Have you seen him?

This is how I've been seeing Mike these days. He's about to finish up the first quarter in his second master's degree . Even with a full time job, a part time job, a three year old, a wife and countless other things to juggle, he's still managed to pull stellar grades this first quarter. I'm so proud of him!

She's a well child!

I am happy to report Mack has a clean bill of health for another year! Aside from a little lingering fluid behind her ear drum, she's one healthy girl.

Height: 38.75 inches ( 85%) ( she grew over three inches in a year)
Weight: 32 lbs ( 60th %)

Mack did a great job following all of the Dr. Baker's directions and he was impressed by her developmental skills calling her " Well above average" . She did need to get one booster shot which she took like a champ! Though Dr. Baker is a friend of ours, we do hope that we won't have to see him at the office again for another year!

Side note:
Mack work this shirt ( Made by my dear friend Angie) and got a ton of compliments! Not every girl gets a Candy Land shirt to match her Candy Land birthday!

Happy Birthday, Mack!

Mack's birthday celebration continued through Monday, her actual birthday. We invited Grammy to visit the Natural Science Museum with us, a place Mackenzie had been very anxious to see. She's been learning about dinosaur bones and wanted to get a glimpse at the real things. Here are a few pictures from our exploration:

" Planet Earth!" Mack shouted as she saw this really cool picture on the wall. Grammy showed her where Michigan is:
Finally! The dinosaur bones she'd been waiting to see. They were a bit overwhelming:
Sitting in a REALLY old boat!
We cruised through the museum at a pretty fast past so , with lots of time before lunch, we headed over the Hands On Museum where we played for a few hours before heading over to " Red Robin" ( yum ) before lunch. Our day ended with her favorite dinner, pizza pasta, and some quiet time with her new treasures. It was a great way to celebrate our little three year old and we are so excited to see what the next year brings for her.

"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 .

Mack's 3rd Birthday Video

My goofy girl

Mack has learned the fine art of the silly face. She's such a ham and her antics keep us laughing through our days: ( if you click on the picture, you can see it better)

Interview with a preschooler

With Mackenzie's birthday just around the corner, I asked her a few questions with the idea that next year, I might be able to ask her some of the same questions to see how she changes. Here are the zany answers I got:

Favorite food: "Pasta. And Noodles and Company!"
Favorite color ( of the minute): "Green. Mommy loves yellow."
favorite song: " The good night song" ( this is a song I made up for Mack when she was a baby)
Favorite dance: Body in motion ( a silly song I made up to get the wiggles out)
Best friend:" Mommy. Umm....Hannah. Yes."
favorite animal: "bald eagle"
favorite toy:" puzzles and books"
Favorite thing to do: "Play at somebody's house"
How do you stay strong? " This"* raises arms above head with a big deep breath in*
What is silly? " Happy"
How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? * confused look* " I love suckers" *enthusiastic slurp*
Favorite thing to wear:" Bunny Costume. I like to hop around."
Least favorite thing to do? " Don't go to time out"
What is time out? " It means you didn't listen to the rules. Little kids don't treat their toys ..um..and break their toys"
Who's your favorite pet? "A lizard. We don't have a lizard. Just cats. And Dorothy ( goldfish)"