" Spot light ON!"

As little girls, my sisters and I were always putting on shows. Whether we were acting, showing of our singing voices or dancing, we three always had the next big show in planning.

Until recently, Mackenzie didn't seem to show much interest in being a little performer. I would catch her singing to herself or dictating a scene to her dolls or stuffed animals but she was not one to stand in front of people, endlessly showing off her talents. That is, until now!

My favorite thing is introducing her and hearing her say " SPY LOT ON!" which is really a direction : " Spot Light ON!" and then you never know what sort of talent she may wow you with. Check out this video we shot of her yesterday being a little performer. The rec center in our town offer dance classes which don't start until age 5. I'm sure our little dancer will have lots of new moves by then!

For some reason, my videos aren't up loading to blogger so easily so, for now, cut and paste this link into your address bar and press play!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZZH9tohpBM&feature=youtu.be

Pony tail

Ever since finding out that I'd be having a girl, I was excited at the prospect of all the cute hair styles I would be able to try with her. Working in day care in my late teens and early 20's, I'd often braid the little girls in my classes hair and couldn't wait for the hopeful day that I'd be able to do up my own girls hair. Mack spent most of the first two years of her life bald or sporting some form of a mullet but since then, I've been able to do all sorts of fun things. So I'm not sure if I'm sad or excited that she has shown the same excitement about doing her own hair.

She hasn't perfected the art just yet. Usually her morning routine consists of brushing the length of her hair, leaving most of the tangles behind, followed by spritzing one section ( usually the right side) with water, detangler and several squirts of the Plumeria body spray I gave her. You can always tell when her routine is complete because the scent of Plumeria fills the air. Lately, her abilities have increased and she manages what she calls a pony tail:



So far, she's only mastered wrapping the little pony tail holders around the " pony tail" one time so the " pony" doesn't hang around very long but I still think getting that far is a real feat! The other latest craze is to braid her hair into tiny little sections after her bath so that the next two days, she can sport "crazy hair". It's always fun the next morning to take out the many braids and see what we are left with. The poofier/frizzier the better for this wild child!

The Tulips are here!

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!