Awards...

And the "Mother of the Year" Award goes to....

MACKENZIE ANN!! She bathed Addelyn all on her own. I supervised, but she really did it all.




I let M hold Addelyn standing up for the first time. This was a big deal...she's been begging to do this. Of course, I didn't leave her side for a second!

And, finally, here's one of the cutie in the house. All warm and snug after her bath! She's 4 weeks old now!!

Dangerous Nate

Nathan has been amazing since the new baby arrived. He's still a little guy himself. (as long as they are in diapers - they are babies in my eyes!) He will be two on Jan. 9th! I simply can't believe that. He lights up our days and fills them with excitement. I love watching his "boy mind" work. He loves to stand on wobbly things and say, "WOOOOHHH!!" until he tips off of it. So fun.
Well, since his baby sister came Nate has been an even bigger stinker than normal. :) He swollowed a penny one day. We called poison control and they said it would pass on it's own. I had visions of an ER run in my head. Thank goodness it wasn't a quarter.
The day my Mom left to return home to GA I was nursing Addelyn when Nate decided to turn on the coffee pot and burn the tip of his finger on the burner. Poor boy!! SO SAD!! Although, he hasn't been climbing the counters recently!!
I'm sure this is just the beginning of his adventures!!

p.s. We now unplug the coffee maker when not in use AND the toaster...for good measure.

Mackenzie Days

Mackenzie to Mom: "Do you think God's house is colorful?"
Mom: "Oh, definetly yes. I absolutely think his house is colorful."
Mackenzie: "Good. Because I don't think I'd really like it if it were black and white."

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Mackenzie to Mom: "Today at school an elf read the morning message."
Mom: "Oh wow! That's fun!"
Mackenzie: "Well, do you know why I was pretty much scared all day at school today?"
Mom: "No, why Mackenzie?"
Mackenzie: "Because I'm really scared of elves."
Mom: "Well, you should know then that elves are not real, they are just pretend."
Mackenzie: "No, Mom. Fiction is not real. And Non-Fiction is real. I saw a story about an elf one time and it was NON-FICTION. So, Mom, elves are real."

Merry Christmas!

Addelyn Marie

Addelyn is here and is already one week old! She was born Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. 12:33pm. Weighing 8 lbs. 12 oz and 21 in long! Addelyn is an adorable baby. She has blonde/brown hair - quite the change in this family! She is quiet and content so far. I love snuggling with her and smelling that baby smell. Even in just one week she has already changed. She stays awake for a little bit longer these days before drifting back to sleep. Last night she slept in her bassinet for 4 hours on her own! I was proud and rewarded her by snuggling with her for the next hour. I am cherishing these days with her so tiny and don't want her to change too quickly!

Mackenzie is an awesome sister. She is so in love with Addelyn. She came running in from school this week yelling, "Addelyn...I'm home!!" She will teach Addelyn everything she knows and love her in the process.

Nate is a great brother too! He is sooo gentle with her. I'm proud of my not even two year old boy! He pats her head, kisses her, and wants to be near her. He loves to hold her - runs to the couch and gets into position!

Ryan is the best Dad I've ever seen. He oohed over a milk bubble in Addelyn's mouth the other day and that made me laugh! It was cute to see him so in love with our third...as if he hasn't seen all this before! He is patient and always willing to get up in the middle of the night just to hold her.

We are blessed. God is good. All the time.

A funny

Nate was cracking himself up today as he chased Lilly around the house. He would yell her name, "Yiyyy!!!" He was trying to catch her so he could wrestle one of his diapers on her. And that was just so funny to the little guy as he ran after her with a diaper in his hand!

Lilly is too fast for him...at least for now.

Double Digit Days!!!

WOOHOO!!! Yesterday I awoke with a spring in my step! My excitement is still brimming. Can you see my huge smiling face through this post?

I'm smiling because it is (what I call in my head) DOUBLE DIGIT DAYS!! Yesterday was the 10th of Nov....so much closer to the 28th than the 9th is! We are 17 days from due date, my friends.

The jury is still out on baby girl's name. I'm starting to get panicked. The hubs doesn't seem too stressed about it.

