Happy 5th birthday, Mackenzie Claire!

Birthday recap in pictures!( I apologize in advance for the way this post will show up. Blogger doesn't like so many pictures in one post)

We celebrated Mack's birthday with her classmates
early because, lucky for us, Mack had her actual day off.
I picked chocolate cupcakes for Mack and her for her
teacher who is pregnant and craving chocolate.

Presents trickled in over the week and Mack
was so excited for each and every one!

With Mack's new reading skills, I thought having a scavenger hunt
would be a great way to start off her day. Each clue was taped to a
small present all leading up to her real present.

Mike and I worked side by side after the kids were in bed.
He assemebled the bike while I wrote the clues that would lead Mack
to it.

Just as we finished the balloon wall, Mack emerged to go potty.
It's always interesting to see how she will react. She doesn't really like surprises
but sometimes she is happy about them. This time she wasn't so excited.
" I just need to pee!" She said in her groggy morning voice. From here, we started our hunt!

A short snippet from the hunt

Surprise! Her brand new Cars bike!

Her goodies! Complete with sugary cereal just for her special day

Despite her cool reaction to the balloon wall, later it was all she could talk about.
Mack, Mason and Ellie had fun with the balloons for days after. She took a bath
like this before Grams came over to stay with Mason while we took Mack for a day in Denver.

Mack wasn't feeling her best on her birthday. We later learned she was
in the early stages of a tummy bug . She snoozed on the way to Denver.

We wanted to take Mack to The Old Spaghetti Restaurant
for her day. That restaurant was closed for a remodel. Imagine the luck
when we found old faithful! Unfortunately, it's a happenin' place for
downtown workers and the place was packed. We took the shuttle
to the Cheesecake Factory where Mack ordered...mac and cheese :)

Little girl , big city

Next was a trip to the three story
bookstore housed in an really neat old building.
We spend a few hours at The Tattered Cover
where Mack  picked out a few books but looked at nearly every single
book and we read a couple, too.

Our last stop was to the family doctor where Mike
had had his vasectomy. They only do them on Thursdays
and this was the only  day that worked with his
schedule. He was a real trooper but just couldn't go anymore .

To end the night, we had pizza and cupcakes
with Grams, Mason and the cousins.

A snow storm covered the state and forced us to cancel Mack's birthday party.
She took the news like such a champ telling me that she'd already had
so much fun and she was glad she at least got to have cupcakes with her cousins.
It sort of worked out because my sister and her family were due to arrive from Arizona on
Sunday evening so there were 20 family members on hand for dinner at Gram's house . Here she is opening presents
, laying on the blanket my mom made for her.

Mack had her 5 year well child exam and a well child she is!
Still in the upper 80's for her height , she's definitely got height on her side.
All her busyness has her down a few percentiles but she's just perfect as she is!
44.75 inches tall
43 pounds
We were advised again to be ready to work hard to keep Mack
challenged at school but Karen gave us the ultimate compliment
when she said that we are her model family!

 

We'll be right back!

Simulateious mini catastrophys have hit our house- Mason's latest and greatest tummy virus, Mack's birthday ( and her subsequent aquantaince with Mason's tummy virus) , Mike's "procedure" that effectively completes our family, a blizzard that canceled plans for Mack's party and Mike and me getting the a fore mentioned virus. I have lots of pics from Mack's birthday but I just don't have the energy or time to up load them. They're coming!

Throw Back video

A letter to my daughter

Mackenzie,

From the second I heard your first cry, I was captivated by you. Your funny sense of humor, your kind heart and your curiosity along that dual- dimpled smile are just some of the things that make you the most special girl on earth to your dad and me. You don't know it now, but one day you'll realize just how much you taught us in the first  years of your life.

Over the last five years, we've watched ( sometimes with baited breath) as you've fearlessly explored the world around you. First just gazing around through blurry  newborn eyes, then the perimeters of our home on hands and knees and now with joyful and unending curiosity , you never tire of learning more about the world around you. Because of your endless curiosity, daddy and I have (re)learned so much. Not only am I excited for you when you learn some new scientific facts, I'm excited for me, learning right beside you. I look forward to each new season because I know we'll both gain so much knowledge by the end of it. You are so incredibly smart and I am always amazed by you. Listening to you reading bed time stories to me at the age of 4 still has me bursting with pride.

