Mackenzie's Fourth July

I just realized that Mackenzie just enjoyed her FOURTH July...not to be confused with Fourth OF July...although, that applies too.  It just doesn't seem right that she is old enough to have experienced four months of July...all that says to me is that she's going to be four before I know it.  And then five.  And then comes kindergarten.  And then....oh my goodness.  I have to stop this...I could go on forever.    The point is, my baby is growing up.

{July 2008}

Just a teeny, tiny babe enjoying what we referred to as her "big girl" swing.  It seemed very big girl to us at the time because she had really only been in her bouncy seat. 

{July 2009}
Just after she turned one year old.  This was, by far, one of my favorite ages/stages.  Still a baby, but really growing into her personality. And smiling...all the time!

{July 2010}
This was when I realized that my baby was turning into a little girl.  I've always felt like "she's growing up so fast" but when she turned two, I had a major, MAJOR realization that she really was growing up.  And she was going to keep on doing it no matter what I thought about it!

{July 2011}
This is my big girl.  My sweet, loving, smart, funny, amazing child.






And just in case you needed it all put together into a nice little collage:

My, my...how she has grown.

Mackenzie {3 years, 1 month}

This is a little late, but better late than never…..right???

Mackenzie, you are 37 months old! I can barely believe it!!!!!  Here’s what you’re up to these days:

• You are such a happy and sweet child!  You are always smiling in the mornings and I absolutely adore everything you say and do the first 15-20 minutes you’re awake because it’s pure sweetness!  Your response to most requests these days is “Of course!!!” and you almost have the whole “yes ma’am” / “yes sir” thing down which just makes me smile.  You love to help other people and you very rarely respond negatively when asked to do something.  You have a great attitude!!

• That’s not to say that you don’t act your age and test boundaries when you see an opportunity.  There have been some “phases” over the last few months that have been down-right exhausting, but for the most part you are just very sweet.  The only real bumps we’ve come to are 1) fits and 2) whining.  I don’t think you’re over the fits forever, but I think we have cured you of it for a little while at least.  If there is one thing you don’t like, it’s being ignored and that’s exactly what happens when you throw a fit.  I think the whining is just part of a stage you’re going through with wanting to be a baby.  I recently read an article in Parenting magazine about that stage which made me feel normal, but there was also an article on the Baby Center website that helped me to see that this was mostly a developmental thing and would (hopefully) be short-lived.  I still get weekly emails about your development from Baby Center and I absolutely love them because 99% of the time, they are dead-on and they usually address an “issue” that has been on my mind.  I have to say, one beneficial thing about having a kid during this time is all of the resources that are available to moms.  Love it!

• You are brilliant!  I know that most parents say that about their children and I’m not going to be any different.  You constantly amaze me with the things that you know and/or remember.  You are a little sponge just soaking everything up and it’s an amazing thing to see.  I am so, so grateful that you are in a good school environment during the week.  You come home every day with new information and you are just soaking it up!  You were saying the Pledge of Allegiance last week and as soon as you were done, you started singing “God Bless America” and my jaw hit the floor..I didn't even know that you knew that song!  Here are a few other reasons why I think you’re brilliant:
  • You can say your ABC's without missing a beat (sometimes you even rap them…seriously)
  • You can count to 10 (and sometimes further!) in English and Spanish
  • You recognize all of your basic shapes and you can draw a circle
  • You recognize all of the basic colors and can tell us what colors you see on your own as well as find colors if we play “I Spy”
  • You recognize your name, the letter “M” and quite a few other letters and numbers
  • You know your full name, birthday, parents’ names and favorite colors, grandparents’ names and favorite colors (most of them), your street name, state name, and country name
  • You know the full names of our Mayor (Patrick Hayes), Governor (Mike Beebe), and the President of the USA (Barack Obama) and recognize their pictures
  • You are great at memory games and you LOVE playing them on our iPhones/iPads.  Speaking of iGadgets…you have completely mastered the iPhone and iPad.  I have a folder named “Mackenzie” of Apps for you and you know exactly how to get there, open your games, play them, close them...everything!  It's crazy!
  • You can put puzzles together with help
  • You have memorized lots of songs including Jesus Loves Me; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (your favorite); Mary Had a Little Lamb; Baa Baa Black Sheep; Itsy Bitsy Spider
  • You have an amazing memory!  You are especially good with names.  Before leaving your last school, you could name each classmate’s first and last names, most of their siblings’ names and sometimes even their parents’ names.  You are also good with faces.  We have been out to eat before and you’ve spotted one of the teachers from your school.  You’ve also recognized your classmates’ parents in stores before and said “Hey, that’s ____’s Mommy!!”

