The Parkers

Mackenzie {3 years, 1 month}

2011-07-24T12:37:00.003-05:00

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

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T11:52:00.001-05:00

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Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T14:19:00.005-05:00

Pizza!!!

2011-02-21T23:31:00.001-06:00

As part of our "Fun Day", Mackenzie and I made our own pizzas for lunch Saturday. It's not always easy for me to just go with the flow of a 2.5 year old and the messes that come with that (hey! just being honest....:) but we had so much fun and I'm pretty sure that she ate an entire cup of mozzarella cheese before even putting a pinch on her pizza!!!!

They were pretty easy to make since we got pre-made crusts and only took 10 minutes to cook (bonus points there since M was ready to eat hers raw). On top of all the fun we had making them, they were surprisingly delicious!!

I love our fun days, no matter how big the mess is! Love you sweet girl - more than you know!
-Mommy

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Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:32:00.000-06:00

Best Buds

2011-01-08T15:55:00.000-06:00

Mackenzie and Chloe are so stinking cute together. Most mornings Mackenzie wakes up asking where Chloe is and Chloe’s favorite room to be in is definitely Mackenzie’s. Mackenzie reminds Matt & I on a daily basis that Chloe needs a treat (which Chloe LOVES) and Chloe is always so patient with Mackenzie, even when Mackenzie is prying open Chloe’s mouth to show me where her ”boo-boo” is. I mean, seriously, who knew a cat could be such a great friend to a toddler? They are so fun and I really love seeing them “grow up” together.

I love this sweet face.

Baking Cookies with Daddy

2011-01-07T22:34:00.000-06:00

Mackenzie and Matt decided to bake some cookies to decorate this weekend. She kept referring to them as cookies for Santa and we had to remind her that he went back to the North Pole until next year. (We did, however, take the opportunity to remind her that he was still watching to make sure she acted nicely!!!!)

She thought she was SO big getting to put the cookies on the baking sheet.

CEC Family Thanksgiving Lunch

2010-11-20T23:30:00.001-06:00

Mackenzie’s class participated in a Thanksgiving program at her daycare on Friday. When I first found out about it, I couldn’t believe it. After all, she’s still a “baby”….she’s not old enough to do stuff like that. Well, I was wrong. Her class came out and sang two songs – “Good Morning to You” and “Jesus Loves Me” – and it was wonderful! Here are a few pictures that we took during the lunch after the program.

Mackenzie was so excited that everyone was there eating lunch with her.

Eating her turkey lunch on the placemat that she made in class.

Sam and Mackenzie: Each of their classes sang a few songs.

Mackenzie & Nan

Mackenzie & Aunt E

Mackenzie & Red

Mackenzie & Nonna

Mommy, Mackenzie, & Daddy

Mrs. Ellie & Mackenzie

Mackenzie – we had so much fun watching you perform. You were such a bright star up on stage and it was obvious that you were enjoying yourself! We’re so proud of you!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Mackenzie and Chloe = BFF

2010-07-02T12:21:00.003-05:00

The beginning of something special.

Chloe loved Mackenzie's fluffy dance costume!

Mackenzie and Chloe also = trouble!

(Can you tell that Chloe was trying to get out of the picture?!)

You can't really see, but Chloe is in the basket of the baby doll stroller. She loves it!

Kenzie drew a picture of Chloe!

Showing off her bandaids where Chloe "tickled" her.

BFF

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Our Kitten, Chloe

2010-07-02T00:23:00.001-05:00

This sweet little kitty likes to play while I'm trying to get work done.

Oh, the life of a cat...

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Day of Blog Silence for Cohen

2010-07-01T00:42:00.002-05:00

http://sendlovetocohen.blogspot.com/

Mackenzie's 2 Year Old Potraits

2010-06-29T14:53:00.007-05:00

I am so behind on blogging and I promise to catch up soon but for now I just had to share these pictures of Mackenzie taken by Kristin Hollensworth a few weeks ago.

I saw Kristin's work on the Berry family's blog (thanks for the referral Rachel!) and called her ASAP to schedule an appointment. Matt and I decided (aka I used my southern charm to convince him) that having Mackenzie's portraits done each year was really important. Thanks to my persuasiveness (ha!), we have newborn portraits, 1 year portraits and now 2 year portraits. Thanks for seeing the light babe!! :)

I love this one with one of her wall letters in her room!

My FAVORITE!!!

Kristin was so great with Mackenzie and I love that she was able to capture her personality on film! We couldn't be happier with the way they turned out.

Click here to see more of her work. Thanks again Kristin - the portraits are perfect!

"The Words I Would Say"

2010-04-08T09:30:00.007-05:00

I am a new K-LOVE listener (for all of you who don't know what I'm talking about, click HERE and listen for a while) and have absolutely fallen in love. I listen to this station as much as I can (it's 96.9 in Little Rock) and I can say that it really makes my day better.

Anyway, I am listening at work right now and just heard the most amazing song. It's called "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets. I think it's about a year old, but it's new to me and it made me think of Mackenzie. I can't wait to share it with her later when I pick her up from daycare, but I also wanted to share it on here for our memories. This is the best video I could find on Youtube. Enjoy!

Mackenzie, these are the words I want to say to you...I love you so much! -Mommy

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way

Daddy's Hat and Mommy's Bracelets

2010-03-21T15:42:00.027-05:00

Mackenzie came across a few accessories this morning: Daddy's hat and Mommy's bracelets.

After she put them on, she checked it all out in the mirror and

decided that she looked really pretty so she let me take her picture.

In fact, she looked so cute with them on that she thought she should go outside so everyone could see!

Breakfast

2010-03-20T21:04:00.036-05:00

No doubt about it, breakfast is Mackenzie's favorite meal of the day! She wakes up wanting milk, cheerios, yogurt - whatever she was dreaming of the night before. This morning was no exception and Mackenzie was talking about fruit snacks while I changed her diaper. I was a few seconds behind her running into the kitchen and when I turned the corner, this is what I found:

At first, I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or scold her. I held back my smile and grabbed the camera (come on - this was just too cute not to get a picture!).

She was so proud of herself.

After snapping a few shots, I gently explained that she couldn't hang on the drawers. We'll see how much good that does...

Here she is eating her cheerios & yogurt melts while her waffle was "cooking" in the toaster.

Then she started to unbutton & unzip her sleeper. I'm not sure what her fascination with undressing is these days, but I'm trying not to give it a lot of attention in hopes that she'll get bored with it!

I love this sweet face.

Oh! And check this out! Matt left a canvas with three different colored paints on the island in the kitchen with a note that says "To make a memory." He explained that he wants us to put our footprints and handprints on the canvas - how cute & sweet is this Daddy!!! Love you babe!

Our favorite colors and pink for Mackenzie.

21 month update

2010-03-20T12:05:00.051-05:00

Another month has passed...and fast too!

Mackenzie, you are 21 months old. I have three months left to say your age in months...then I'm going to have to say "My daughter is two." As in "two years old"...whoa!

You weigh about 27 pounds and are getting much taller! You are in 24 month/2T clothes although a few of your 18-24 month things still fit. You are still in a size 5-wide shoe - you have very small feet!!

You're wearing size five diapers when I can keep them on you. Your favorite thing to do these days is to strip those off every chance you get!

You are still obsessed with books, which I love. You will let anyone and everyone to read to you and you really enjoy reading to your babies as well. It's a very sweet sight!