Girl clothes are washed and they are adorably small.

Nate has a new big boy dresser so baby can have his baby dresser. I still can't make myself switch his clothes over though - maybe tonight. There's so much finality to his baby days in that act for me. :)

This morning my sweet oldest daughter came around the corner to ask me if I would be her mother forever. It melted my heart as I kissed her sweet face. Of course I will my sweet Mackenzie! I'll be your mommy forever.

Now, everyone celebrate the DOUBLE DIGIT DAYS with me!

I voted! Did you??

Voting can become a tricky thing when you have kids. Do you bring the kids with you and torture yourself, your children, and all people around you? Ryan had a few hours off this morning so that he could vote. (YEA!) Our polls here in Wilmore opened at 6am, so Ryan set his alarm and left the house at 6:15am! My cell phone rang at 6:45am and when I answered Ryan said, (a bit too cheery for 6:45, I might add) "Time to fulfill your civic duty!" I dressed and walked out the front door in time to grab the keys and a kiss from Ryan as he came home. I voted and was home by 7:15am! ***This is one reason why we love Wilmore!*** It's a historic day today - we're looking forward to an evening of watching for the results!!

Mackenzie learned all about the election at school yesterday. She came home asking me who I was going to vote for. Her teacher showed them pictures of the candidates and let them mock vote behind a curtain and all! So, Mackenzie understood what we were doing and was excited to hear about it. In fact, in the bath last night I asked her who she voted for: "McCain, but I think Oklahoma will win." (She also told me that it was a secret and not to tell anyone...so...shhhhh!!)TOO CUTE! I don't know where she heard this - but it made me laugh! Apparently, Obama is a bit hard for a 5-yr old to remember! Maybe she's been soaking in something from all the political ads that have filtered into our home over the past several months.

We went into Lex this morning for bfast at "The Arches". (Code word for McDonald's in our house) The kids played and had a blast. Kenz dragged Nate all through the climbing things at the top - much laughter was made.

I finished my morning by going through the drive through at Starbucks and picking up my free cup of coffee for voting today! Yum! See??? It pays to vote!

The Praying Mantis

Me to Mackenzie: "Is that praying mantis praying?"

Mackenzie to me: "Hmmm...nope. His eyes are open."

Fall, Potato Soup, 36 weeks, and Capes

It's Fall here in Kentucky. A glorious time of year! I love the brisk morning air and the afternoon sunshine. We played baseball in the yard this afternoon, along with our two "boy" friends that came to play. Then we made obstacle courses and cheered each other on!

I made homemade potato soup for dinner - I love this new recipe that I found!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hearty-Garlic-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx
In fact, we all love it. The kids chow it down like it's their first meal in weeks!

Tomorrow I am 36 weeks pregnant and feeling every bit of it. I'm tired. My ankles are swollen. My back aches. And my top ribs have been asleep for weeks now. My body is ready for this baby. My mind knows a bit of what's to come and I am a tad hesitant. I sure enjoy sleeping all night long right now. But, I know the minute I see her sweet eyes it won't matter that I only get 4 hours of sleep each night.

Nate is a fabulous sleeper. He never wakes up at night anymore. Last night I heard his mobile running and got up to find a wide-eyed Nate sitting in his crib. Just hanging out! I swooped him up and brought him to sleep "in the middle". He layed there, completely still, for an hour. I layed awake next to him. I soaked him in, he soaked me in. I adore this child of mine.

Mackenzie will be Superman for Halloween! Ha! I bought a superman costume at a garage sale a few years ago for a quarter and she plays dress up with it. The only problem is it didn't come with a cape. So, in order to be Superman - I just HAD to sew her a cape! We did this project tonight. It only took an hour - I was surprised! She LOVES it and it instantly changed the entire costume. She'll be flying down main street tomorrow night collecting her loot.

Life is good. Hope yours is too.

and so it begins...

I made pancakes for supper. I love pancakes for supper! Mackenzie told me this evening that when we have pancakes for supper it confuses her and she doesn't know if it's morning or night. This triggered a fun game between the two of us - "is it morning? is it night?". Nate smeared syrup all in his hair - I laughed because it was so cute. (and because we always bathe them after supper!) Ryan was teaching drum lessons so wasn't home to experience all this fun.

