW, and GO!

The human body is complex, beautiful, fascinating, and amazing. It's fragile, yet strong. And I can't tell you how many times I said, "Wow!" or "Look at this!" or "I didn't know that!" Usually it was the latter statement. Anyway, GO see it!!!

After Body Worlds 3 Matt and I had some dinner, and then joined Terra and Anthony for some coffee and chai tea at our local Barnes and Noble. We had the best time, and talked forever. In fact, we had no idea how late it was until we heard the announcement that they store was closing. Yikes! Poor Aunt Kathy was watching Mackenzie, and we didn't mean to abandon them for so long!!

Mackenzie was already in bed by the time we got back to Aunt Kathy's house. . .so, we stayed and talked with Aunt Kathy for about another hour!! We always have the most wonderful conversations w/Aunt Kathy!

All in all, it was a most wonderful day!!!

A Message for Grammie & Papaw

Mackenzie has a little message for her Grandparents who are currently away from us . . .enjoying a little THREE MONTH vacation!!!

Laundry - A La Mackenzie

For as long as I can remember, Mackenzie has always performed the "Laundry Dance". Basically, while sitting on the floor, I would sort our laundry into piles. Mackenzie would then dance (jump up and down) on all of the clean clothes. It was ok when she was like 18 months, but now that she is getting closer to 4. . .well, quite honestly, it's kinda annoying.

Now, that being said, she is usually a HUGE help when it comes to doing to the laundry. She sorts the socks, undies, and towels. She helps put hangers on our shirts. OH! And, she is awesome when it comes to folding towels and washclothes. And she actually ENJOYS helping! Bonus!!!

Today however, we were washing sheets - KING SIZE sheets. I was putting a new load into the washer, and she was taking a fresh one out of the dryer. To help me, Mackenzie carried the basket into the family room - our favorite place to sort. Well, I guess she decided playing in the sheets was much more fun than folding the sheets. . .she made forts, a bed, stacked the baskets, and did a dance on the sheets. . .take a look. (click on any photo to make it larger.)

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This is the "Laundry Dance". . .

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Here Mackenzie is using the clean blanket to make a bed inside of two little bitty laundry baskets.

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We keep the socks that are missing their "friends" (you know, the socks that no longer have a mate becuse the dryer ATE it) in a small laundry basket. I add a couple of socks every load or so to the never ending pile. I get the basket down every now and then to see if by some small miracle one of the socks may have reproduced, or had it's mate added to our collection. Anyway, Mackenzie decided she needed to use the sock laundry basket, but had no need for the contents. Those poor, lonely, single socks ended up on the floor (admist pillows and sheets used for the forts).

Latest Maternity Session

Here are a couple of images from a maternity shoot that we did a couple of weeks ago. Matt and I had the best time! Mom was very easy going, and willing to do most anything. . .not an easy feat when you are 8 months pregnant!
This shoot was being done as a surprise for her hubby, so we are going to keep mom's identity a secret. We got some wonderful images, and can't wait to meet the new addition to this family!!

Lunar Eclipse

Nothing really fancy here. . .my shot at taking a pic the lunar eclipse from last night. It was beautiful!!! I should have used a tripod, BUT, seeing as how it was about 10 degrees outside and almost 9:30 pm, I decided that the monopod would have to do! I hope you got a chance to see it. . .here was the moon from my front yard. . .

Heads, NOT Tails!

Mackenzie has always been a peculiar eater. She loves fruit, veggies, chicken nuggies, and (of course) chocolate. She hates tacos and eggs. She's never tried them, but she assures us she hates them. We used to press the issue of trying new foods, but after a couple of, well, (there really isn't a nice way of saying this) vomiting episodes, we believe her when she doesn't want to try something new.

Lately she has us amazed at her latest food craze. She doesn't like the "crust" on chocolate chip cookies. I was unaware of such crust, but to Mackenzie it exists.

She will now leave the skin on the apples, or rather she just eats "the meat". . .no, no, she likes the skin. . .just not at the same time as the apple. It's one or the other!