You are enjoying the warm days and love being outside whether you're running around, riding in your wagon or helping me take out the trash. The last time Nonna was here, she put bird feed outside of your window so that you two could watch the birds and squirrels. You LOVE looking out your window and trying to find them. You even clap your hands on your thighs and say "'mere!" (aka "come here!").

You are talking so much and Daddy & I are amazed at some of the things you are picking up. You are learning so much at school - some of it's wonderful and some of it's not so wonderful ("mine!!!") :) You can almost sing the entire ABC song without help and count to ten. But you have also started throwing fits and banging your head on the wall/floor when you don't get your way. You only do that every once in a while and I'm pretty sure that ignoring those things is showing you that you won't be getting any attention when you do that.

You are singing a lot - some are songs I recognize and others sound like you're just having fun! You are also still enjoying dancing - in class and at home. You love music regardless - something else I am so grateful for!

Your favorite toys are still your stuffed animals ("babies") - you love, love, LOVE taking care of them and putting them to bed. Nothing makes you happier than laying out a big blanket and piling up each and every baby/blanket/silkie you own on top of it. You will make several trips from your room to the living room to get this accomplished and you are always very busy making sure they are all asleep!

You are such a wonderful gift Mackenzie.

We love you,

Mommy & Daddy

Kisses for Babbles

Mackenzie thought Babbles needed a bow

Reading to Babbles

Her favorites babies: Mac, Puppy & Babbles

And now they all have bows!!

She wanted to take a picture of her babies - so sweet!

I think I'm going to print/frame this for her room.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T16:15:00.000-05:00

"Everybody's Working for the Weekend"

2010-03-09T09:16:00.000-06:00

This is from Saturday morning and it's one of my favorite videos of Mackenzie right now. She just loves to sit in Daddy's office chair and "type" on the keyboard. Currently, my favorite thing she is saying is "oh-kay" and she says it quite a bit in this clip. Enjoy!

Girls' Day!

2010-03-05T11:31:00.003-06:00

Mackenzie and I had a great day together on Sunday. We ran a few errands and ended the day with her second trip to the zoo.

First we headed out to Babies R Us in Little Rock to get some bath stuff and a birthday present for Ethan. She had fun being pushed around in the buggy and checking everything out. She really liked playing with Ethan's presents while we looked around. Since the party is going to have an Elmo theme, we got him an Elmo hooded towel, Elmo toothbrush (Mackenzie LOVES hers!) and some cool Sesame Street finger paint soap for the bathtub. I was worried that she would have a hard time letting go of the toothbrush once we got to the register, but she put it on the counter when I asked her to and even told the cashier "tank eww".

We unloaded the bag into the car and were putting the buggy up when MackenIe said "wak". In all honesty, I was thinking, "it would be so much easier if you just let me carry you back to the car". But then I had one of those moments....when you realize that this moment is never going to happen again. And why was I in such a hurry anyway? We were just hanging out with no real plans. So why not let her walk?

So we put the buggy away and walked down to the new Gordmans store next door. She giggled the whole way, stomping and jumping. It was so sweet. I opened the door and let her walk in and her mouth literally fell open. She was just looking all around like "wow!"

We walked around the store with Mackenzie leading the way and only a slight bit of encouragement fom me every now and then. :). Once we got to the toddler girl section, she saw another little girl and walked right up to her and just stared. Ha! Then she saw some sunglasses and I let her pick out one pair. She found some super cute blue ones and I let her carry them to the front of the store. She handed the glasses to the cashier, we paid and she said thank you. It was soooo cute!

When we got outside, she wanted to wear her new "gasses" so we stopped and put them on. As we were walking back to the car, I had to take a few pictures because she looked adorable - smiling from ear to ear!

Once we got back in the car, we were having so much fun that we had to take a few more pictures.

As we were getting back into the car, I wasn't sure what we should do next. I could tell that Mackenzie was having fun, but it was almost time for her afternoon nap and I didn't want to get caught out and about with a sleepy/fussy baby - you moms know what I'm talking about!

But she was still giggly on the way home and the weather was PERFECT so we made a spontaneous stop at the zoo. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, we could hear the monkeys. Mackenzie thought this was so funny!

Since this was a spontaneous trip, I didn't have my stroller in the car. Luckily, the zoo rents strollers and wagons. I decided to rent a wagon since Mackenzie loves those anyway in hopes that she would think that it was a treat to be strapped down to one of those rather than fussing about getting out of her stroller the whole time. Worked like a CHARM!

One of Mackenzie's favorite stops was the lion. I'm pretty sure this was because she was able to get so close. She kept saying "Hi lion!" and then "come on". I could tell that she really just wanted to lay on top of this giant cat and play! She also really enjoyed the "childrens park" where she could get up close and personal with geese, chickens, ponies, rabbits, prairie dogs, etc.

We had such a fun day and she was so good! I could tell she was having a great time and really enjoying all of these fun, new experiences as well as the opportunity to be a little more independent than usual.

Mackenzie,

I love you SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! I know I tell you this all the time, but it never gets old. You are so amazing and I thank God for such a perfect gift. He knew exactly what he was doing when He created you.

I love you!
Mommy

Just for fun

2010-02-25T16:37:00.002-06:00

Oh what a difference one year makes! Here is a picture from Mackenzie's 8 month update in Feb. 2009 beside a picture from her 20 month update this week.

Wow! Seems like there must have been more than just one year between these two photos!

20 Month Update

2010-02-25T00:44:00.003-06:00

Wow...writing that title was pretty weird. I can't believe that Mackenzie is 20 months old. We are only 4 months away from having to start referring to her as "2 years old". No more "months."

As I write this, I am watching her sleep on the video monitor. She woke up about 20 minutes ago crying and I'm pretty sure it's because of all of the teeth that are coming through - poor baby. I rocked her longer than usual...kissing her forehead about every 45 seconds or so. I sure am going to miss this.

Which is exactly why I decided to write this post before getting back into bed. I want to remember this moment, this stage and this sweet little girl of mine who is 20 months and 4 days old.

Mackenzie, you are:

-in 18-24 month clothes and can fit into most of the 2T stuff that Nan & Aunt E got you the other day. This makes me very sad - 2T....wow.

-in size 4 diapers, though I think we're about to move up to size 5. You seem to have gone through a growth spurt recently!

-saying ALL kinds of words: ball, no-no, bye-bye, I love you, Mommy, Daddy, Kenzie, Nonna, Ha-lie (Charlie) Poppa, Neh (Nan), Popssssss, Ehen or E (Erin), Izzy (plain as day), Reh (Red), Eepaw (Weepaw), Lea-Lee, JJ, Ethan, Aiky (Aikman), Isa (Lisa), please, thank you, sorry (when you're apologizing for hitting and biting which I hope you grow out of ASAP!), pa-y cake, toys, baby, Elmo, Mac, puppy, wok (work), see ya, tartoons (cartoons), yay-yos (cheerios), milk, more please, uh-oh, oh no, aw man, o-kaaay (my current favorite!), car, apple, boat, shoes, boots, scoo (school), knock knock, night night, dude, cheese (for pictures), yum yum, yuck, all gone/done, poppy (potty), tee-tee, poo-poo

-know your body parts and can say/point to these: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, neck, hair, fingers, hands, arms toes, feet, legs, belly, belly-button, bottom ("Sit on your bottom!")