ANYWAY...I finally get the kids in the tub and decide it's definetly a bubblebath night; much to their excitement! They play really well together in the tub, especially with the bubbles. So I decided to take advantage of it and scrub the bathroom. (I HATE this task, so when the mood strikes me I must jump on board!)

Before I know it I realize that I am on my hands and knees scrubbing the baseboards. How did that happen?! With every pregnancy I become a baseboard fanatic. It's as if we cannot bring a child home to this house unless the baseboards are sparkling! With M I even went as far as repainting all the baseboards white. Weird! So I chuckled when I realized what was going on. It may just be the front bathroom baseboards...but it means a lot. It means we're nearing the end here people!

I still have a lot of baseboards to go though...

It's a sunny day! Want to play?!

"It takes years to make a friend you've had for years." -- A line on one of my friend's blogs that I read this week. Isn't that so true? I'm an impatient person. (There might be a few of you out there that don't know this about me) So, when I'm in a situation that requires patience - it's a challenge. I want friendships - deep-rooted, soul-satisfying, love-my-kids kind of friendships. They are hard to come by and take hard work too. Each day I find myself missing my family - the people that know me like no others. I miss them because I want to share my life with them. Not just who I am...but my everyday, want to go to Wal-mart with me, life. Each day I find myself missing my friendships - those friendships that have taken years to make. Sure, there are friends all around me. And I am HUGELY thankful for those friendly faces. They make my day. But I'm longing today for a soul conversation. Maybe a walk through Wilmore with my stroller and big belly, struggling to get up over the hill kind of walk. I'm missing those friends that would help push me up over the hill.
This blog may seem a bit pouty. But, it's not meant to be. It's just a simple reminder to me...that it takes years to make a friend you've had for years.

Kid Updates

Mackenzie is excited about life. In most things we do (minus all chores) she finds a simple pleasure and satisfaction about "doing". If it involves using her hands or phsyically going somewhere..she's ready! Last week her Kindergarten teacher came to the house for our "home visit". Her teacher had nothing bad to say at all - spoke very highly of our girl! Her teacher, Mrs. A, said that M is always very helpful and kind. I'm not surprised - but glad to know she behaves the same way at school that she does at home. Mrs. A also reported that Mackenzie is in her highest reading group. M is taking off in this area! Reading up a storm and loving it! Here is a picture of Mackenzie...she made brownies for Mrs. A the day she came to our house! As you can see, she's excited about this too!

She's also just about the cutest little soccer star I've seen. Here's an "active" shot of her. She loves soccer and gets to have a good time running around!

Nathan is a dinosaur most days. His imagination is flourishing! He turns most everything into a car. I found him the other day moving his PB&J sandwhich along his plate and making the vroom noise. This boy of our's cannot sit still. He is so active, which makes each day fun! He is talking up a storm, even if most words he says are not audible to the average ear, Ryan and I know what he is saying! He plays so hard that each day he giggles with glee for naptime and bedtime! His hair has the slightest curl to it - it is adorable! His latest joy is to play in the bathroom sink. I add a little soap and his hands get clean too. ;) He'll play in there forever - just loving moving the duckies around and quacking!

Nate's newest trick to seeing on top of the counters. He always finds a way to get to where he needs to be!

Baby Girl is also doing well. (This is not the greatest pic of me, it was late and I was tired! But, you get the idea.) We heard her fabulous heartbeat yesterday - a strong 150 bpm. She is growing right on schedule with no problems! Praise the Lord for another healthy pregnancy. My due date is still the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28th. Maybe she'll be a week early like her brother. A pregnant mother can only hope. ;) Mackenzie said the sweetest prayer the other night, "Jesus, please help the weeks to go by faster so the baby can get here." Well put, Mackenzie! Here's a picture of me from two weeks ago - 31 weeks.

Frustration? Nah...Celebration!!

