Busy, Busy, Busy

Hey everyone! We hope that you all had a great weekend! We were on the move again. The couples shower that we helped host in Athens was a blast! We got to hang out with lots of old friend from Young Harris...that doesn't happen much. It is so fun to hang out with them. It is like "going home!" Saturday night we spent the night in Mad Town. Sunday we had Emily Boyce, a photographer in Madison come and take McKenzie's 6 month pictures and some family photos of us too! Well McKenzie fell asleep 20 minutes before Emily arrived at mom's house. So we had to wake her up. She did not cry but did not smile either in ANY of her pictures. If you know McKenzie she never stops smiling so it was a bit frustrating but what can you do. She did smile for the last 5 pictures of her with a pumpkin! They were so cute. So time will tell about the outcome of the pictures! However I do have Halloween pic for you! We hope you enjoy them!

Our little Chicken! McKenzie's first Halloween!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone! We hope that you all have had a wonderful day! McKenzie has, that rock star has not slept all day. No nap for her! She was a chicken tonight for Halloween! She was so cute! We started off at our church for Trunk-or-Treat. There we handed out candy with our life group. McKenzie had a bit of a melt down there from lack of a nap and we decided to leave. Our next door neighbors were having a party so we went there next. We had a great time! I will post the pics from our Halloween when Jason's downloads them. I really need to learn how to do that myself!

Tomorrow we are off to Mad Town early, early! Jason and I are hosting a couples shower in Athens for a friend of ours from Young Harris. She is getting married. We have to drop of Kenzie and Baxter to Nana and Papa T.'s house. Then be to Athens by 11! It should be interesting! We will be spending the night in Madison Saturday night and Sunday we are having a photographer come to mom's house to take McKenzie's 6 month pictures! We are going to have some family ones too!

I am off to pack so I will get the pics posted early next week! Keep checking the blog!

Once again, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!! :)

Cookie is Coming

Hey everyone! I hope you are doing well! Today is a very exciting day for us...my best friend Cookie from nursery school is flying in today for a few days! She has never met McKenzie so this is very exciting! We always have so much fun and go, go, go! I hope you all have a great weekend! :)

I still can't figure out how to get my friends, archive, and other links from the very bottom of my blog to the right side. Does anyone know? It is starting to really frustrate me. GRRRRR...

Behind...only 2 weeks!

Hey everyone! I hope you are all well. I am so sorry I am 2 weeks behind again. Life on Mossybrook Lane has been nonstop! Let me go back to October 10th and catch you up! Jason's brother Jeffrey left for Africa on the 16th. So, on the 10th, we had a house full of family and friends to spend time with Jeff. Friday night we had Tante Nana and Uncle Carlos, Cousin Michelle and her boyfriend- Tyler, Cousin Michael, and great friends Lauren and Bethany spend the night. Lauren and Bethany were a surprise for Jeff so it was really fun to see his face! In the mean time of having a house full of people and being the host(with I love, Jason says it's my calling!) I also decided to make a special book for Jeff. (I will give the credit to my sister-in-law, it was her idea...an awesome one like always!) Anyways, this book that I put together ended up being 327 pages and it weighed 11 pounds! We had to weigh it for packing purposes since the airlines are so strict on weight now! But anyways it was just a book that has a bible verse, song, picture, memory for everyday that Jeff will be gone which is like 700 and something. So, needless to say, it took hours to put together. Many late nights but in the end, it was totally worth it and he loved it, which was all that mattered to me!

Thursday the 16th was the day that Jeffrey left for Tanzania for 2 years as a missionary. It was a bitter sweet goodbye. I know he is going for an amazing reason but saying goodbye was no easy task. However, thank God for technology, we have talked to him and seen him over the computer using skype! It is such an awesome program!

After our house was empty from company it seemed so weird to just be the three of us! We carved 3 pumpkins on Saturday and I hope to have the pictures from that up here soon. They are so cute! Sunday, we had nursery after church for a luncheon that was going on and didn't get home until 2:30.

Yesterday McKenzie and I had a play date with Brooke and Brock. We ate lunch at Moe's and then went to a new little shop in town. It was such a cute place and then to Wal-Mart to lay in supplies as Bom (my grandma) would say! Wal-Mart is so exhausting. I really don't like to go there.

This Friday we are looking very forward to a very special visit from Cookie! She now lives in Philly. Cookie is my best friend since nursery school back in Eden, NY! She has never met McKenzie so I am very excited! We always have such a great time and there is never enough time to tell all the stories that we have to share with each other! Old friends are such treasures!

