i can tie!

ken began giving mck "tying lessons" about a year ago . . . every once in awhile she would sit down and demo how to tie . . . well, it paid off! the other day mck said, "mom, i can tie!" i watched her and she was so close! i showed her how to do it once . . . she copied it and now can do it on her own! :) we're not quite at the "mck can tie her own shoes" stage simply because we rarely have 10 minutes of time to sit and have her tie her shoes before we head out the door . . . but we'll get there soon enough! :) go mck! :)

time with grampy

grampy rode his motorcycle up for an evening to head out to the property g&g are planning to buy (FINALLY!) . . . the girls had fun putting him to work building with wood scraps and watching them play outside! it was a short visit . . . but sweet! he took off the next morning . . . but not before b.c. got to sit on the bike for a minute. you could just tell by looking at his face he knew he was cool! :)

poppy fest dancing 2010

the girls both took the stage again this year for the g'town poppy fest . . . and a little recital practice! :) they both did great! it's been so much fun watching them grow and become even better dancers! they were so excited to perform . . . didn't get that from me! :) what a fun morning! thanks so much to our bff's and ms. b for coming to watch them!

ken sported her recital outfit for her dance to "anchors away"/"in the navy" . . . she worked hard the week before to get ready . . . the routine is tough this year! poor kid . . . most of the front row was mia on the big day . . . so she was right there front and center! :) she did great . . . no nerves at all! :) can't wait to see the real thing! :)

mck's costume wasn't in just yet, so she wore a purple tutu and danced/sang to "baby take a bow!" she sings so loud and just loves the dance. she really has fun with it! she did great and was all smiles for the big dance! recital day . . . here we come! :)

kid's kottage picnic 2010

what a perfect day for a picnic! kid's kottage hosted their annual picnic for the family and we had a wonderful time. we all enjoyed a wonderful sack lunch and lots of sunshine and play! mck loved showing b.c. and kam around the playground equipment . . . and the little kids loved checking it all out. kid's kottage has been such a huge part of our lives for the past 6 years. it was so sad to think that this is our last family picnic there. :(

i'm 9 months old today!

oh my. 9 months old. time just won't slow down! you are so amazing. your smile melts my heart! you are done with baby food and eat dinner with us. you love food! you love your bottle, but are getting better with your sippy cup! you LOVE cheetos, bananas, yogurt, and all kinds of fruit! you love to play, but manage to find whatever is in the room that is NOT a toy . . . an electrical outlet, a piece of lint, a stray elastic. . . and it all goes straight to your mouth! you are still not sleeping through the night regularly, but every once in awhile you do! :) you try so hard to keep up with your big sisters. you crawl really fast . . . and have even taken a step here and there. your sisters just adore you. they love you so much. you are getting to be a bit more independent and can play by yourself for a bit. you love books, well, you love to eat them! :) you love to be outside and play in the grass and you love to watch the animals and birds outside. you are an amazing little guy. i love you so much!

your nine month stats . . . 28.5 inches long and you weigh 20 lbs. 9 oz

TROUBLE . . . again!

left alone for just a minute . . . there was a while roll of tp on the floor. . . and a very proud baby! :)

b.c.'s first mower ride

when i heard the mower start up i took b.c. outside. he was so excited - flapping his arms and yelling. . . it's loud, but he wasn't scared. he kept waving to bailey until he came over to get him! it was so cute to see him riding around the yard . . . of course EVERYONE had to have a ride after that! :)

ken's first sleepover party

this is ken as she headed out the door to her first sleepover party . . . 6 girls all night long! :) she packed her stuff friday when she got home from school! she couldn't wait! i kept telling her that if she needed me g's mom could give me a call . . . she would just kind of sigh and say "mom, i'll be fine!" . . . little miss independent! she did great! they stayed up late, did a cool craft, danced, watched a movie, ate a lot, and were just goofy! :) ken was beyond exhausted when she got home . . . okay, it was more like an emotional train wreck . . . :)

creative kids

the girls are constantly creating things . . . mostly with the "treasures" they find left behind from the people who used to live here! :) their newest construction projects . . . "a castle" - complete with seating! . . . and a "snail hotel" complete with a slide and a bath tub! the snail hotel even had it's first occupant . . . which someone accidentally smooshed a bit with a rock . . . so the girls found another shell and were trying to get it to move into the new one! :) ken has so many amazing ideas for building things . . . and mck and kam will go along with almost anything she wants to do! :)

5th birthday celebrations!

well, we are about partied out! mck had a great past few days . . . from build-a-bear and an early birthday dinner and cake to todays' whirlwind donut breakfast (complete with candle and song!), cupcakes at school (complete with purple icing and glittery sprinkles), cookies at ballet class (nothing special, but super yummy!), mc d's for dinner (yummmy!), and ice cream cake for dessert . . . we have partied hard over here! mck had a wonderful day! lots of b-day wishes from friends and family, a fun ballet class, and a few small presents at home (i have to say to was funny to watch the girls zhu zhu pets run all over the floor!)! can't believe mck's five. if i think about it too long i'll start to cry.