Ryan and I spent a good chunk of yesterday afternoon rearranging our son's room. His room also holds a double bed...so that our guests have somewhere to lay their heads when they visit. I was hoping to create a bit more play space for him and be able to get to his windows. (He loves to watch outside) We rearranged and then sat and stared at the mess we created; coming up with no solution! We eventually put everything back in the same place it's been in for the past two years. I guess we put it that way to begin with for a reason - it's the only way it fits!!
Mackenzie's room is in the same shape - not any room left in there for anything. Thus, we will have to remove some furniture in order to put a crib in her room for the new girl.

This leads me to my frustration...

With both of my previous babies, Ryan and I were able to create a lovely little nursery for our coming child. We had it all set up and ready for them. Clothes in the dresser, crib made, bassinet made, you get the picture. With this child it looks like we will put a crib in M's room, a dresser squeezed in the hallway, the changing table will stay in N's room, and the bassinet in our room! There is no central location for her. I have 8 weeks until my due date and I'm still trying to figure out where to gather things for her! (People who have had more than two kids are probably laughing at me, but I'm still trying to figure this thing out!!)

I thought I was okay with waiting to do most things until after she arrived. Afterall, I know that newborns don't need a whole lot of space. But, it turns out, I'd like to have the chance to prepare for her. :)

So, last night I was left with my frustrations and no solutions. Frustrated that it felt like we are trying to squeeze her in to our family. Frustrated that I can't seem to find any space for her. This was getting me nowhere, so I decided this morning to take a different slant. It's not that we're squeezing her in...it's that we all want a piece of her! There are four of us here waiting for her - four people wanting to kiss, hold, love, and take care of her! How lucky is she! She'll arrive into this world and be used to waiting in line. She'll get to spend time with her brother and sister because it will just be the way it is! No more space in the Inn. No more space for a frilly pink nursery, smelling of Drift. She'll be dragged to her sister's Soccer games and Ballet practice. She'll probably be smacked on the head by her adoring brother. But, she'll be loved!

Whether we prepare our house for her or not...she'll be here in 8 weeks. I hope she'll like it here!

Life on Tuesday

I'm sitting here on the couch by Nate. He's such a funny boy. He's pushed all the cushions off (except the one I'm sitting on). This is something that is done multiple times a day...it never gets old! He's running from end to end and crashing into me - tickling my growing belly and laughing. Oh, sweet days! Mackenzie is off on the bus on her way to Kindergarten. She asked me to drive her again today. (I did yesterday) The novelty of the bus has worn off and it now takes entirely way too long for my impatient daughter to have to sit on the bus to go to school. She'd rather the instant gratification and comfort of mom's van. It's going to be a long 13 more years of riding the bus, Mackenzie. ;)
After I put M on the bus, Nate and I have some time as just the two of us. What a treasure it is. We get to eat lunch together before he collapses for his nap. These days are numbered. In just 10 short weeks, he'll have to share most of his time with his new baby sister. It will be wonderful, I know. He's going to love having another pal around. But, in the meantime, I'll try to bottle these moments with my son.

My Guy

Ryan turned 30 this week...this is a pic of us on our way out the door for our Date Night! We shared a wonderful dinner - without the kids - and enjoyed each other's company. What a treat! I met Ryan right before his 18th birthday. I've seen many sides of this man...watched him grow from a long haired, retainer-wearing teenager....to a love-struck 21 yr old when we got married....to a cautious, adoring 25 yr old first-time father....to a confident, loving 30 yr old. God has blessed Ryan. God has blessed me. I really enjoy this guy.

Giuseppe's Italian - yum.

We even spent some time playing cards and drinking Hot Apple Cider at Starbucks.

The family birthday party. The kids LOVED this and Ryan enjoyed his cake! Sadly, we only had pink candles in the cupboard...and definetly NOT 30 of them.

The boy still takes his food seriously. Enjoying every bite!

Overcast

The weather is a bit dreary. There is no sunshine today and I find myself feeling a bit overcast myself. Luckily, I made a homemade Italian Cream Cake for Ryan's birthday...surely that will cheer me up tonight. :) Mackenzie is planning to decorate the house for him after school. Hmmm....this could be dangerous!

