"I'm FREE!!"

Yes...as of 3:06a.m. on March 7th, Mackenzie Claire was " free" years old. The advice " Don't blink." Again echos in the recess of my brain. From baby to preschooler, just like that! The party is over, the celebrations are complete. And we are left with sweet memories. And of course, tons and tons of photos.

We had a very busy week here. Mack was sick but got well just in time to attend the "Butterfly Ball" with Mike. They double dated with Will and Olivia and when Mack got home she told me " I had a wonderful time at the daddy dance!" and she meant it!

Gram's presents arrived on our front door step at a good time. Mack was just starting to feel better and cabin fever was setting in. The cash register is a must-have for any little girls collection and it sure gets a lot of attention:
Party day arrived and Mack woke up ready to party! She helped me set up for our CandyLand themed birthday party:
Before we knew it, guests started to arrive. The first one up was Uncle Andy who made it in from Iraq just in time! Mack jumped right into his arms. I think she couldn't believe how tall he is because she asked him to " Throw me up to the sky!" and he did :)
Grammy worked very hard on replicating the Candy Land game board. I can see my drooling from across the room! This is the cake little girls dreams are made of , I'm sure:
With Griffin being sick and Ben unable to make it, the kids table was " Ladies Only" but I don't think they minded:
You can bet Mack wasn't able to wait long before the cake was sliced:
There were some fabulous gifts opened. Mack has her choice of so many new things to play with- wonderful books , puzzles, new wooden food sets for her kitchen , a very special teddy bear all the way from Camp Victory in Irag, a magnet set ....She loves them all! The present that made for a blurry but priceless picture was the gift from Mack's godparents, Will and Erin:
Mack was exhausted by the time everyone left! Between being sick, being so over the top excited , being stuffed to the gills with candy and surrounded by family and friends, she could barely keep her eyes open..wait...she COULDN'T keep her eyes open:
And just as the day was jam packed with lots of highs, there had to be some lows to balance it out...bed time.
The day was just great- everything we'd hoped it would be. The only thing missing ( aside from a large, fast moving cleaning crew ) was my family and friends in Colorado ( and Arizona amoung other places). Days like this make the happy times bitter sweet knowing there are so many who wish they could be there to kiss this sweet birthday girl. We love you all and you were missed! And I kissed her extra for you .