-can point to each of the following animals and make their "noises": cat - meow (so cute to watch you say this!), puppy - woo woo (you want one of these really badly and get ridiculously excited any time that you see or hear one), horse - neigh, cow - moo, pig - oink, sheep - baa, chicken - bak bak, bear - roooar, lion/tiger - raaar, bird - teet teet, duck - qua qua, snake - ssss, monkey - ee ee

-love going to school and playing with your friends ("Mat-THEW")

-love, love, love playing with all of your babies. Your favorite thing right now is to sit in an empty laundry basket or canvas bucket with ALL of your babies. You also like to lay them all out on the floor and put them to sleep ("shhhh, baby sleepin") while patting their bottoms.

-very attached to your silkie - probably more now than ever. You have started to keep a pretty close eye on it since Daddy has shown you how we put it in the washing machine to wash it. And you know the difference between YOUR silkie (the big one) and the two small silkies which you think are for your babies. There is no fooling you anymore.

-sleep with your silkies (all three), Mac & Puppy. It is not an option for any of these things to be missing from your crib. :)

-really enjoying dance class. You have learned so much more than I ever imagined you would at this age - marching, tip-toeing, first position (at least part of it) and you know exactly where your "spot" is in class.

-singing a lot! You don't have the exact words down, but you can sing a few songs and we can tell what they are. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Rock-a-by Baby, You are my Sunshine, Hokey Pokey, ABCs

-trying to count to ten. You can say all of the numbers (in English and Spanish with the help of Daddy) when we help you with each one. Otherwise, you just say whatever you want while counting your cups or whatever you're playing with.

-an outside girl. If you had the choice, you would be outside all of the time. You love to help Mommy check the mail, ride in your wagon, or just be able to walk around outside by yourself.

-very independent. You like to do stuff by yourself - feed yourself, brush your teeth, etc. You still let me comb your hair and put your clothes and shoes on, but you really enjoy trying it yourself first.

-very outgoing. You will say hi to anyone that we are passing by in the store and even try to talk to people in the cars next to us at stoplights. I think school is a wonderful thing for you in this way!

-have stopped using the potty. You will go sometimes, but for the most part you are not a fan anymore. We are still offering though and hopefully you will be pottying full-time soon. I'm not rushing anything though! :)

-are still in your crib. You have made half attempts to climb out, but I watch you closely on the monitor and you're not really interested. You wake me up each morning yelling "Mommy!!!" Usually when I go in to get you, you have thrown your babies and silkies onto the floor and exclaim "oh no!" when I walk in.

-have a GREAT night/bedtime routine! We have this part down to a science and it's really gratifying! We eat dinner at 6, do bath every-other-night at 6:30, jammies and quiet time at 7, book, prayers, and our song (You are my Sunshine) at 7:15. You are almost always in bed by 7:30 and asleep by 7:45. You normally wake up between 6:30 and 7.

-very happy!!!!

Mackenzie,

I cannot explain with words how much I love you. It's impossible. Every morning I wake up and can't wait to see you and every day at 5pm, I am so excited to get home and see you again. You are so sweet and smart and every day I love you more than the last. You really are the light of our lives.

I love you so much,
Mommy

Valentine's Day @ School

2010-02-12T10:32:00.001-06:00

Here is my little love bug all dressed up for Valentine's day.

Yes, I know that it's not official V-day, but I got Mackenzie a super cute dress and matching purse (thanks Old Navy!) to wear so for school purposes, today is Valentine's day!!

For her classmates, we decided to give one of Mackenzie's new favorite things - play-doh. Target (my personal fave...) had a cute bag of mini V-day colored cups. I really hope the other children like it as much as Mackenzie does. I also hope that they don't mush it into their parents' carpets or anything. Mackenzie hasn't done that yet...

While Mackenzie was looking through her cute purse filled with play-doh Valentines for her classmates, I asked her "Are you going to give these to your friends?" and she said "NO." We're still working on sharing!

After getting her all bundled up and ready to go, I ran out to start the car and warm it up. When I walked back up the porch to the door, this is what I saw:

Cutest. face. ever.

She really knows how to make my day!

Aunt Erin's Cookie Party

2009-12-06T22:48:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun today at Aunt Erin's Second Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Party!! Last year was really fun and Mackenzie got a pretty cute apron, but this year was even better because Mackenzie was old enough to decorate some cookies herself!

We had an absolute BLAST Aunt Erin! Thank you so much for all that you do!

So fun!!

Some of the cute tables she had set up...

The awesome aprons that Erin made for all of the kids!

Mackenzie wasn't sure about so many people at her Aunt E's house.

My new favorite pic of Nan & Mackenzie

Very excited about the sprinkles

Shake 'em!!

Getting ready to decorate!

Loving it.

Sweet Anna Beth!

Mackenzie & Karoline

Isn't she precious?!

This is what caused most of the sugar rush...eating

the icing straight out of the bowl!

Showing me her messy hands.

She thinks they're cute!

And REALLY funny!

Mackenzie with Aunt E & Sydney

We <3 Leg Warmers

2009-12-06T14:50:00.000-06:00

"No no!" - Mackenzie's favorite word these days :)

My precious girl - you make my heart smile!

I love you so much!

First Haircut

2009-12-05T19:21:00.000-06:00

Other than one tiny trim around this time last year, Mackenzie has not had a haircut. And I put it off as long as I could telling myself that she couldn't possibly be old enough to really need a haircut. But alas - the "mullet" (as Matt refers to it) had to go. Aunt JJ was so sweet to come by the house and take on the task of cutting Mackenzie's hair. It went much better than I expected and was over within 15 minutes.

I had Mackenzie in her high-chair eating apples (a new favorite thanks to Nan!) and Jami was able to start the process there. Once Mackenzie was not as focused on her apples, I moved her highchair into the living room so that we could watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the cartoon version for those who care). This worked like a charm and Jami was done in no time!

We were about halfway through when I realized I hadn't taken any pictures!! But here is what I did get:

Ooops...forgot about this part.

She threw one tiny fit, but it didn't last long!

Still pretty - even when she's crying!

"You're a mean one...Mr. Grinch"

Really into the movie

Thanks Aunt JJ! It's perfect!!!!!!!!

BEFORE

AFTER - the mullet is no more!

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-05T09:24:00.000-06:00

We went to the Breakfast with Santa at Arkansas Children's Hospital again this year and had a blast. Aunt Erin helped to organize the event and Nan & Pops also came which made it even more special.

Last year was fun and I was really excited about Mackenzie being able to participate this year, but I was also anxious to see how Mackenzie would do with Santa. We have been reading a lot about Christmas and practicing saying "Santa Claus", so I was hoping that she would feel familiar enough to be comfortable sitting in his lap. When we got there, I even took her up to where she could get a good look at him and say hello, which she did! Seeing her wave and say "Hi Santa!!!" made me think that she would be just fine.

After our yummy breakfast (pancakes, eggs & sausage made by the wonderful firefighters!), we all got in line with Mackenzie to see Santa. She showed no fear as we got closer and pretty soon we were next in line. Pops was armed with the camera and Daddy was ready with the video camera when we finally reached the stage.

As I got closer to Santa's chair, I felt Mackenzie clinging to me and knew it probably wasn't going to go as well as I had hoped! I tried to sit her down on his lap, but she was not having it. I even tried to just sit her on the arm of the chair, but she wasn't having that either! So, we ended up on the side of Santa's chair with him leaning in towards her and her leaning as far away from him as she could. I think she even tried to push his face away, but thankfully they did not capture that part on camera!