So here's to the leaves changing colors in Fall...I can't wait to see them...they will add color to my day.

August Excitement!

The Sugar Cookie Cake!

Nana and Pops at Red Robin...accompanied by the "appropriate" sundae with NO whip cream.

Birthday Breakfast!

Nate likes Chuck E. Cheese too!

Posing with Chuck himself!

Here's the Castle Cake...and the 5 year old!

A Sassy Kindergartener

Play-Do fun on the first day! Love that the teacher had this ready for the kids...made it very welcoming!

This is what Nate likes to do while M is at school...Dino Fun!

Life in the fast lane...

This week has been a whirlwind! Our daughter turned the big "5" this week. That's right folks, a whole handful!! (She's more than a handful to take care of, that's for sure.) I feel like we have made the ultimate big deal about this birthday! We have never made a huge deal about birthdays - usually it is a "make a cake, call a couple friends over to enjoy it with us" kind of affair. But, I decided that 5 was a good age to do things up. It began last week when my parents and sister came to town - specifically by M's request! They took her school shopping, letting her pick out clothes, try them on, bought them for her.
Sunday we had a family party with them, complete with a homemade sugar cookie cake. fun!
Monday the 'rents took us out to Red Robin so that the wait-staff would sing to our 5 year old. She was SO excited about this. However, when the ice cream came out with a huge dollup of cool whip on top, Mackenzie could hardly hold her tears in! (Not a good thing!) She eventually let them loose, and we eventually ordered another cup of ice cream with just sprinkles!
Tuesday was her actual birthday. The fam headed out of town and Ryan had to work late. So...me being the amazing mom that I am, took both kids to Chuck E. Cheese's. It was two hours that felt like about ten. But well worth the smiles.
Today, Friday, I brought in Fun-fetti cupcakes that M and I made together for her Kindergarten class. She loved this and was so excited to see Nate and I walk through the doors! I loved that moment too, as I saw her little hand shoot up to wave to me from the carpet on the floor!
Before bed tonight we stuffed Goody Bags for her Princess Party on Sunday. We are "puttin' on the ritz." So we hope. We have big things planned, including a Castle Cake. Wish me luck people as I bravely try to assemble the Castle tomorrow night. :)

Mackenzie also started Kindergarten on Wednesday! Talk about an emotional week! She loves her school. She went there for Preschool last year, so is very familiar with how things work there. She already adores her teacher. I asked her what her favorite thing about her first day was and she said that it was seeing her teacher! She rode the bus to school today and did fine. I sensed a little bit of hesitation from her as the bus pulled up....but it quickly faded. She didn't even wave to me out the window...something she did for at least the first half of the year last year! She has become very grown up this month. She is becoming a girl. I'm very proud of her - she's energetic, fun-loving, a go-getter. So brave, ambitious, with a spark of a dare-devil! She's compassionate (very!), nurturing, and caring. Somehow she's reverted back to being a momma's girl lately. This doesn't happen often, but I love it. This morning she just sat with me and wanted to hug on me. She's in touch with her emotions - telling us when things make her "frustrated!" She's a teacher - she loves to teach Nate anything at all. Even how to hang his towel up after bathtime. :)

So, all this birthday stuff is definetly worth it. This girl ranks high on my list of priorities. Yep, she's pretty much the coolest friend I have.

Change

Change is good, right? Sometimes it's scary, exhilerating, life-changing change. At times I am racing towards change - longing to get there faster. Other times, I drag my feet.

Today I do both.

Ryan starts his new job in Lexington tomorrow as a Counselor. This wife could not be prouder. I've watched my husband pour over hours and hours of books, along with hours and hours of papers to get through Grad School. All this while entertaining his daughter, loving his wife unconditionally, and seeking the will of God in all that he did. While in grad school, we found out about two pregnancies - if you know me, you know that means trouble for the first 4 months. :) We had a son and Ryan stepped up to entertain two children all while juggling school. Did I mention Ryan always worked while taking full-time course loads? Lots of hours, lots of work. I'm still getting used to the feeling of going to bed at the same time! No more late nights of studying. While in grad school, we buried Ryan's father. Not a change we were expecting, or wanting. We also shared countless lunches at our table together. Between chapel and class, we'd rush home to sit and eat sandwhiches together. Those were blissful days. Ryan even accompanied his Preschooling daughter on a field trip this year. Wonderful days. I'm proud of my Ryan and how he's handled the past three years.

