Vet time!

It's check up time in the Long House ( we've all been to the doctor for one reason or another over the last three weeks) and Ellie isn't to be left out. Mike took her to visit the vet last week and, of course, Mackenzie could not be left behind. Mackenzie reports that Ellie did a great job even though she had to get two shots (Mack assured me this is still not as impressive as the four she got at her check up!) . The vet agreed with the humane society and thinks that Ellie is most likely some combination of lab and border collie. She's one healthy pup and quite pretty, if I may say so, too! Here she is getting in some extra fiber:

My favorite time

I love watching Mackenzie when she doesn't know anyone is paying attention. Her imagination takes flight and you can see that she's in a world all her own. I snapped these pictures of her today while she was playing on her swing set. She had asked me to tie this ribbon into her hair and , when I took the pictures, she was imaging that the edge of the ribbon was a rocket ship:
Here's what happens when she notices me:

Consider me showered!

My mom and Annie along with help from Samantha put together a " little" baby shower. When I tried to explain that I'd already had three great baby showers when I had Mackenzie and I still had most of the "big things from her" and that I didn't want to be greedy, they quickly reminded me that they didn't have the chance to "shower" me when I had Mackenzie and now that I am in Colorado, they intended to throw me a shower, whether I was there or not! So I was there. And I was so spoiled! I don't have any pictures of my own but a good number of my family and friends came over to celebrate the impending birth of our little boy and they most certainly did not come empty handed:
And don't think for a second that our mail box was ever empty over the last few weeks! Our Michigan family and Arizona family were missed but their thoughtful gifts reminded us how truly loved and blessed we are to have so many people all over to celebrate and encourage us as we delve back into the world of parenting a baby! Words cannot express how thankful I am to have so many good people in our lives.

Check out this adorable cake! We sure have kept Samantha busy this month:




Here are some updated photos of the nursery:



This is a bear that my mom made from my wedding dress! The sheets in the crib were hand made by Samantha's mom, Rhonda. :
My favorite thing is that ,when I look around the room, I find so many reminders of the people who will be so important to Mason's life. He doesn't know it yet, but he is one very blessed little boy.

Imitation

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery- Charles Caleb Colton

I just hope my shirt covers a little more than hers does!

Hapy Birthday, Mike!

Mike celebrated his 33rd birthday this week! This was also the day that " The Hunger Games" was released to theaters. Mike and I had both read the books and were both anticipating seeing the film together. Samantha offered to keep Mackenzie ( who informed Mike that he could not go to Samantha's. Instead, he'd have to go to the movies with mommy. Such a chore it must have been ) who had a fantastic time!

Mike didn't know that Annie and I had something up our sleeves. He thought that I was being a real pain by making us drive all the way out to Keenesburg where Annie's parents live to pick up chairs for my baby shower the next day before we could go for dinner. Thankfully, he agreed to the plan as long as he could take a quick " breather" in the chair. Once I heard him snoring, I snuck his favorite cake ( Tres Leches) which my mom and I had baked the night before, into the back seat of the van . I woke Mike up and off we went....for chairs.....on his birthday!

When we arrived , the whole " Aden" gang jumped out, shouting their surprises! Both Mike and Mackenzie were so surprised! The kids ran off to play and as the adults chatted , awaiting Dave's smoked brisket , salads and a whole buffet more!

It truly was a great way to surprise Mike. Annie was so thoughtful in suggesting the idea because she wanted Mike to know that they think of him as family and how happy they all are to have Mike back in Colorado, too! I know from experience that it's not easy to leave behind friends and family that you've known your whole life. I love the fact that all of my friends , old and new, love Mike. It does help that Mike has the best sense of humor and fits in easily in most any crowd.

I didn't remember my camera ( I can barely remember my pants these days!) but snapped a few pictures with my cell phone:

Mike and Brian talking about turkey hunting and watching college basketball, beers in hand. Seems like a lot of testosterone to me!
Marcia is a middle school science teacher and a grandma to three very boyish boys and one tom boy girl . She and Mack had a great time researching and building a worm habitat and looking up at the stars. Mack picked up a few new planet facts that she uses to wow and amaze those around here:

A nice night for a camp out

A living room camp out, that is! Mackenzie has been itching to try out the tent Gram's gave her for her birthday. Though the weather has been great during the day( with temps in the low to mid-70's) it's still too chilly at night to brave back yard camping and certainly too cold to head for higher ground for mountain camping. So, Mike improvised!

Mike and a very excited Mackenzie worked to get the tent together. Though it is only a two man tent, it took up the whole living room! The pair then popped popcorn and popped in a movie! Once the movie was over, the room quieted. The sounds of Mike's familiar snore filled the living room and I could hear Mackenzie restlessly tossing and turning in her sleeping bag. I asked her if she'd be more comfortable in her bed or if she wanted to stay in the tent, she choose the tent but after another hour of listening to her tossing around, I knew that neither of the campers would get much sleep in their current spots and I relocated every one to their respective beds. Though the camp out didn't last all night, I think it was still a night well spent! Mack was just bummed when it was time to take it down in the morning.

Ellie knows she is one of the family and isn't left out of much that we do:

Pasta and playset

Sounds like the perfect combo to us! Ellie trying to claw her way up the slide for a nibble made for the perfect lunchtime entertainment.