• You have a big heart!  When someone is sick, you almost always offer to visit with your doctor kit and silkie so that you can make them feel "all better."  

• You are very good at sharing and taking turns…especially for a three year old.  Again, it’s not perfect, but you continue to impress me with some of your social skills.

• You LOVE your family.  Quite often when we are with your grandparents or aunts/uncles/cousins, you will say, “Awwww, this is my family.  I love my family.”  It gets me every. single. time.

• As for your stats, you weigh 33.3 pounds and you are 38 1/4 inches tall.  You are a very healthy girl (thank you God!!) and an excellent eater.  We have a rule that you have to try everything at least once and you seem to accept that rule without fussing too much.  You drink mostly milk and water.  Milk use to be your favorite, but I think this hot summer has got you drinking more water!

• I asked you what some of your favorite things are and this is what you said:
  • Favorite color:  Pink and purple
  • Favorite thing to eat for dinner:  Cheeseburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup
  • Favorite drink:  Milk 
  • Favorite toy:  Lipstick (when I explained that lipstick wasn’t a toy and asked her what else she liked to play with, she said make-up…and after I explained it once more, she decided on her tea set)
  • Favorite book:  Sleeping Beauty
  • Favorite TV show:  Dora the Explorer
  • Favorite game:  Pretending to be a teacher – specifically Miss Angela from Yo Gabba Gabba!  You like to tell us "I'm Miss Angela.  I'm your teacher and I'm going to teach you how to learn and play" which is word-for-word what she says on the show.  Nuts.  You love to play teacher with “live” students like Mommy and Daddy.  You ESPECIALLY love to give every one a “Super Star” award and sing them their special song and give them a parade.  You also LOVE to have everyone sit down ("criss cross, applesauce" of course) so you can read them stories.  When I ask you what you want to be when you grow up, 99% of the time you say "I'm going to be a teacher" but once you said, "I want to be a Mommy!!!"  Precious!
    
    
• Your routine is still about the same, except with a slightly later bedtime.  I take you to school in the morning around 8:30 and Daddy picks you up from school between 5 and 5:30.  We eat dinner around 6:30 and then you have a bath between 6:15 and 7:00.  After you get dried off and we get your lotion and PJs on, we all come into the living room and watch a little bit of a movie while we blow-dry your hair.  Right around 7:30, we go brush your teeth, potty, and wash our hands.  Then we pick out a book, read it together in your chair, say our prayers, and then I tuck you into your bed “snug as a bug in a rug”, sing “You Are My Sunshine”, and then I turn on “Mr. Frog” who sings you Twinkle, Twinkle, kiss you goodnight, tell you that I love you (at least three times!), and then I head out of your room so you can go to sleep.  Sometimes you like to read the book we read together to your babies after you’re tucked in.  It’s amazing to me because you usually remember what the pages say…almost word for word.  It absolutely blows my mind.
  
  
• Speaking of prayers, you are really getting the hang of it!  It’s so, SO precious to hear the things you pray about before you go to sleep.  Most of the time, you say “Thank you God for my family” and then you name a few people.  It’s neat to hear because you group people together perfectly – “Aunt JJ, Ethan, Isabell” or “Nan, Pops, Aunt E, Izzy”, etc.  Last night, you said “Thank you God for my beautiful blue eyes.  Amen.”  I mean, really?  So cute.  You also regularly thank God for your silkie...duh.

Mackenzie, Daddy and I are so very proud of you and the little girl you are becoming!  I love you higher than the sky and deeper than the ocean!

-Mommy