So, understandably, I look at tomorrow with a certain amount of fear. What are we facing? Where will this lead us? This husband of mine will be gone long days every day. No more weekday lunches at our table. No more "meet you at chapel" or staying up late to write a paper.

I am ready to leave some of this behind, but am still dragging my feet on a few others.

A day in Cincinnati

Today we took the kids to Cincinnati to go to a Reds Baseball Game! It was SO fun! On the way there, Ryan indulged me and let me stop at the Gap Clearance Store. It is my favorite store, I'm pretty sure. I bought 10 articles of maternity clothing - totaling $45. Sweet! Ryan even got a few things for his new job.
After shopping this morning, we raced to get to the Ballpark for a 12:10pm game. The weather was gorgeous! We even had shade for a good portion of the game. The Reds won...at least they were far enough ahead to win whenever we left in the 8th inning. The kids were done by this point and we decided not to push it. We had fun though - spent way too much on hot dogs, shared a snow cone, cheered, and laughed.
After the baseball game - it was on to IKEA! I wasn't sure if we'd be able to squeeze this in, but decided I could spend one hour running through IKEA. Yes, I said one hour and IKEA in the same sentence. Yea Right!! THREE hours later we left the store. We had so much fun though! They have the coolest things there - we dreamed a little and spent just a tad. Enough to feel successful with our trip. I've got a few ideas for the kid's rooms.
So, tonight I asked Mackenzie what her favorite part of the day was. It was a big day, lots of things happened, lots of things to choose from. Her's was a quick response...IKEA! She is my daughter. ;)

It's a...

GIRL!! We are all thrilled. I was sure it was a girl and Ryan thought it was a boy. So, he's still shaking his head in awe a little bit. Mackenzie is super excited and ready for the baby girl to get here NOW. Nate has no idea what is going on, but was a bit concerned as to what everyone was doing to his momma. She looked perfect in the sonogram. She weighs 14 oz, we saw blood pumping through all 4 chambers of the heart and 3 chambers of the umbilical cord. We saw kidneys, bladder, brain, stomach, spine with every vertebrae. The tech said that she looked beautiful. We think so too! What a joy it was to get a glimpse of her moving around! We can't wait to hold her in our arms.

Big Day tomorrow!

Tomorrow we have our ultrasound where we'll get to see our baby! We are thrilled! Of course, we're also curious to see whether we'll be having another boy or another girl! Mackenzie is dying for a sister but always finishes with saying she'll be fine with another brother. Nate is too young to know what is going on in his little world. He will be overwhelmed when Nov gets here and he has to compete for attention. :)
We are so curious to know this little one that will be joining us soon. We love this baby so much already. It's exciting to think of growing our family with another and seeing what great things this new child will bring to us!
Stay tuned.....

18 Months!

Yesterday was Nate's 1/2 Birthday. Silly, I know...but I'm always looking for a way to celebrate! My mom once said that all kids under 6 should celebrate 1/2 birthdays, especially when their birthday falls right after christmas! (Sorry Nate!)
So, yesterday Nate turned 18 months! This is one of my favorite ages! He is so fun and so funny! He is trying so hard to talk and most of the time really thinks that he IS talking and holding a conversation with you through his babbles. But, he's still a little baby. Yesterday, as he ran through the yard pushing his bubble blower lawn mower he stopped to run over and kiss me. Ahhh...sweet moments.
Here's some things I know and love about Nate:
-has 12 teeth - - 4 on top, 4 on bottom, 4 molars
-LOVES food and takes it seriously
-Still LOVES hair - a weird fettish. Now loves to pull his big sister's hair.
-very independent
-very funny. feeds off of our laughter
-enjoys wrestling on all 4's and making the "grrrr" face.
-likes to make animal noises...especially the dinosaur.
-so cuddly
-needs noise and distraction to sleep
-is quite particular and won't rest until his point is made
-has the cutest little red hair curls growing in the back.