So, that is what has been going on in our lives in the last two weeks! I promise to try and keep a better blog. It is just amazing how fast time passes and how the days go by. Enjoy the pictures below from the week that Jeffrey spent with us! We are so proud of him!

McKenzie and Uncle Jeffrey

Uncle Jeffrey and McKenzie

McKenzie still loves her bath in her rubber ducky tub!

The Christmas Tree we set up for Christmas with Jeff!

McKenzie and Me

Christmas with Jeff before he left!

Bethany and Jeff

Lauren and McKenzie

McKenzie in the car after church.

McKenzie in her cute little sweater!

Help...someone help!

Hey! I am looking for a someone who can help me with this blog. I have really messed it up. I have this ugly background that I can't seem to replace. Also, my "friends links" have disappeared as well as my lilypie ticker on the left side. I added the ticker to our title because I could not figure out how to put it back on the left side. I can't find LAYOUT anywhere in my mess to fix all these problems. Also when I try to post a pic it is all letters and numbers until you post it. I can't see the pictures so I can't write captions under them. I am really fed up with this...and I need a lesson in blogging 101! Does anyone know what I am talking about or think they can help me? I will be more than happy to give you my password for you to fix this for me. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks!

6 Month Check-Up

Today we had to take McKenzie for her 6 month check-up. She now weighs 17 pounds and is 28 inches long. Poor little girl had to get 5 shots today and drink the 6th one. She screamed as you can imagine but then when it was over I picked her up and she stopped crying shortly there after. She can now have meat (baby food of course!). Tonight she tried chicken and LOVED it. She ate an entire jar along with her squash and cereal. She is still not a big fruit eater.

McKenzie has really started to nap very well. The rock star has decided that it is okay to sleep during the day as well as at night. She is now sleeping about 9-11 hours at night and about 2-3 hours during the day. It is a nice break from how we started off with being up with her all the time! She is talking all the time now and still loves her bath. She is rolling all over the place and yesterday she started to sit up on her own. It is so amazing to us how fast she is growing and changing. No teeth yet but, she is drooling and chewing on anything she can find to put in her mouth. We cannot believe that she is 6 months old already! Time is flying by!

Burt's Farm

Hey everyone! This has been the craziest two weeks in a long time! I am way behind on my blog and I am sorry to all of you readers who faithfully check it! On October 4th we went to Burt's Farm with Uncle Brian, Auntie Amber and cousin Tate. It was so much fun to watch Tate and McKenzie look at all the pumpkins! They just wanted to touch them and lick them. They also loved to play in the mulch that was on the ground with the pumpkins. We even went on a hayride all through the punpkin patch and saw a pumpkin house! It was a great day!

VA and Back

Hey! I hope this finds you all well! What a week! On Monday McKenzie and I left for Madison. I had to drop her off there because Tuesday Jason and I flew to Richmond, VA. Jason's brother, Jeff was commissioned yesterday in VA for his mission trip to Tanzania. We have never been to a commissioning service before. It was so awesome! There were so many missionaries commissioned. It was truly a humbling service. We are so proud of Jeff and know that he will do excellent things in Tanzania. He will be gone for 2 years. He leaves on the 16th of October, 2 weeks from today. I ask that you pray for him as he has begun to say his goodbyes. Goodbye is never easy, but especially for 2 years. So, after the service yesterday there was a reception and then back to the hotel for us, a quick change of clothes and off to the airport to catch our 7:35 flight home. I went back to Madison last night to spend the night and bring McKenzie home today and Jason had to come home last night because Baxter had to be picked up from the kennel this morning! (We love our son too!) It has been a busy week for us!

This Saturday we are looking very forward to Burt's Pumpkin Patch with Cousin Tate, Uncle B and Auntie Amber! Then Saturday night Papa T. Uncle Steve, Uncle B, Auntie Amber and Cousin Tate will be spending the night with us because the boys are off to the race on Sunday at Talladega! Yee Haw!

We hope you have an excellent rest of the week and a wonderful weekend!

On the Move

Hey everyone! I hope this finds everyone doing well. We have had another busy weekend! We spent the weekend with Jason's parents in Young Harris. We had a great time there. Jason carved a pumpkin for McKenzie and then we put her in a pumpkin suit that her Grandma bought her and took lots of pictures. They turned out really cute if I say so myself!