When we stepped off the stage, I told Mackenzie, "say bye-bye to Santa" and she gladly yelled "BYE!!!" and waved frantically at him as if to make sure I knew she was okay with that. :)

The picture that Children's gave us actually turned out cute with Mackenzie and Santa leaning in towards each other. You can't even tell that Mackenzie is crying! I'm really hoping that she isn't scarred for life, but when we asked her if she wanted to go sit in Santa's lap again, she quickly said "No!".

Aunt Erin - thank you so much for inviting us again. We had a wonderful time and are hoping to make it a yearly tradition (minus the not liking Santa part). Nan & Pops - thank you for the BWS tickets and for coming out with us - it was so fun to have you both there!

Riding in Santa's sleigh

Loving on my Aunt E

Showing Pops my reindeer food

Dancing in the food line. I'm really trying to get those dance classes!!!

Eating yummy pancakes & eggs

Getting in line to see Santa

Checking him out...

Enjoying the independence that comes with walking

After meeting Scout the dog!

"There's no way I'm sitting with him - I don't

care how loud he rings those bells!"

"What are you looking at?"

Dear Santa,

Since I didn't get a chance to tell you what I would like for Christmas this year, Mommy thought I should write you a letter.

I would like a baby doll, dance classes, books to read, a chair that's my size to read in, and Disney movies. Also - Mommy & Daddy say I can't have one until I'm potty-trained, but I'd really like a puppy if you can work that out!

Thanks,
Mackenzie

P.S. Sorry I screamed in your face and tried to push you away. See ya next year!

Leopard costume pictures

2009-11-01T17:09:00.000-06:00

Last year, I put a LOT of thought into Mackenzie's Halloween costume. I wanted it to be perfect so I researched our options for months and ended up ordering the cutest Octopus costume a month before Halloween.

This year...not so much. A couple of weeks before Halloween I realized I hadn't thought about Mackenzie's costume. Luckily, Target saved the day and had a very cute Leopard costume on sale for $8 - SOLD!

Unfortunately, Mackenzie was not as excited as I was about this costume. Now, one of the reasons I chose this particular costume was because I thought it would be pretty close to feeling like she was wearing regular clothes. I almost got a puppy costume, but I just knew the hood would not work well for Mackenzie...she hates have anything on her head other than a bow!

Naturally, when the costume came in, I just HAD to try it on her and see what it looked like. Well, she screamed and cried and threw a huge fit. I couldn't understand what was wrong, but it was clear that she was not feeling it. She was pulling frantically at the tu-tu and saying "peas...peas!!!" - begging me to take it off. After about 20 minutes of "ooh" and "ahh" and "Mackenzie's so pretty!", she finally stopped crying and we removed the costume.

I wanted to get some cute pictures of her in the costume on Nan & Pops' front porch since they had all sorts of pumpkins and fun stuff out. This was the second time Mackenzie put on the costume and as soon as she saw me coming with it, she started the fit again. Another round of ooh-ing and ahh-ing bought me enough time to sit her on the front porch and snap a few shots. All of that work for these ADORABLE pictures...enjoy!

Trick or Treat 2009

2009-10-31T22:01:00.000-05:00

This was our first year to trick or treat and we had lots of fun!

Our first stop was to see Aunt E and she had lots of goodies for Mackenzie. Candy galore (thanks Aunt E!) and books about Halloween, which Mackenzie immediately opened up to read. While we were there, Lauren & Sydney Walker stopped by. Sydney was dressed as Minnie Mouse and had the cutest little pig-tails I've ever seen. As we were leaving, Corbin & John Austin the fisherman came to trick-or-treat.

Next, we headed to Uncle Beau & Aunt Kelli's house. They gave Mackenzie a cute little "Boo!" bag full of goodies. Mackenzie really enjoyed running around their house and loving on their dogs, Tori & Lilly.

Last, we went to Red's house to see her, Aunt Lea-Lee, Aikman, Aunt JJ, and Ethan. Aikman was dressed as a beautiful fairy and Ethan was a cute chicken. This was the only stop where we got pictures! I wish I had a shot from last year for comparison, but alas - we did not trick-or-treat last year. It was lots of fun playing with cousins and eating candy and I really think Mackenzie enjoyed it.

Trip to the Zoo

2009-08-15T17:04:00.038-05:00

Mackenzie,

I had so much fun with you this past weekend! We were able to get some girl time in since Daddy was at a furniture market and it was one of the best weekends ever!!

Friday night, after you went to bed, I stayed up packing a bag and getting things ready so that we could go to the zoo as soon as they opened the doors the next morning. I have been trying to plan your first trip to the zoo for some time now and I was determined to make it happen this weekend. I even checked the weather to make sure it wouldn't be too hot. (Obviously I didn't look closely enough, but I'll explain that later...)

Saturday morning you woke up a little after 7. I got you changed and we had a yummy breakfast - cheerios, a banana, oatmeal and milk. Right after breakfast I noticed that you were snuggling with your silkie which usually means one thing - you need a nap!

So, even though it wasn't according to plan (I was prepared for that to happen!), we went back to your room and rocked for a little while. You laid down for a nap around 9am and didn't wake up until 11!

By this time, I had the car loaded with your bag, stroller, camera and camcorder - we were ready to go. We got to the zoo around noon, which is where the part of me not paying attention to the weather comes in....it said that it would be 82 degrees which would have been fine - except that it also said that it would FEEL like 105 degrees - which of course, was NOT fine.

But I was determined to make this work, so we continued with our plan. As soon as we parked I got out to set up your stroller and pack everything in. We could already hear the monkeys (they were soooo loud!!) and I could see that you were looking for whatever was making that noise. I knew we were going to have so much fun!

It ended up being a VERY HOT DAY (102 degrees to be exact) and we were both burning up! It was also MUCH harder to maneuver a 1 year old, stroller, camera, camcorder and diaper bag by myself than I thought, but you really enjoyed seeing all of the animals and had a lot of fun so it was totally worth it. Next time - we'll bring Daddy too!

Your favorite animal was the lion and I'm pretty sure that's because you were able to stand just a few feet away while they napped. You also liked the petting zoo area where you got to pet some miniature horses and goats.

You were such a big girl and I can't wait to go to the zoo again soon, but maybe when it's 70 degrees out insead of 100! :)

Love you,

Mommy

Checking out the monkeys that were making all that noise!

So excited about the lions!!

"Wake up!"

Not really interested in the giraffe

But very interested in your sippy cup.

You did get a little bit of an attitude during lunch

Love this face!

You wanted to pet the Rhino - ha!

And the bear.

You loved the horses!! Just like Mommy. :)

"WOW" - those are big elephants!!

As we were leaving the zoo, we got all the way out to the car when I realized that I hadn't gotten a picture of us together. So we walked back in and a very sweet lady took one for us. You can tell that we had been at the zoo all morning in the hot weather, but I just had to have a picture of us from your first trip to the zoo. I love you!

Happy Birthday Aunt E!!!

2009-08-06T15:40:00.002-05:00

We went to a surprise birthday party for Erin, but I was not able to get any pictures.

Erin - we are so blessed to have you in our lives. You are such an amazing person and the world is a much better place because of you.

We love you!

Matt, Mel & Mackenzie

Happy Birthday Aunt JJ!!!