I'm sure I could keep going. It is so fun to have a son. I love him so much and love watching him grow!!!!
Happy 1/2 Birthday Nate!!

What are they teaching her at VBS?!?!!!

Mackenzie has been going to VBS this week. Since we just returned from a 2 week trip where she basically got to stay up as late as she wanted...she's also having trouble going to sleep at night. I'm talking A LOT of trouble. I guess during these hours that she's spending awake in her bed, she's left thinking. So, tonight, Ryan goes in there for the bajillionth time and tells her to close her eyes and think or pray or something. Her response was "Or praise God, right Dad?" "Sure, Kenz", dad replies. Sweet Kenzie says, "Praising God is just like praying, except it's in Spanish."

How to explain...

This morning my 4 1/2 yr old daughter and I were having oatmeal together. It was a beautiful morning and the boys were still sleeping which made it a quiet house. Mackenzie and I were talking about God and how much He loves her. This led to talking about Jesus also and I began telling her how Jesus was a carpenter while he was here on earth. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was trying to explain to her that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three separate beings. (thinking about the Trinity here) She gave me a sly, out of one eye kind of look and said, "So, God and Jesus are two separate people?" I replied, "Yes." She said, "Okay, because the other day Dad told me that they are the same."
Ugh. Try explaining the Trinity to a 4 year old. Not easy.

one more thing...

I forgot to mention another great part of Disney. I got a lot of time with my Mom! Since Nathan and I couldn't go on half the rides, she hung back with us the majority of the time. What a treat to get to take things slow and spend time with her. She was a great partner and help to me. Thanks Mom!

Disney World through the eyes of a 4 year old

The first week of June my parents took my family to Florida to go to Disney. It was sort of a retirement gift from my parents, but mainly a great excuse for them to pretend we were all young again and take us on all the fun rides. Or maybe it was because they wanted to see their 4 year old granddaughter's eyes light up when she met the princesses. Something they could never have afforded for their own daughters at that age. Either way it was FUN! We had a blast. Each day was full running non-stop. We went to one of the parks for 6 days straight! Crazy when you are toting around a 16 month old and a pregnant woman who is feeling quite sick still. But we made it and had fun the whole way! Some of my favorite highlights:

-the light parade and fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom. Mackenzie was in awe (as were the rest of us) when Tinkerbell flew from the top of the castle across the park on a wire!! Too cool!!
-riding rides with my partner...Nate...any ride I could go on (while being pregnant) he could go on too!
-Hearing about Mackenzie riding roller coasters - hands high in the air and laughing!
-eating hot dogs with my sisters, mom, and kids at "Kacey's Grill" on main street.
-nursing Nate in the Baby Station and watching him fall fast asleep; only to remain that way for the next 2 hours as we strolled the park.
-meeting all the princesses, pooh, tigger, and of course Mickey and Minnie. Mackenzie loved getting them to "sign in" in her autograph book.
-riding "Dumbo the flying elephant" at midnight with my mom and kids. Truly Magical.
-Watching Dad buy Mackenzie a huge round lollipop at the Confection Shop. Just like he did for me when we spent a day at Disney Land when I was 4.
-waking each morning only to slather sunscreen on 9 people. We didn't mind being a bit greasy.
-sleeping 9 people in a tight space.
And my number one moment...
-Watching Mackenzie get turned into a princess...literally. She was dressed like Belle, head to toe. Complete with make-up, nail polish, and a gorgeous hair-do. Let me note that she kept that hair up for 48 hours...not wanting to take it down. She told me she wanted to leave her hair like that "forever". She is such a diva.

Okay, so I can't possibly remember it all. But those are some highlights! I can't wait to go back!

We also got to go to the beach in FL! What a treat! Mackenzie loved swimming in it. Nathan loved fishing with his little pole...standing at the water's edge was all he needed! We got kicked out a bit early due to rain, but it was so much fun. I'm thinking a beach vacation should be in my future.

I haven't downloaded vacation pics yet, but when I do...I'll post a few of my faves.