Today McKenzie and I leave for Madison. I am taking her to drop her off because tomorrow Jason and I are flying to Virginia. We will be spending the night there because Jeff's commissioning service for Africa will be on Wednesday. Nana took the day off of work to play with McKenzie! She is so excited! Wednesday night we fly home and I will go to Madison to get McKenzie and Jason will be coming home to pick Baxter up from the kennel. It will be another busy week for us. We hope your week is wonderful and safe!

McKenzie McKenzie McKenzie

McKenzie has outgrown her little baby tub. She is just way too long for it. However, I am afraid to just put her in the big tub because she can't sit up by herself yet. I have been in search of a seat for the tub. I had one when I was little, it was yellow and had suction cups on the bottom. Do you remember those? Well I have been looking for one and I can't find one anywhere. However, today when I was out shopping I found something way better than a tub seat...I found a rubber ducky!! It is a big rubber ducky tub that you blow up and set it inside the big tub! McKenzie loved it! She kicked her little legs and splashed her little arms! The beak of the duck even quacks! I love it! It is so cute and so much fun!

McKenzie has now tried applesauce. She made the yuckiest face when she first tried it. Her faces just make us laugh so hard! She doesn't like her fruits near as much as she does her vegetables. I would think the opposite because the fruits are so much sweeter. (I try all the baby food with her!) So, green beans are still her very favorite! Another thing that she has learned is when food drops on her highchair tray, she can smear it. What a mess she now makes with her dinner.

McKenzie is also practicing some signs for sign language communication. She laughs and thinks they are all so funny when I show her a sign! Then I make her do the sign. One day she will just sign to me first and I will be so excited and proud!

Yesterday, Jason got off of work early and we took my car to the shop to have the oil changed. While we waited for my car we went and had lunch. During lunch I put McKenzie in the booth next to me to change her diaper. While she was laying there she realized that if she turned her head into the booth it would squish her nose flat. When she first did this, she had a surprised/scared look on her face. As if to say..."My nose just went flat!" So, then it became a game to her. She would turn her head and squish her nose and then turn her head and face the ceiling. Each time she turned her head into the booth she laugh so hard. Well, Jason and I were about to die laughing. We were laughing so hard and so loud, it was out of control! So, McKenzie has now learned that her nose can bend and move!

One more thing that little Miss McKenzie has discovered is that she has a voice! She has started to squeal this high pitched squeal like a little pig. She will squeal and then laugh at herself. When she first did it she was afraid. She had no idea she could make a noise like that. It is amazing how everyday something new happens or she learns that she can do something else.

Have a super night and enjoy the pictures!

What a messy little girl!

McKenzie can smear her food!

The Rubber Ducky Tub

McKenzie loves her new tub!

McKenzie in her Rubber Ducky Tub!

Busy Weekend

McKenzie loves green beans!

Cereal and Bananas...McKenzie really doesn't like bananas. I thought she would eat them up because they are sweet.

First meal in the highchair from Uncle Jeff!
Last night-9/20/08

Tate and McKenzie hugging! They really just did that! We did not place their arms around each other! Precious!

McKenzie has started to notice her cousin Tate. Sweet Tate resting his hand on Kenzie's leg!

McKenzie and Tate in the car on the way to Nana and Papa T's!

Hey! We hope all of you had a wonderful weekend! We sure did! Friday, McKenzie and I met Auntie Amber and Tate for lunch by Stonecrest Mall. McKenzie and I were on our way to Madison to see Nana and Papa T for the night. We took Tate to Madison with us. Uncle B and Auntie Amber had a retreat to go on with their church. McKenzie and Tate got to go to Nana's school on Friday and visit her! Nana was so excited to see her babies and show them off! By the time we got back to Nana's house it was almost time for dinner and neither Tate nor Kenzie had napped all day. (Since McKenzie has started to nap, she gets very tired when she doesn't have one!) Both babies were in bed by 8:00 on Friday night. McKenzie slept until 7 am the next morning, but Tate woke up a few times! Uncle Steve came by on Friday night to see his niece and nephew. He rocked Tate to sleep and McKenzie just screamed every time she looked at him! It was pretty funny!

Saturday both babies were rested and ready to play. It was the first time that McKenzie really noticed Tate there. Before she just kind of touched him and reached for him. This time she looked and looked at him. She was just studying his face. It was so sweet. Of course, Tate noticed McKenzie a long time ago so he just looked right back at her. They are so cute together.

