Poor Ba Ba

I am not sure what we are going to do with McKenzie. She is such a quick thinker and so hilarious...she is really hard to discipline sometimes. Tonight she threw her milk cup on the floor during dinner...AGAIN. She has been throwing it for months and months and months. Tonight when she threw it the milk from the cup splashed all over the island. When we were done eating I handed McKenzie a wet rag and I told her to wipe all the milk off of the island. So, when she was finished cleaning up the milk, I looked at her and asked, "McKenzie, who made that big mess that you just had to clean up?" Without missing a beat she looked at me and said, "Ba Ba!" Jason and I just died laughing. She is so fast on her response! She is quite a girl!

Sweet, Sweet Gran

Growing up in a small town usually means small, close knit church families. That is at least how my church growing up was. There was the sweetest lady there that everyone just called Gran. She was one of my really good friend's grandmother but she always treated me like I was her grandchild too. She called everyone Hon and everyone loved her. Last Friday, Gran died. I was able to go to her viewing yesterday but not her funeral today. MG had school today. Her viewing was just like she would have wanted it to be. Everyone was standing around sharing their favorite memories with Gran. It was also really good to see so many people that I have not seen in such a long time. It is fun to go back to where everyone knows you once in a while.



Gran had been really sick for a long time and she was more than ready to go Home and meet her Maker, as well as see the love of her life again. So now, as we mourn the loss of Gran it is comforting to know that she is not suffering anymore and that she has been healed!



Gran loved McKenzie and would always ask me to bring her to visit. Here is a picture of Sweet Gran (Grace Marie) and Sweet McKenzie Grace.

Shopping for Baby

McKenzie is so fun these days! She is ever changing and growing and her little wheels are always spinning! This morning we were in the playroom and she took off her baby's clothes. She put the clothes in the bottom of the stroller and strapped her baby in naked.

The clothes in the basket of the her stroller!

After getting her baby all strapped in, she headed for the door. When I opened it, she walked right out pushing her naked baby. She pushed her all over the house. When she came back into the playroom she picked up the clothes from inside her basket and handed then to me to put on her baby, saying "On Pease (Please)." I asked MG if she had gone shopping to buy her baby some new clothes and she said, "Yeah!" I just busted out laughing! She took he baby's clothes off, pushed a naked baby around the house, and pretended she was shopping for new clothes for her baby, only to return to the playroom with the same clothes she started with and had me put them back on her baby. It was so funny! I can't believe that she is thinking like that already. McKenzie never misses a beat. She is always surprising me with what she says and does. It is so much fun being her MaMa!

Here is baby all dressed in her "new" outfit!

Now little MaMa is pushing a very nice, clothed baby!

Here are some random pictures from the last few days!

MG into my cookbooks, again! She is going to love to cook and I am so excited about it!

I was trying to bribe McKenzie with M&Ms to smile for the picture! That is what is in her mouth. It did not really work. However, I wanted to show off her outfit to Aunt Kim! She looks adorable in this! Good job!

Cute outfit and a mouth full of M&Ms!

We had to have hair combing 101 with DaDa!!

From the side, it's even better!

Ball, Ball, Ball

What a day! Today, since it is raining again here we decided that we would go and shop prices for a play set for McKenzie's 2nd birthday. We have several friends who have play set in their backyards and MG loves to play on them. We have nothing really for her to do in our backyard and our poor girl loves to be outside! So, for her birthday that is what Jason and I are going to get her. Jason, being the thrifty shopper that he is...looked on Craig's list this morning and found a "new looking" play set that someone in our town was selling for a really good price. So he contacted them and we could go and look at it today after 2. So, before we met with them we went to Toys R Us just to price a new one. Which by the way a new one was over double what Craig's List guy wanted. Anyways, back to Toys R Us. So, I have to go to the bathroom while we are there so I left MG with Jason. When I came back to them she was holding a set of two balls in her hand. Jason went to check out and I was headed to the car with MG. We get just outside the store and McKenzie says, ball, ball, ball...I look down and she is still holding those balls that she had picked up. OH MY GOSH...SHOPLIFTING! I freaked out! I went running back into the store and I looked at the cashier and explained what happened and how sorry I was...they were very nice and understanding about it. However, I felt like a complete idiot! We ended up buying the used play set! MG will be getting an early birthday present sometime this week! We are really excited about! Pictures of that in the near future!

