The Rat Pack

Ok, so technically, they are hamsters. But " The Hamster Pack" isn't as catchy.

As reported in the Christmas post, Mack got a Zhu Zhu pet ( with a few accessories) for Christmas. She loves " Sweet Pea" so much, he became a regular ( and slightly creepy) member of our little family. Seeing how Mackenzie's love for her pet, Grammy couldn't resist when she saw a few of the pets at an after Christmas sale. That day , two more pets ( and a carrying case and blanket) entered the house, thus creating " The Rat Pack"

From Left to right: Sweet Pea, Kashier ( CAW-sure) and Ginger:
I have no idea how these names came to mind, but they have stuck. Now I'm finding Zhu Zhu pets in the most interesting places. Hey, it keeps life interesting!

"Bowling class"

What you need:
3-6 two liter bottles ( empty)
A ball of any kind

What you get:
" Bowling class" ( as referred to by Mackenzie)

Rules:
-For those three and under, the game is to be played topless.
-Set up the "pins" in any fashion. Roll the ball towards the pins ( NOTE: Do not throw the ball. This results in a TIME OUT)
-Shout and clap. Repeat. If you knock down all the pins, don't forget to shout " STRIKE IT OUT!"
-Repeat. Over and over. And over.

Nice form, Mack!

Setting up her own pins and sporting a bit of a plumbers crack:

Super Daddy!

Daddy is a super star! Not only has he mastered the art of the matching outfit, he's now learned to braid hair! Mackenzie is such a lucky little girl to have such a great daddy.

The process: Though everyone looks a little bewildered, things went fairly smoothly:
The result:
And it stayed in all day! Bonus!

Rainy December Day

The cold temps took a hiatus for a few days so we took advantage of them and went out to play!

It had rained off and on through out the day and night so there were plenty of puddles for stomping using new rainboots:

Swinging in December! When I ordered Mack's rain boots, I ordered them in anticipation for her foot size this spring. When she started swinging, her boots went flying!

Check out this pics Mike took. They are really neat!

Snap shots

Just a few quick snaps I took of Mack last week.
Making hand print snowflakes:


Check out this picture of " mini-Mike"! I have seen pictures of Mike at this age and they look so much alike:

Overcome with imagination!

There is nothing more magical than watching a child " in the zone"-that place where they are completely oblivious to the world around them and are enveloped in a world created simply by their own imagination. It happens so much to Mackenzie lately. It's so much fun to watch her because it's completely involuntary! One moment, she's having crackers for snack and the next she's having a full out conversation with " Boyna" the super fast gold fish, wondering how to chop the ice on a gigantic ice rock!

Here are a few pictures of Mack " in the zone" :

After finishing up her train puzzle, she wanted Olivia the pig to ride on her train ( if you look closely, you can see her). Mackenzie, of course, is the conductor:
Now Mackenzie is a lady bug hibernating in her "den" :
And now it's spring! Time to wake up:
And suddenly Mackenzie is very into dress up. Here, she's a ballerina who is an expert at spinning. In case you haven't noticed, shirts have a way of being " lost" around these parts:

Many Blessings for 2011

Happy New Year!

It's our prayer for each family member and dear friend have a healthy, happy and productive 2011! 2010 was a good year but we three M's are looking excitedly towards 2011. Here's a quick glimpse at what we hope to accomplish in 2011:

Mike is starting his second master's degree this month. In 2011, he'll complete the first half of the Critical Care Nurse Specialist program at the University of Cincinnati. All of the course work is done on-line followed by a year of more course work and clinicals leading up to the completion of a research type paper that will complete his degree. I have every confidence that Mike will do very well with this degree even if it means we will see more of the back of his laptop than of him. Mike also is working towards losing weight. His current goal is to lose 30 lbs by his 32nd birthday.

Mackenzie doesn't have much by way of goals but she will be starting preschool in 2011. I also hope to continue with music class and maybe add a soccer class or swimming class to the mix.

I am resolving to be better with my meal planning and budgeting. I'm also back at the gym with hopes of finally running a 10k this summer. While running miles and miles on the treadmill hasn't translated to much on the road, I hope to trim down a bit more this winter and then hit the trails 15 lbs lighter this spring.

So that's what we aspire to do this year. If 2010 is an indication of who time will fly in 2011, it won't be long before I am looking back at 2011 and looking forward to 2012!