This week marked a new one. . .Goldfish TAILS. She won't eat them. She bites off their little heads, and throws back the tails. WHY does she do this?!!?? It's the SAME thing!!! I have the evidence though. . .take a look for yourself!!!!! In the middle of her plate is the remains of the Goldfish. . .their little tails. . .

This is her actually biting off the poor Goldfish head. . .

Pink Eye?!

Mackenzie and I went back to school/work today. I let Mackenzie sleep in, and was going to monitor her mood upon waking. She was in great spirits, so I set off to get us ready for work/school. I was putting on her shoes when I noticed she needed to blow her nose. I grabbed a tissue, and asked her to blow. No biggie, right? Wrong. Something about blowing her nose always makes her gag. This morning it was enough to make her vomit. . .her entire breakfast.

Nice.

So, we rush to the tub, and then start the whole getting ready process. . .again. This time we are good to go. Mackenzie was in great spirits. She was a bit disappointed when I dropped her off at school b/c, and I quote, "I wanna stay home and watch cartoons instead." Me too!

The rest of the day went by rather smoothly. . .until 3:15pm. I see her school's name pop up on caller id. Just seeing the name sends my heart into a flutter. . .it's usually not a good thing. This time I was being told that Mackenzie had pink eye. Honestly I would have accepted most anything. . .ear pain, fever, vomiting. . .but pink eye? Where did that come from?!!

A 4:20pm doctor's appointment confirmed that she DID have an ear infection. . .as well as a 101.3 fever. The infection was spreading to her eye. . .but oral antibiotics would take care of the ear, which would then take care of the eye. So she isn't contaigious, but Live and learn. I mentioned to her doctor that she didn't have any pain other than Sunday. Her doctor replied that that was normal for some ear infections. The first day is usually the worst pain wise. . .followed by. . .fever. Poor Mackenzie.

She is actually in very good spirits. She acted more puny when her temp was only 99.8 than she is currently. Go figure.

Well. . .guess what? The lucky girl has a day of cartoons ahead of her tomorrow. I guess I do too!

Yesterday, My Ear was "Boring". . .

Yesterday Mackenzie went to a birthday party for one of her classmates. She had a wonderful time, and was surprisingly well behaved. Not that I was expecting her to be "bad", I was just a bit concerned. . .You see, before the party she kept insisting that it was HER birthday, that she was turning four, and that all of the presents were going to be for HER. That sent up a wee red flag. But no worries, she was very good.

On the way home however, she started complaining that her ear was "boring." I assumed that "boring" meant pain, and administerd some Tylenol upon her arrival home. She felt better, but I knew that a doctor visit was on the horizon.

This morning when she woke up she had a fever - only 99.3, but she was acting puny. I administered more Tylenol, and about 20 minutes later, the child was as good as new.

Her doctor's office opens at 9am, but I couldn't get through, even as late as 10:30am. By then I was questioning the need for going. She didn't complain of ear pain, and was acting fine. . .she took a 2 hour nap around noon, and was eating ok. She was being a bit more demanding than usual. . .probably b/c I was babying her all morning. Long story short, I decided to not take her to the doctor. . .and so far, so good. . .no ear pain. . .no fever. . .knock on wood!!!! We will see what tomorrow brings!

Ryland @ 9 months

This is my nephew Ryland. Is he not the cutest "Little Man" that you have ever seen?? LOOK at that face. Don't you just love those cheeks. . .those eyes. . .that smile! I love these two pictures of him. They melt my heart. . .and make me smile.

Loved. . .but Annoying?

Ever notice how some of the things you hold the dearest to your heart can also be the most annoying? Need some examples?? Well. . .

Let's start with Mackenzie - I am totally and completely IN LOVE with this child, (can you feel a but coming on), BUT sometimes she is annoying!

She loves to nap. . .she does have her moments, but enjoys naps. . .most of the time. At school she is one of the first to fall asleep, and almost always last to wake up. At home, she never fights us, but has us trained to be with her (for the whole 5 minutes it takes) until she is asleep. Well, today, while visiting with Aunt Kathy, I saw how easy it should be to put her down. Aunt Kathy carried her into "her" (meaning Mackenzie's) room, layed her down, and walked away. No fussing, no fighting, no "MAMA!". . .only the occasional movement. . .then peace.