2009-07-26T15:40:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie & the birthday girl

Sweet Aikman

Ashlea & Jami

Silly girl

Jami & "THE Aunt" Amy

Get it girl

Cousins: Aikman, Luke, Logan, Ethan, Mackenzie

Ethan, Mackenzie, Aikman

Kisses

HA!

Ethan still trying to give kisses

WALKING!!!

2009-07-17T19:00:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie, you are finally walking on your own!!!! Mommy & Daddy were getting ready to go to Kelli & Beau's rehearsal dinner tonight and you were playing in the hall. I was out there with you and you stood up on your feet with your hands on the ground. You've done this a few times before, but this time you were able to stand up from that position and take a few steps. I was jumping up and down and clapping like crazy telling you what a great job you were doing which I'm pretty sure scared you because you plopped back down on your bottom. It didn't take you long - after the first few steps, you were all over the place.

We are really enjoying watching you take all of these steps and learning so much along the way.

We love you,

Mommy & Daddy

"No no!"

2009-07-13T19:00:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie,

Daddy heard one of the funniest stories from one of your daycare teachers tonight! When he picked you up from daycare, Ms. Wanda shared this with us:

Ms. Wanda was holding you and you started squirming really hard trying to get out of her arms. When she put you down, you crawled quickly towards your crib. She looked up to see that another child had pulled your silkie out of your crib and was playing with it.

You took your silkie away, shook your hand at the child and said "no no!!"

This was the highlight of my day! You are so cute and it amazes me that you can communicate with other people! Now we just need to work on sharing...

We love you!

Mommy & Daddy

Blog Hop

2009-07-06T21:58:00.002-05:00

I thought I would join in on the "Blog Hop" fun and share my favorite photo:

This is our sweet baby girl, Mackenzie, during her 12 month portraits taken just last month.
Photo credit: Paige Horras Photography

Our 4th of July Weekend

2009-07-06T12:49:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie and her cousin, Dawson Parker

She loves the swing at Nan & Pops' house!

Nan & Mackenzie

Happy Fourth!

Pops, Mackenzie, Nan

After waking up from a very long nap!!

Pretty in Pink

2009-07-05T19:00:00.001-05:00

Forward-facing car seat - Yippee!

2009-07-03T15:00:00.018-05:00

I tried to keep her rear-facing as long as possible, but it was finally time to turn the big girl car seat around. It was bittersweet - she was obviously excited about the change, but it was sad to say good-bye to one more "baby" thing.

We took her for a drive around the neighborhood to see how she liked it. She seemed in awe the entire time....who knew there was so much to look at!!

On a side note, as we were driving along, I found my dream house! Pretty, isn't it? :)

Pool with Nonna & Poppa

2009-06-21T19:48:00.013-05:00

While Nonna & Poppa were here for Mackenzie's birthday, we decided to take Mackenzie to their hotel pool. This was the first time Mackenzie had been in a pool and as much as she loves baths, I figured she would LOVE the pool. Boy was I wrong! She absolutely hated it and clung to me the entire time. Poor girl - maybe next summer!

Poor Poppa

Happy Birthday Mackenzie (& Mommy)!!!

2009-06-19T20:00:00.004-05:00

Our sweet girl is ONE YEAR OLD! I can hardly believe it!

We woke up this morning and sang the birthday song! Mackenzie laughed and clapped like she just knew it was all for her! We had planned to make a trip to the zoo this morning but since it was 86 degrees outside, we decided to save that for fall weather.

Nonna and Poppa came into town from Citronelle, Alabama to celebrate the occasion and we had so much fun playing! Aunt Erin also came over to give Mackenzie (and me) birthday presents. Mackenzie actually really enjoyed ripping into her presents and I'm pretty sure that Erin was really impressed!

We had a great time and it really took the entire day for it to sink in that our sweet girl is actually ONE YEAR OLD.

Mackenzie,

Happy one year baby girl! You are so special to us and words cannot express how proud we are of you. You are always smiling and making us laugh. You really enjoy being able to be more independent, but you are still very attached to us - which is totally fine with Mommy & Daddy. We are soaking it up while we can!

We have kicked the bottle (as of today) and you don't seem to miss it at all - I guess only time will tell. You don't seem to like sweets or regular milk, but I'm confident that those will come with time. You LOVE fruit which is no surprise since that was one of my favorite things when I was pregnant with you. :)

You are still sleeping great! You go to bed at 7:30 (usually on the dot!) and wake up between 6:45 and 7:30. You move around a lot in your sleep and you seem to really like sleeping on your belly with your knees pulled up to your chest. You sleep with your silkies that your Nonna gave you - one small and one large. You are quite attached to both and you will suck on your bottom lip when you even see one of them. It's the sweetest thing ever to rock you while you snuggle with your silkie.

You seem to be very healthy and you have 6 teeth (four on the top and two on the bottom). Brushing your teeth in the morning and before bed is actually one of your favorite things to do - but that's probably because you like to try to suck all of the baby toothpaste off before we actually get to the brushing! :) Your toothbrush and hairbrush seem to be favorite toys of yours and you are content to hold them for hours.

You still love books and it's so fun to watch you flip through them - you are such a big girl. You also really enjoy pulling out your canvas cubby boxes and digging through all of the toys. You mainly like to pull everything out, but I'm sure you will like putting things away sometime soon (I hope!). You also still love your push-toy from Nonna and playing with all of the blocks.

Sweetie - we love you so much! We are so proud of the little person you are becoming and we are so blessed to be your parents. We'll always be here for you no matter what - caring for you, supporting you, and loving you!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Mackenzie enjoying a cupcake that Aunt E brought over for the birthday girl!!

Mommy is really excited about sharing birthdays with Mackenzie

ONE YEAR OLD!!!!

We love you Aunt E!

Mommy just had to get a picture of the birthday banner

I think she really liked it. :)

Okay - that's enough.

Mackenzie's 12 Month Portraits

2009-06-02T16:00:00.002-05:00

We hired Paige Horras to take some portraits of Mackenzie for her 12 month pictures and oh...my...gah! They turned out SO GOOD! We talked about using one in a large frame over the couch, but now I don't know how we will choose! Let me know which one you think is the best!

And here are some of Mackenzie & me!

Daddy's precious DVDs

2009-05-25T14:49:00.002-05:00

As most of you know, Matt LOVES movies and really enjoys collecting DVDs (please see below). One of his biggest worries has been whether or not Mackenzie would "find" his precious DVD collection.

Well....she definitely found it.........

Rise & Shine

2009-05-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie is such a happy baby in the mornings. I love seeing that sweet smile right when I wake up!

The many (MANY) fussy faces of Mackenzie

2009-05-24T14:49:00.002-05:00

We ate dinner at Red's tonight and Mackenzie decided to show Red her new "whiney" face. I have to admit, it's pretty darn cute!

And to all of the worried grandparents, aunts, uncles, ETC. - please note that this photo shoot lasted 1.5 minutes TOTAL so no harm was done! :)

Mackenzie loves books!

2009-05-24T14:47:00.002-05:00

One of Mackenzie's favorite things to do is pull all of her books out of her bookshelf. She will take a break every now and then to sit down and flip through some, but mostly it's just the act of pulling them all out that she really enjoys!

Mackenzie "running" from Mommy down the hall -

another favorite game of hers!

Ahhhh!

And she's off!

Taking a break...

Reading with Daddy

11 month update

2009-05-19T09:39:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie - you are 11 months old! As you can tell from these pictures, you are ALL OVER THE PLACE! I can't keep you still for even a few seconds. You are so independent and want to do everything by yourself! You are walking really well with the help of a push toy and you like pushing it up and down the hall.

