Build a bear, cookie decoration and light parade OH MY!

In November,Will and Erin asked permission to take Mackenzie with Olivia to Build a Bear and lunch. I was so tickled by the idea because it would be a great opportunity for Mack to spend time with her godparents! When I told her about it, Mackenzie was most excited to ride in the car with them!

Mackenzie has a great time though, due to her sensitivity to loud noises, she choose to pick out a pre-made kitty instead of making a friend of her own. After almost an hour of singing songs and playing in the play area at the mall, the quartet headed to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. Mackenzie still talks about that day and it makes me feel warm and cozy to think of it, too.

Mack with her kitty:

Later that day, our church hosted a cookie/ornament/hot chocolate party last week. It was a pretty happen' place since fellowship has was nearly packed to the gills. We met our friend, Lynn along with Jillian and Gage there and then headed over to the light parade after words:

Mackenzie did well to actually finish decorating her cookie before she tasted it.

Now on to the light parade:

I never have to worry about trying to pick Mike out of a crowd in that hat:
Snuggling in to stay warm:

Mack had a great seat. Here she is waving to Santa, who was in the fire truck:
After the parade, we headed to Alexander's for some dill pickle soup ( YUM!). Mack couldn't resist trying on Mike's hat:


What a wonderfully memorable day!

Poor Duncan!

Where's the ball?

Mack alerted me that there was a problem in my bedroom . I had left her there playing with a Koosh Ball ( remember those ?) . I returned to find this:


I am sure she didn't intend to toss the ball up there but she was quite proud of herself. See:

Candy Land!

Or so it seemed! After our trip to see Santa, we set out to find the most perfect ( and by perfect we mean the most delicious) candy for our gingerbread house. I think we did a decent job!

The bounty: ( Mack has sensitive ears so she's covering them while Mike uses the mixer)


The process:

The taste test:


The result. We split up into girls vs. boy. Who won? You be the judge.

Mike's is so organized and serene looking


and ours is so...colorful.

Santa 2010

We took Mack to visit Santa today. As we were heading to The Henry Ford to see him, Mack was talking about taking Santa to the zoo to see the aquarium and she wanted to know what type of cookies he liked. When the time came, she was a bit shy but still managed to find out that he loves chocolate chip cookies. That's on our list of " must haves" for Christmas Eve...Check out our comparison photos from the last three years. Notice how she pays a little less attention to him each year:

2008:




2009
2010

Family movie night

We love to watch Christmas movies together. Here are Mx2 ( plus Duncan) watching The Polar Express. Mack liked the movie but I think it was a bit overwhelming. She watched the entire thing but sometimes from a distance. The more unsure she was, the further she got from the T.V., still with her eyes glued to the screen. Next up: Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. Our fav!

Fluffy Puppy

My dear friend, Annie, sent Mackenzie a little stuffed puppy a year and half ago and Mackenzie has loved him from the start. She named him " Fluffy puppy" and Fluffy Puppy is a very special friend. Mack teaches him all she knows, chats with him, sleeps with him. He's been to many exotic places like Fort Lupton, Colorado or Ludington Michigan. He's a well loved, well traveled pup. Here are pics of Mack and her dear puppy:
There are never enough hugs for a good friend. Sending one to you, Annie B!