i'm five today!

my sweet little kenzie! you are so wonderful! you are so beautiful and funny, so talented and smart. you can light up a room! you love to dress up, play babies, and dance. you have a contagious laugh and a huge smile! you are sooooo not a morning person! you love school and have a great time playing with friends! you are an amazing big sister and a cool little sister too! you are so loving and sweet . . . and still want to cuddle. you love to hang out on the floor and look at books! you love tinkerbell and fairies and princesses! you are all girl! and i love it! happy birthday sweet mckenzie. i love you so much!

sweet baby mckenzie

april 13, 2005 * 6 pounds 15 ounces

our princess mckenzie today! a beautiful, healthy 5 year old!

a room fit for a princess!

after arriving home from build-a-bear, mck got her big birthday present . . . a room of her own (she was sharing with kam!). she chose the color months ago . . . but didn't know what it would look like! she was in love from the second she saw it. she really felt like a princess . . . from the canopy to the ballet bar, the room is really "her"! it was so fun to work so hard on finishing the room and see her be so genuinely excited! happy birthday sweet girl! :)

a birthday trip to build-a-bear

mck and little miss c headed to build-a-bear to celebrate mck's b-day a couple days early! mck has been counting down to her b-day treat for days! :) she couldn't wait! she was a great sport when they were out of the bear she had her heart set on and chose a super cute girly bear! :) the girls had so much fun stuffing, washing, and then dressing their new friends. we traveled up and down the escalators and elevators several times, got some snacks, and checked out the candy machines. the girls were so happy! :) now we're counting down to the big b-day trip! :)

bluebonnets . . . round two!

kam's sweet friend a had a party at the park today. it was COVERED in bluebonnets! so, we had to take some pictures . . . again. (this may not be the last time either! we didn't have the good camera!) the kids had a wonderful time . . . the weather was perfect and ms. j. did an awesome job on her little guy's party! the kids had so much fun . . . especially helping with gifts! :) what a perfect afternoon!

first ford family fun day

we attended what we (almost sadly) realized will be the first of many ford family fun days! :) the kids had an amazing time. inflatables, games, prizes galore, junk food, stuffed animals, hair painting, and more junk food . . . what more could a kid ask for! what a great fundraiser! ken and mck were rather competitive with the games . . . and sweet little kam would try to keep up . . . inching closer and closer to each game. the moms thought she was cute and let her get away with cheating on almost everything! :) what a fun start to the weekend!

more trouble . . . the stairs

i walked away to do a load of laundry. it was way too quiet. i came back and found this . . .

yep, b.c. has mastered the stairs. now, nothing is safe! watch out!

chicks raising chicks!

we took the "plunge" after months of talking about it and got some chicks! the girls had fun picking out their own chick . . . okay, so did i! ken and kam got black and white chicks . . . they will look cool when they are big! mck and i got the ugliest chicks you have ever seen, but they are so cool . . . naked-necks! they are chicks only a mother could love . . . awesome! we've set up their temporary home (they'll move to a coop in 2 months) and the girls have named them . . . "pants" (kam . . . too funny not to just go with that name!)" fancy" (mck) and "nancy" (ken)! and mine is "scrambled"! (i tried to get everyone to go with the "ways to eat an egg theme", but no one was with me! the girls have been sitting outside talking to their chicks for 30 minutes laughing at the funny things they are doing . . . too fun.

can i just say that 8 years ago if you'd told me i'd have 4 kids, a dog, 2 goats, 4 chicks, 2 acres, and be a stay-at-home mom i would have told you you're crazy! now, i can't imagine anything else.

a sneak peek!

yea! :) ken's recital costume is here! :) soooooo fun! :) we tried them on last night! we had glitter everywhere! :) gotta love it! :) she is dancing to anchors away/in the navy! now i can't wait for the recital! :)

precious moments

today kam, b.c., and i spent at least twenty minutes staring out b.c's bedroom window . . . watching two squirrels and several birds playing and eating in the trees. it was like they were glued to a television set, but we were watching nature. i just scooted back and watched them watching nature! kam gave a running commentary and made up a little story about how the squirrels were a mommy and a baby and they were looking for the daddy squirrel! she got so excited when they jumped from the tree to the roof and then back again! b.c. just loved every time something moved . . . letting out ear-piercing screams! i love moments like that!

bluebonnet pictures 2010

we're loving the bluebonnets in our own backyard this year! there are more and more everyday! sooooo beautiful! it's tempting to go out everyday and take more pictures . . . tempting, but then you realize that getting all 4 kiddos to take a good picture is near impossible! :) there are bluebonnets everywhere around us . . . so i think more pics this weekend is a must! :)