The "Wa Wa" Song

McKenzie is at this stage right now where she can't make up her mind. But, when she does, she does and that is it. When we rock her before bed at night she wants you to sing to her. So, I sing the same songs every night and then put her to bed. Well the other night, I mixed it up a little with The Itsy Bitsy Spider! I have sung her that before but not in a while. Now, it is the only song she wants me to sing to her and she wants it over and over and over again! However, she calls it the wa wa (water) song. I am not sure where she got that from. I never called it that. The only thing I can come up with is that when it rains outside, (which it does here a lot lately), I have explained to her that we can't go outside that it is raining and there is water outside now. So, I guess she put the words of the song together with that information and now The Itsy Bitsy Spider is the Wa Wa song! It is so amazing to me how children can make associations like that and they really make sense.

Brock's 3rd Birthday

This evening we went to Brock's 3rd Birthday Party! It was a train theme! Everyone that entered got a train hat to wear during the party! Brad and Brooke rented this indoor play area for the party. It was so much fun! There was so much there to do. There was a big inflatable, (that MG decided was really cool about 10 minutes before the party was over! Jason also thought it was really cool and played in it with MG!), a bubble machine that was also a hit with MG, all kinds of puzzles, chalk boards, baby dolls, strollers, blocks, slides, things to climb on, balls to throw, toys to ride, basically anything you could think of, they had it! The place was so colorful and bright! McKenzie just loved it! It is designed for children 5 years and under. Perfect for this age group. Brad and Brooke got pizza for everyone and cake, cupcakes, and ice cream! Every kid also got a balloon and a goodie bag on the way out the door. MG was so excited about that. All the parents got a goodie bag too, with a picture of Brock in a magnetic frame! So, naturally, Brock is on the fridge! We had a great time tonight at Brock's 3rd Birthday Party. Happy Birthday Brock! Brock coming down the big inflatable.

climbing

The Little Train Conductor

The decor was so cute!

Look at this sign...and all the cupcakes!

Precious and yummy cake!

The "Brock" train

Dinner time!

MG~Learning to drink a Capri Sun...she did not understand that you can't squeeze it!

The Cake!

Cupcakes!

YUM YUM!

Straight for the icing!

MG and the bubble machine!

Then, she found a cow to ride!

She wanted in this little jumper...her legs were bent under, but she would not get out!

Going into the BIG inflatable!

Down the slide...yes, Daddy was inside too!

BYE BYE Uncle Jeff

Yesterday, we were very sad to say goodbye to sweet, Uncle Jeff! He had to return to Kenya to fulfil his obligations there. As sad it was for us to tell him goodbye, he was really excited to get back. Jeff loves it in Africa. So, it was not awful to tell him bye because we knew that he was going back to something that he loved! However, today our house was really quiet! MG has been talking about Uncle Jeff. She does not understand that she will not see him for several months now. It was truly a blessing having Jeff here with us for a week. He is always such a breath of fresh air and his positive attitude about life is contagious. McKenzie Grace is so lucky to have such a wonderful uncle in her life. We miss you already Jeff and can't wait to see you in August! We are very proud of your work in Africa and we know that you are making a difference in the lives of many, not just now but for their eternity! We love you! Below are some really cute pictures of McKenzie playing with her Uncle Jeff in her playroom!

S*N*O*W* D*A*Y*

Last night we got a much predicted surprise...SNOW!! Snow is a really big deal down here and we never really get much so we get real excited about just a little! However, our county was not ready for this and none of the road are cleared and it is dangerous to be driving today. The schools all around here are all closed also! We went outside to play for just a little while this morning. We wrapped McKenzie up really warm and took her out! She loved it! She kept saying, more, more! She wanted to keep being pushed down the hill!


This snow has brought us another wonderful unexpected surprise! Jeffrey is staying an extra day! There is no way we could have gotten him to the airport today. They have closed one of our main roads in town. He was supposed to fly back this morning to Africa but he will stay until tomorrow now. We are so excited for one more day with him! McKenzie has gone crazy over him. I am not sure what she will do when he leaves. McKenzie just loves playing with him! It is so cute, she takes him by the hand and says play and off they go to the playroom! This snow has been a nice blessing in the New Year!

All ready to go out!

Yes, McKenzie is using a plastic lid as a sled! We do not have sleds here!!

MG and Uncle Jeffrey

Uncle Jeffrey

The snow brings out everyone in the neighborhood! So much fun!