You are always smiling (unless you're teething!) and such a happy baby! You like to clap and wave "bye bye". You are so smart and you absorb everything around you.

Daddy and I love you more than words could ever say! You truly brighten our lives!

We love you!
Mommy & Daddy

My First Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:35:00.002-05:00

My very first Mother's Day was so wonderful thanks to Matt, Mackenzie, and the rest of my wonderful family! I didn't get many pictures, but the few that I did get are pretty cute!

So relaxed....

Mommy & her favorite girl!

Baby Einstein

2009-05-02T13:16:00.002-05:00

Now, I try really hard not to let Mackenzie watch a lot of TV, much less encourage her to watch it. BUT - as all of you other Mommies know...sometimes you gotta do what you GOTTA DO. In order to clean up the house a little bit, I put in her Baby Einstein "Discovering Water" DVD and hit "play".

I'm pretty sure that I ended up taking pictures of how cute she was more than cleaning, but oh well!

Visit to Nan's

2009-05-01T15:17:00.002-05:00

We made a stop at Nan's house today so that she could visit with Mackenzie. They read some books which is one of Mackenzie's very favorite things to do! We even took a quick family pic before we left!

Morning Baby

2009-04-30T07:17:00.002-05:00

Bedtime

2009-04-29T19:15:00.003-05:00

Recently, Mackenzie was feeling pretty rambunctious at bedtime! She was all over the place and I couldn't help but snap a few shots of her before putting her down for the night.

Must ... have ... silkie ...

Almost got it....

Pretty girl!!!

2009-04-29T07:15:00.002-05:00

I took about 38,291 pictures of Mackenzie this morning but in my defense she looked PRECIOUS! I've uploaded a small sample so that you can see for yourself.

Brides for the Cure

2009-04-27T10:14:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie and I took a trip to Fayetteville this weekend to join the Brides for the Cure in the Race for the Cure of the Ozarks!

We left Friday night around 7:30 which sounds very late, but it was for the best. I wanted Mackenzie to stay on her schedule as much as possible so we didn't leave until it was time for her to be going to bed for the night. And just so I remember, this worked PERFECTLY and she went right back to sleep when we got there and I put her in the pack-n-play. My best friend, Mary, and her hubby, Brandon, were, as always, so sweet to let us stay with them and hang out all weekend!

Mackenzie helping Mommy pack

Saturday morning, we were up at 5am to get ready and leave for the Promenade in Rogers where the race was being held. We met up with Kelli, her mom Teresa, and Amy at the Promenade and joined the rest of the Brides for the Cure for breakfast and signed up for lots of wedding give-aways (which, unfortunately none of us won, but oh well!!). At 8am, we started the race and walked 3 miles for our Mimi who is a breast cancer SURVIVOR!! It was great to see all of the people racing for such a great cause! The awesome sponsors who set up the Brides for the Cure team had the cutest t-shirts, the yummiest breakfast, and just the most fun in general!

Mackenzie on the way to Rogers @ 6am!

First of the many self-portraits we'll
take together in the years to come!

Me and my pal Dale Benfield - one of the best photogs EVER!!

Mackenzie is ready to start the race!!

My sweet baby girl!!

With Auntie Mary before the race started

This sweet little old man was walking by himself in the
race and had all of us girls crying after reading his tag.

Almost finished!! Lindsey, Mary, Kelli, Amy, me, and Mackenzie!

When we left the race, we headed to one of my personal favorites, Chick-fil-a, for lunch with the girls and Mackenzie showed them just how big she was by sitting in her highchair and being super sweet (for the most part)! After all of that - it was TIME FOR A NAP! We then spent the afternoon with Aunt Mary shopping at the NWA Mall - which I miss very much!

Sunday, Mackenzie woke me up bright and early at 6:30, had her morning bottle and didn't want to go back down for her nap which she badly needed. So, I put her in the car and drove her around the college town that her mommy misses more than words can say. This worked out great because within 10 minutes, she was fast asleep which left me some quiet time to cruise around Fayetteville.

We headed back to Mary & Brandon's house to pack the car up and maybe do a little more shopping before heading home. While I packed up all of our stuff (I swear that going on a weekend trip with Mackenzie is like packing my life up for a month!), she played in her pack-n-play and watched her new Baby Einstein movie about Neighborhood Animals and LOVED it!!!

Uncle Scottie even came to visit before we left and she loved that too!

It was sad to say good-bye to Mary, Brandon, Scott, and Fayetteville, but we were anxious to get home and see Daddy! Unfortunately, the trip home did not go NEARLY as well as the trip up and I will never, EVER again leave on a trip that lasts more than 30 minutes unless it's Mackenzie's bedtime or naptime! We got home safe and sound last night and Mackenzie had the biggest smile on her face when we opened the door to the house. It was like she realized she was home and she was soooo happy for the rest of the night. She couldn't stop giggling and smiling and just looking around at the house and Daddy! It was the sweetest thing to see how much she loves her home.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip! Mary and B - thanks for having us! You are the best friends anyone could ever hope for! We love you so much!

Mackenzie - thank you for going with me for such a special event and making it even more fun! I love you more than words can say!

Yummy Spaghetti

2009-04-21T18:00:00.002-05:00

After we picked Mackenzie up from daycare, we took some time to play before dinner. This little girl is growing TOO FAST!

For dinner, we tried spaghetti for the very first time and it was a very messy success!

Cleaning up

2009-04-21T17:24:00.002-05:00

April 18, 2009

Mackenzie is starting to resemble Mommy in more than one way! I got the Dust-Buster out to clean up and Mackenzie crawled all the way across the living room just to get a look. I thought that she would have been scared of it because it's pretty loud, but she sat down right next to it and grabbed it!

Mommy's little helper!

Push Toy

2009-04-21T17:19:00.002-05:00

April 18, 2009

Mackenzie has a push toy that she got from Nonna a few weeks after she was born...seriously. Obviously, we haven't been able to use it until now and Mackenzie is loving it! There are wooden blocks that fit inside the box part and she loves pulling them out and trying to put them back in. Just recently, she also enjoys crawling through it!!!

What a big girl!!!

Family Walk

2009-04-21T16:50:00.002-05:00

April 20, 2009

After dinner, Matt, Mackenzie, and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was sooo beautiful outside so we had to take advantage of the weather!

I recently got a nifty little umbrella stroller that just so happens to also be hot pink (which I'm so excited to use this weekend in the Race for the Cure of the Ozarks) and Mackenzie loves it! I think what she likes about this one in comparison to our "heavy duty" stroller is the fact that she can really see everything around her and she doesn't get nearly as hot. I like it because it weighs 8 pounds rather than 30 and it's much easier to maneuver.

Heading out...

She kicked her feet and talked the whole time we were walking, so we think she really liked it.

Matt didn't want to take this pic...he doesn't like pictures in "public"!! :)

When we got home, I wanted to get some pictures of Mackenzie in front of the house. I mean, someday she'll probably want to know what her very first home looked like!! I know that when I look at old photos of me as a child, I like to look at everything in the background of the photo too.

As I was taking the pictures, I noticed Mackenzie's eyes looked extra pretty, so I tried to get some close ups...

Matt and I decided that we should do this more often especially when it's such great weather!