Next on the list. . .Computers!

I can't live without my computer. Love it! Love the joy it brings to my heart. . .(wait for it. . .). . .BUT, when you are trying to install a new video driver. . .and it works for a moment, then makes everything on your screen look HUGE, well...you get my point!

See, the things you LOVE can be the most ANNOYING! Think about it!

In other news, we had a photo shoot this morning of the most adorable family. We uploaded the pics, and they will be processed and posted soon! Stay tuned.

Dry and Threaded Cheese, Please!

Mackenzie doesn't really say too many words incorrectly. So when she does, I love it. It's sooooo cute! Tonight I was making nachos for dinner. . .using shredded cheese as my topper. While preparing our scrumpcious feast, Mackenzie and I had a deep discussion about cheese.

Mackenzie: "MAMA! MAMA!"

Me: "Yes, Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie: "Mama, can I have some dry cheese?"

Me: "Dry cheese? I don't know what dry cheese is. . .you mean instead of WET cheese?"

Mackenzie: "Uhhhh Huh! Dry cheese!"

So I ask Matt if he knows what dry cheese is. . .his reply? Nope!

I finally figure out that she means shredded cheese.

Me: "Oh, Mackenzie, do you mean shredded cheese? You want some shredded cheese?"

Mackenzie: "Yes, I want some threaded cheese. Please? Can I have some threaded cheese, please?"

Me: "After you eat all of your dinner."

She used to say compooter instead of computer. . .but has fixed that now. The only other word that she still says incorrectly is: hula hoop. She calls it a hoo-hoop.

Don't ya just love it???

Meet Khai

Look at this FACE!! We are very fortunate to have met this little guy. He and his family had a long, long journey to get to the point where they are now. . .a very happy FAMILy! Khai was adopted from Vietnam in December of 2007! His mama contacted us to do his adoption annoucements. Of course, we didn't hesitate one second. . .we had been following their adoption journey for quite some time, and couldn't wait to meet the newest member of their family!

To: Aunt Kathy w/love

When I picked Mackenzie up from school on Monday, she rushed at me with artwork in hand.


Me: "Oh, Mackenzie, that is beautiful! What is it?!"


Mackenzie: "It's for Aunt Kathy. . .See, that says my name. And THAT says Aunt Kathy's name."


Me: "Very nice, we will have to save it for Aunt Kathy!"


Mackenzie: "Yeah!"

Valentine's Day

Before Matt, I used to hate Valentine's Day. Well, OK, who are we kidding?! I LOVE every holiday. . .the excitement, the anticipation, the candy, a reason to go to Michael's (who really needs a reason?!!). But Valentine's Day always held some slight apprehension. If I didn't have a significant someone, then I would share the holiday with family and friends (while feeling quite lonely). If I did have a significate someone, there was always the pressure of "the gift." The perfect gift - the one that didn't say too much, but not too little. I am so thankful that is all over. . .

This year Valentine's Day started out as usual - we got up, got ready, rushed around, I fixed Mackenzie's hair, all the usual stuff. Things were a little different when we arrived downstairs. There was a HUGE heart-shaped balloon attached to two bears (holding I Love You pillows), some red tulips (my favorite flowers), some chocolate, and a card for each of us. Matt had prepared everything the evening before so his women would be happy. You know what?? We were!

Mackenzie had a great day at school, and got some really cute Valentines from her friends. After work/school, we stopped off to visit Aunt Kathy at her house. She wasn't home yet, so I played around with my new camera lens. (I love it BTW). Here are some pics that I captured yesterday! Enjoy!

Cupcakes Mackenzie and I made for V-Day!

Waiting for Aunt Kathy. . .

Our Goofy Girl. . .

Mackenzie's V-Day Box & our Cards

The tulips:

So THIS is Blogging

Well. . .I have done it. . .again. . .I have set up our blog! I think I started another blog a while ago. I don't even remember when or where at this point, but I have decided to do it again. I have recently been bitten by the blogging bug. There are a lot of very good blogs out there, and reading them is so addictive! So, stay tuned. . .unless of course it is 2011 and the last posted date is from 2008!