McKenzie and I left Madison around 2 and drove home. On Saturday night we went to our neighborhood block party. It was lots of fun. It was a cookout with door prizes! We won a Mum! It is sitting on our front step and hopefully we won't kill it!

Today we got up early. Jason had a meeting this morning at church at 8 am. I had a meeting there at 9:15. I met Jason in the parking lot and he helped me get all of our stuff and Kenzie into the church. Jason took McKenzie to life group with him. We still did not want to put her in the nursery today. She is still on her Amoxicillin and I did not want to chance her getting sick again or getting anyone else sick. She is feeling much better though. However, being on this medicine has made her not want to eat. She still drinks all her bottles but she has not wanted her cereal or vegetables all week. I brought McKenzie home after my meeting and Jason went on to work media team for the church service. When he got home I was putting McKenzie down for a nap and he made the nicest lunch for us. He grilled steaks, made baked potatoes, green beans, and even cut up a fresh salad. It was so yummy and sweet! After lunch he insisted that I go and take a nap while McKenzie was napping and he would clean up the kitchen! So, I did!! McKenzie took another great nap today, about 3 1/2 hours! I slept for 2 1/2 hours! It was wonderful! When McKenzie woke up we played and then she did eat her rice cereal tonight. She only ate it after I put some green beans in it. Tonight was the first time trying green beans. She loved them! Kenzie loves the green baby foods: peas and now green beans! It is so funny! After she ate we walked the neighborhood, she got a bath and bottle and went off to bed.

We had a fabulous weekend and we hope that you did too!

The Rockstar Sleeps

Hey! I just wanted to update everyone on McKenzie. She is feeling much better. The Amoxicillin is working wonders! She is finally able to breathe so she can finally sleep again. Today she took a 4 hour nap. She was so tired her little eyes could barely stay open. I was almost at a loss for what to do for 4 hours! I found plenty of things to keep me busy but going from no naps ever to a 4 hour one...it was a wonderful new thing!!

Sweet Potatoes and a Sinus Infection

Yesterday little McKenzie tried sweet potatoes. She made a very funny face when she tried them. She ate them but they are definitely not her favorite. She loves her carrots and peas though. So, we will keep trying with the sweet potatoes!

I took McKenzie back to the doctor today because she is still not feeling any better. She has been running a low fever all weekend. It would go anyway with Tylenol but return in a few hours. To make a long story short she has a sinus infection. A sinus infection is no fun with a 5 month old because of course she has no idea how to blow her little nose. She is now on Amoxicillin (which I am allergic to) and hopefully will be feeling much better soon. She has a spend-the-night party to get better for this weekend with cousin Tate!

Skype Rocks

We discovered the coolest thing ever today! We learned about and now have a Skype account! If you don't know what Skype is, I didn't either until today. It is a computer program that allows you to see the person you are talking to over the Internet! Jason bought us a new laptop today with a built in web cam. The reason for all of this is because Jason's brother, Jeffrey is doing an amazing thing. He will be leaving for Africa on October 16 to work with youth over there and spread the Word of our amazing God! We are so proud of Jeffrey and know that his 2 years away from us will be a life changing experience for him. However, the not seeing him for 2 years is a bit hard for us to swallow. So, with this fabulous new technology we will be able to see him in Africa and talk to him over the computer any time we want. It is just like talking the phone but you can see the person. It is the coolest thing ever! I am so excited about this program not only so we can see him but so McKenzie can see her wonderful uncle and know him when he returns. It will be so nice to be able to see him over the next 2 years. It has definitely made Jason feel much better. He is very close to Jeffrey but knows what he is doing is part of God's plan for his life. Africa is just a long ways away! Please pray for Jeffrey and our family as he prepares to leave home as he knows it and move to Africa to work for the Journeyman Program. The people of Africa will never be the same after Jeffrey gets a hold of them!

Kenzie Likes Carrots

Hey! I just wanted to update everyone that Kenzie has now tried carrots! McKenzie loves her carrots! However, I have realized that carrots stain clothes. So now she eats her carrots in a diaper!

McKenzie is beginning to feel a little better. She woke up this morning congested again but laughs and talks right along. She hates to get her nose suctioned out, which I would too! She has been allowing us to put saline drops up her little nose with not much grief. She has also been taking some Tylenol to help her feel better. Today she took a 2 1/2 hour nap. She felt so much better when she woke up. She has started to take a nap in the late afternoon if I just lay her in her crib. If I try to rock her, she will not go to sleep because she does not want to miss a thing!