Mackenzie is 10 months old

2009-04-19T20:37:00.002-05:00

April 19, 2009

I know I say this EVERY time, but seriously...I wish I could find a way to make time stop. Well, not stop, but just slow down at least a little bit!!!!

Mackenzie, you are TEN MONTHS OLD! How does it feel?? You are getting so independent and you love being mobile! You have started "really" crawling, going from crawling to sitting up, pulling up, "cruising" around your crib and the furniture, and even recently taking steps BY YOURSELF with your push toy! You always have the biggest smile on your face and you're just so, so happy!

You are very vocal and are talking quite a bit. You can say "da-da", "ma-ma", "bye-bye", and "ba-ba" although they are very rarely in the correct context. You have even started shouting...just because you can! You like the sound of your own voice and you love talking to Mommy and Daddy. You have a very cute laugh that sometimes sounds fake, but cute none-the-less. You are also really into mocking us when we cough or make "pfff" noises.

You are weighing about 22 pounds and you seem to have grown in length quite a bit although I don't have an accurate measurement right now. You are eating Stage 2 and 3 foods as well as some table foods. You really enjoy feeding yourself because I think it makes you feel like a big girl - which you are!! You still enjoy taking baths except that now, towards the end of the bath during the rinse off, you tend to get a little upset and want out.

Mackenzie - we love you more and more and MORE every day and each new phase is our favorite. You keep us on our toes and make our lives and many others so much more enjoyable just because you're in it!

We love you,
Mommy and Daddy

This was right when Aunt Erin came over and you
decided you were done with the pictures and wanted to play!!

So excited to see Aunt E!

Morning Playtime

2009-04-15T15:54:00.011-05:00

April 8, 2009

Mackenzie is always super sweet in the mornings when you wake her up...and she always has this very cute "I just woke up" look about her. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that looks so cute...maybe her bushy little head! Especially on this morning because I put her in one of my favorite outfits - a little tee and some leggings. She just looks so cute I can't help but kiss and squeeze her! See for yourself...

Squeezable!!

Here's that bushy-headed "just woke up" look I was telling you about!

Where are you going?!?!

Gooooooood morning Mommy!!!

2009-04-15T15:54:00.010-05:00

April 10, 2009

When I woke up this morning, I did NOT want to get out of bed. I could hear Mackenzie talking to herself and I was thinking of how sweet she is when I heard her starting to giggle. I just had to see what she was giggling about so I looked over at the video monitor and this is what I found....

Mackenzie,

You are so big that you can pull up and check out whatever you want...even your video monitor camera! We definitely have our hands full and we are loving every minute!

We love you so much!
Mommy & Daddy

Visiting the Fam in Yellville

2009-04-15T15:54:00.009-05:00

April 11, 2009

We headed to Yellville, Arkansas on Saturday morning to spend Easter with the Parker family. We had so much fun visiting and catching up, especially since we haven't been up there since Thanksgiving.

Mackenzie slept almost the entire 2 hours and 45 minutes there, so she was refreshed and ready to play as soon as we got there. We ate lunch first and then she showed everyone her tricks. Since she can crawl and pull up and sit up by herself now, she had lots to share! Nan gave her a duck as an early Easter present which she absolutely loved.

Mackenzie loves the sound ducks make! "Quack, quack"

So soft

Nan really cracks her up!

And just like that, she was ready for another nap.

...which Pops had no problem helping with while
Nan, Mommy and Aunt Nancy went to Wal-Mart.

Four generations of Parkers...

Matt decided that it was his duty to kill all of the
74,803 wasps that had made homes in the guest house.
This did not turn out well for Matt, but I will
spare him the embarrassment of the story! :)

After Mackenzie got a nap, Nan and Mommy played dress-up with her new clothes from Nan and Pops. Nan and Mommy enjoyed this MUCH more than Mackenzie did, but I have faith that she will grow into it! Then it was time to play with Papa...

Mackenzie showing Papa her crawling skills!

Checking each other out!

Mackenzie loves her Papa!

Enjoying every minute!

Do you think she gets ANY attention?
Like Papa says..."I'm just worried about her not getting any loving."

Now, it was time to dye Easter eggs!!! Unfortunately, Aunt Erin was not able to make it to Yellville this year and we were missing her the entire weekend, but especially missed her while we dyed Easter eggs with Nan.

Nan showing Mackenzie how pretty brown eggs can be when you dye them.

This one was Mommy's favorite!!

She really wanted to eat it!

We let her mouth this plastic one instead.

Trying to figure out just what's so different about this one...

Daddy loves his girl!

With all of the busy schedules for Easter weekend, we had Easter dinner on Saturday night so that all of the family would be able to get together at one time. We had delicious food at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jesse's house and were able to visit for a few hours.

Nick, Beth, Avery and Greysen were there and it was so fun to see how big Avery and Greysen had gotten. We last saw Greysen at Thanksgiving when she was only a week old - my how quickly they grow!!

Mackenzie sharing her rattle with Greysen

It blows my mind how fast Mackenzie is growing...now she
can even decide when she doesn't want to have her picture taken!!

After readjusting, she found another distraction...her bow. "WOW!"

Look what I found, Mom!

Sweet Greysen

Eleanor, Jason, Peyton, and Jacey were also there. I think Jacey liked playing with "real-life" babies! What a beautiful girl!

Peyton and Jaycie

Mema and Greysen

What a cutie!!

Mackenzie's First Easter

2009-04-15T15:54:00.008-05:00

April 12, 2009

On Sunday morning we woke up bright and early to find that the Easter Bunny had visited during the night and left Mackenzie a beautiful Easter basket filled with all kinds of goodies! She got lots of Easter eggs, a book all about the very first Easter, and even a cool Easter scrapbook to keep all of her Easter photos in for years to come.

After digging through the basket, we got ready for church and took a few pictures of all of us looking pretty!

Mackenzie was a DOLL during church, smiling and cooing, and eventually passing out in Nan's arms (which I think Nan enjoyed more than Mackenzie!). When we got back to Mema and Papa's house, we visited with the Hensley's and their beautiful daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. Nan even set up an Easter egg hunt throughout the house!!

This was right after Mackenzie tried to eat one of the pretty
blue Easter eggs that she found, hence the blue lips!!

WOW!! That must not have tasted very good!

The pretty girl with her Easter egg loot!

After the Easter egg hunt, Sarah and Mackenzie played with her musical table. Mackenzie is learning to share very early and doing really well...so far! :)

It was a very busy & hectic weekend, but oh so worth it! Hopefully we won't wait another 6 months to do it again!!

Reading with Mommy

2009-04-15T15:53:00.002-05:00

April 7, 2009

We try to read to Mackenzie every night before bed. She absolutely LOVES books and she gets so excited when she sees you picking one up. I loved to read as a child (and I'm sure I still would if I could find the time!!) so I am hoping she shares that. So far, so good!

We seriously need to baby proof!!!

2009-04-15T15:52:00.002-05:00

April 7, 2009

Well, this particular morning, we got Mackenzie up and let her play in our room while we were finishing up getting ready. I noticed that Mackenzie was extra curious about our bathroom on this particular morning which is different because usually she just plays with her blocks in our room and never even goes near the bathroom.

Not this morning...she was determined to get into the bathroom and while I closely supervised her (I swear! :) ), I watched this scene unfold.

Hmmm, I wonder what's in here?

What's that, Mom? This isn't allowed?!?

Determined....

What else can I get into?

Time to babyproof.... :)

Like mother, like daughter

2009-04-06T22:26:00.002-05:00

I thought this was really cute....