Your sense of humor is one of a kind. From making up your own jokes to understanding more complex ones, I never get tired of hearing your genuine laughter at the punch line. You can always manage to bring a smile followed by out right laughter to our house, even when the subject isn't always the most polite.

Your kind heart overwhelms me. When I see you rubbing daddy's back or offering a perfectly timed, desperately needed hug, or find you mothering your little brother by blowing on your macaroni and cheese and feeding it to him ( "one for me, one for you" style) I am so proud of you and for you. I know this trait will be a treasured by many and a valuable one as you grow up.

Rarely are you afraid to try new things. Your love of learning drives you to never miss out on something that might be fun or a learning experience. It's how you learned to love so many things that others miss out on ( like squid!) . I can't wait to see what kind of adventures you have because of this wonderful trait.

You've shown me another side of your daddy. One that doesn't surprise me but that always brings tears to my eyes. Seeing the two of you camping in the yard or peering into a microscope or off on a daddy/daughter adventure makes me love him even more.  That's a true gift that I treasure, even if reading this later makes you " wanna barf".

Every year, starting at the end of January and carrying through to your birthday, I find myself a sentimental mess. This year is no different and, because you're five this year, maybe even more so. The memories that I treasure of you and how you changed us, and still change us, challenging us to be not only better parents but better people, are endless. There is hardly a thing I see through out my day that can't somehow be related back to a memory of you.

We haven't always been the perfect parents and we won't ever be. We've mishandled things, we've run out of patience when patience is what you really needed, we've rushed through things that should have been cherished.  But I hope that, despite the fact that we aren't always with out fault, you will never , not for a single second, question our love for you. I pray that it it's always evident and you find it plentiful . Remember, I love you all the time. Not just when you're funny, or smart , kind or beautiful. But when you're mad. When you're cranky and occasionally rude ( aren't we all?). When you feel sad. When you belch your name at the dinner table. I love you all the time.Nothing changes that.

The song I chose for your birthday video begs " Oh Darling, don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little....Don't you ever grow up. It could stay this simple. "  I've begged this of you in my mind too many times to count. But I know you will because look how you already have. But when you do grow up, I pray the most sincere prayer that you will always know your worth. You will always be this kind. You will always laugh like you do now. That curiosity is never replaced with fear. That you'll always love us as effortlessly as we do you.

Always cheering you on,
your Mommy

Here's Mack's 5th bday video. Don't forget to turn up your volume.

Children's museum

Mason is finally old enough to hold his own in the baby/toddler area of the Children's museum and his determination to climb on things needed to be satisfied, so off we went to check things out!

Great catch, Mack! She spent quite a while catching these smoke filled
bubbles

Bubbles are great fun for Mason, too!

Mason keeping tabs on his sister through the window

The baby area is only for kids birth to four years but since Mack is a
big sister, she gets to play and wear a super neat " I'm a Big Kid helper" vest.

Once we got there, Mason was a little nervous about climbing in his
usual fashion but he sure had fun crawling and watching.

10 months

Our boy is just weeks away from his first birthday. In the early days, I couldn't wait for these days- this is my favorite stage. Now I'm begging them to slow down. Mike and I both have whispered to Mason to slow down. If only we could freeze time! We can't...but I do my best to preserve time in photos. Here's a few of our baby

Playing with his trains

His favorite person is still his sister. Even when
she talks to him like a puppy.

A train that was Mike's and has been handed down to Mason

Mason is still the busiest little baby. He doesn't slow down long enough to fully get balanced so he's usually sporting a mass of bruises on his poor little head. I could sit and listen to him chattering to himself all day long. Just as he's never still unless he's sleeping, he's also never quit until then. Words just can't express the adoration I have for this boy!

Party in Mason's crib

Last week I needed to vacuum but the kids were playing together in Mason's room so I just scooped them both into Mason's crib and took care of the upstairs carpets. When I came back, they were both giggling and having the best time. Since then, I can't tell Mack "no" when she asks if she and Mason can play in his crib. I only wish there was room for one more so I could join the fun!