We are not up to much this weekend. Granny and Granddaddy left to go home this morning so our house is empty feeling. We enjoyed their stay very much. We hope that all of you have an excellent weekend!

5 Months Today

Peas...what are peas?

I'm not sure about these peas.

Open wide!

I think I like peas.

I love my peas!

Today Miss McKenzie Grace turned 5 months old. We can't believe it! However, we had a rough night last night. McKenzie was up several times in the night and each time she was a little more congested. When she woke up this morning it was clear she did not feel well. We got her into the doctor this morning and found out she has her first cold. (We also found out that she now weighs an even 16 pounds!!) She is so pitiful. Her little eyes are all red and swollen and she has a runny nose and lots of congestion. She did not nap well today because she is just not feeling well and cannot get comfortable. She does not have a fever, so that is good. We are hoping it will pass quickly!

On a happy note...McKenzie did try some baby food today! She experienced peas for the first time and she liked them very much. I think she was glad to have a different flavor. She ate them right up! I was so proud of her!

Tonight when we returned from our walk I was holding her in my arms and drinking a glass of water. She pulled the glass to her mouth and I tipped it up a little and she drank a sip of water. It was so funny!

Yellow Daisy Festival

We decided Friday morning that we would have a family outing to Stone Mountain Park for the Yellow Daisy Festival. I have never in my life seen such a craft show. We got there at 3 not realizing that it closed at 6. So we had 3 hours and we did not even get through half of it. It is just tent after tent after tent of people and their merchandise. It is set up under all of these trees and you just follow a path through. It was nice because it was in the shade and not so hot. Three hours was enough time for McKenzie though. She did really good and loved riding in the stroller or in her Daddy's arms. We had an excellent family outing! If you get a chance in the future to go, go! (Sorry the pictures begin at the bottom!)

Stone Mountain up close

Stone Mountain

The festival was closing so we had to leave. McKenzie was so tired...she had had enough for one day!

We can across a booth that sold hot chocolate and this was the sign that was posted there! We bought some pumpkin spice flavored...it is so good!

There were so many different tents. We were there for 3 hours and did not even see half of it. It was an amazing craft show!

"Tuckered Out" as Papa T would say!

Chewing on Daddy's thumb!

Chewing away in the stroller

Buying a Christmas ornament with all 3 of our names on it!

We made it!

Walking to the festival!

Olan Mills at Home

Amber and I had this great idea that we would dress Tate and McKenzie alike and take their picture for my parents for Grandparents Day. If you look closely you will see that their outfits have a lamb on them and say "I love ewe!" Well, we waited until late in the day to try this. Both babies were tired and not wanting to cooperate. I was taking the pictures and Amber was shaking anything that she could find that made noise. It was pretty funny! I think from now on though we will try Olan Mills!

Take 1- They both needed to chew on something!


Take 2- Both were looking at the camera which was a plus but... neither one was smiling!


Take 3-McKenzie is leaning on Tate and in another second she had her foot in her mouth!

Take 4- McKenzie Grace and Tate McGowan holding hands! They always reach for each other's hand! McKenzie is smiling but Tate looks scared!

McKenzie's Dedication

We have had another busy weekend! Grandma and Papa Norton came and spent the night with us on Saturday night. Then on Sunday morning Great Granny, Great Granddaddy, Nana, Papa T, Uncle B, Auntie Amber and Cousin Tate all came to our house. The big occasion...McKenzie got dedicated at church yesterday! She did such a great job on the stage. She did not make a peep. Pastor Todd gave her a little Bible with a lamb on it and a certificate! It is so cute! After the dedication McKenzie went to the Ladybug Room to play where Cousin Tate was waiting to give her a high five on a job well done! After church we had a cookout at our house to celebrate McKenzie's big day! We even had a cake for her, even though she could not have any. We took lots of pictures to show her when she gets older! We hope all of you had an excellent weekend as well!

Just after the Dedication!

Laughing after my big day!

We love our sweet Tater!

Cousin Tate loves to touch my head!

Uncle B and Auntie Amber at the Dedication

Papa T helping McKenzie open her presents!

Great Granny and Great Granddaddy, Grandma and Papa

McKenzie's very first cake...and she couldn't even eat it!!

Cousin Tate came to my Dedication and we played in the Ladybug room together!

Family photo after McKenzie's Dedication