This is me when I was was 3 or 4 months old...

And this is Mackenzie at 9 1/2 months old. :)

Sleepy head

2009-04-06T22:03:00.002-05:00

The last few nights Mackenzie has had some trouble going to sleep. I think it's partly because of her new skills - I mean, who wants to sleep when you can crawl around your crib and pull up to see over the side of your bed?!?

Tonight, Matt went to Tyler's to watch the National Championship game and Mackenzie and I hung out. Mackenzie drank her bottle, fell asleep and as usual woke up when I laid her down in her crib. I thought I would try to sneak out of her room and see if she'd fall asleep. That didn't happen...I've tried to let her "cry it out", but that only lasts a few minutes...if that. She started getting really wound up, so I peeked in there and saw this.....

Superstar!!

2009-04-06T21:50:00.002-05:00

April 4, 2009

While I was getting Mackenzie some sleepers at the Children's Place (they're the BEST pjs for babies!!!), I saw these adorable little sunglasses and just had to get Mackenzie a pair. She only kept them on for a minute or two, but it was just enough time to snap some pictures with my iPhone. She's such a diva!

It's the paparazzi!

What a cutie!!

Please - no pictures!!!

Uncle Payton

2009-04-06T21:24:00.002-05:00

April 5, 2009

Last night, Uncle Payton came by and Mackenzie really enjoyed it. She hadn't seen him since October at Kelli's surprise birthday party. I didn't get any pictures, but I wanted to remember the visit. Mackenzie was really fascinated by Payt and couldn't take her eyes off of him! Even though it was late and getting to be her bedtime, she showed him all of her tricks including the army crawl, pulling up on the walker Nonna bought her, and even dancing a little while holding on to it. Uncle Payt was super impressed with her skills and she even crawled up in his lap a time or two. Mackenzie is still sleeping with the blanket that Payton gave her at the hospital on the day she was born and she loves it.

Uncle Payton, if you're reading this - thanks for stopping by! We really enjoyed the visit and Mackenzie can't wait to see you again!

Mackenzie & Uncle Payton (Oct. 18, 2008)

Good morning sunshine!!

2009-04-03T13:21:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie,

This morning, as usual, I woke up to you babbling to yourself (and whining every once in a while). However, when I looked over, I couldn't believe what I saw on the video monitor - you were SITTING UP in your crib!!!! I was so excited that I grabbed my camera and ran into your room to get a picture! Before I could say cheese, you laid down and crawled over to the edge of the crib to greet me with that sweet smile. As much as I wish I had a picture of that moment, I know it's one that I will be able to see clearly in my mind forever!

So...as of today, you are "officially" going from tummy to sitting up by yourself. I am so proud of you! You are also doing other super-cute-big-girl things these days:

Pulling up on me every chance you get

Trying to pull up on anything and everything

Still loving on your silky, but now you will turn it over and over until you see the soft side and then you grab that particular side and pull it up to your face and start sucking on your bottom lip (this is possibly the CUTEST thing you do right now!)

Trying to wave - even when we're not going anywhere and sometimes when we are!

Sharing - when you are chewing on a teething ring or eating something, you will give me some if I ask, "May I have some?" and then giggle when I pretend to eat it.

You are still trying to crawl and sometimes you will be on your hands and your toes with your little booty up in the air like you're doing a yoga pose!

As hard as it is to wrap my brain around how fast you are growing, I have to admit, it sure is fun! You definitely keep us laughing and we love you more and more every day.

Love,
Mommy

*** I almost forgot one really important thing - you have your bottom left tooth and your bottom right one is starting to break through! There's nothing cuter than seeing you smile with that cute little tooth!

9 Month Check-Up

2009-03-24T13:39:00.002-05:00

March 23, 2009

Mackenzie,

We took you to your nine month check-up this past Monday and are happy to say that all is well - for the most part. You still have a bilateral ear infection (you've had the same one since the end of January when we had to take you to the ER!) so the doctor gave you stronger antibiotics and we're hoping these work. You are also still sniffly & snotty, but the doctor says this is normal for children in corporate daycare. The good news is you will be one tough cookie in kindergarten! Once again, the doctor and nurses were very impressed with your strength. You did have to get a heel prick and you did NOT enjoy it at all, but you calmed down pretty quickly.

And as for your stats:

Weight: 19 pounds, 4 ounces (50-75%)
Height: 30" (95% - I think they may have mis-measured! Your mommy is way too short for you to be in the 95th percentile!)
Head: 17 1/2" (50-75%)

You are one healthy girl! All in all, it was a wonderful visit. We are so blessed and thankful for your health.

We love you!
Mommy & Daddy

Mackenzie is 9 months old

2009-03-19T13:01:00.002-05:00

Mackenzie,

You are nine months old today - only THREE MONTHS until your first birthday and I can hardly believe it! You are such a big girl and you definitely like to do things how you want, when you want. Your independence is adorable as well as something Mommy and Daddy are adjusting to. :)

You are still doing the army crawl, but are getting up on your hands and knees and rocking back and forth. You are sitting up by yourself like a pro and have learned how to go from sitting to your belly like you've been doing it forever! You can chase after anything you want and have even followed Mommy and Daddy into the kitchen or into the bedroom a time or two! You are starting to explore more and you seem to like the bathroom a lot - it's the place you are always trying to get into.

You pulled up for the first time this past Sunday (March 15). You crawled halfway into my lap and then pulled yourself up by holding onto my arm. You pulled up onto your knees first, but the second try you got up to your feet with no problem! And just so I remember, you were trying to get to my breakfast - a waffle! :)

As far as eating, you never miss a meal! You like to eat and I think your favorite is still the banana-peach granola stage 2 food. You are still snacking on finger foods like the wagon wheels, puffs, and pieces of bread. You are drinking out of a sippy cup really well and you seem to like water more than you like juice. You have even taken sips out of a regular cup, even though it was a bit messy!

Your favorite toy is still the jumparoo. You LOVE to jump - so much so that Nan & Pops got you a Johnny Jumper to keep at their house and the look on your face when you're in it is priceless!

You weren't very interested in taking your "9 month update" pictures, but they still turned out pretty cute. We love you more than words can ever say!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Mackenzie has her first tooth!!

2009-03-17T16:08:00.002-05:00

Mar. 8, 2009

Well, you can't see it in these pics - Mackenzie wasn't having that AT ALL! - but I promise it's there! Nonna discovered it when Mackenzie bit down on her finger and she felt a sharp prick! So YAY for FINALLY having proof of all of the painful teething our poor girl has endured!!

Happy Birthday Aunt Lea-Lee

2009-03-17T16:06:00.008-05:00

Feb. 13, 2009

On Friday we celebrated my sister, Ashlea's, 25th birthday! We got the fam together and ate some delicious food at Olive Garden. Thanks for letting us share your special day with you Aunt Lea-Lee! We love you!!!

Valentine's Day Party

2009-03-17T16:06:00.007-05:00

Feb. 13, 2009

Friday, Mackenzie had her very first Valentine's Day party at school! This outfit is something I bought in Branson at one of the Old Navy outlets with Erin when I was pregnant. I saw the cute little t-shirt and skirt and imagined her wearing it for this very reason. She looks even cuter than I dreamed!

These are Mackenzie's wonderful morning daycare teachers: Ms. Lisa, Ms. Trudie, and Ms. Jamie. She LOVES them!