Happy 5th Anniversary!

Five years ago today, Jeremy and I got married. Other than the birth of our daughter, Mackenzie, it was the best day of my life. We were blessed with unseasonably cool weather for July and a perfect day. We were surrounded by all of our friends and family (minus my big sister, Melissa, who was on bedrest with the triplets). Not only did I gain a wonderful husband, but a second Mom and Dad, an amazing brother Jeff, sister Kate and nieces (and I should add a nephew soon)! Thank you to my wonderful, caring husband for loving me for who I am, and always supporting me. It has been a wonderful journey together and I look forward to many more years together!










(*Sorry for the quality of the uploaded photos...I took pictures of the photos from our Wedding album, since I don't have any on our new laptop!)

We're PREGNANT!

We are excited to announce that we are expecting a baby in January! I am actually due the day after my birthday...talk about receiving the world's best birthday gift ever! I am currently about 14 weeks and feeling great. The first trimester was a bit rough with some serious nauseousness (is that a word?) and major fatigue. We are now past that rough patch and enjoying all the little changes taking place. Mackenzie is really excited to be a big sister. Whenever someone asks her if Mommy is having a baby boy or baby girl, she just says "it's a baby!" She asks me frequently to "take it out" and tells me when the baby cries she will "feed it grapes!" (so we have a few things to work on, but we have some time:).

I actually found out I was pregnant on Mother's Day. I had been feeling a little queasy and tired the week prior, but Jeremy was traveling so I figured I was just worn out from playing the role of both Mommy and Daddy. I decided to take the test that next weekend, thinking that if I wasn't pregnant, I would be okay, since I had Mackenzie and still got to celebrate Mother's Day. If I was pregnant, it would just be icing on the cake. I woke up early and took the test and to my surprise, in bright letters it read "PREGNANT"! I could not believe my eyes. Mackenzie shared the news to my side of the family at brunch that morning by telling everyone "Mommy has a baby in her belly!" Later that weekend at Jeremy's parents, we were commenting on how different it would be with another high chair at the table (Kate, my Sister-in-law, is due the end of November). I then asked as nonchalantly as possible, do you think we will be able to squeeze in 2 high chairs this time next year? Oh course, both sides of the family were thrilled about the news!

We feel truly blessed to have one perfect, sweet and healthy little girl. We feel so thankful that we get to add one more member to the "Buzzard Bunch!" We have already been preparing for his or her arrival by transitioning Kenzie to her new bedroom and big girl bed (she has done FABULOUS!) Luckily, we went neutral in our nursery theme, so we can leave it as it is and add splashes of color to it later! 6 months to go...seems far off, but I know it will be here before we know it. Until then, we are enjoying our last few months as a family of 3 and enjoying all the one-on-one time we have now with Mackenzie. Life will change as we know it, but we excited about being a family of 4 and having a built in playmate for Kenzie. She will be a GREAT big sister!

Trip to COSI

This week we took a trip downtown to a science center called COSI. Nana and Grandpa Barth joined us and we spent a fun-filled day viewing hands on exhibits & spending time together. They have a really great kids area with all kinds of educational and interactive exhibits too! Mackenzie's favorite part of the day was splashing around in the water tables and eating lunch in the cafeteria. Thanks Nana and Grandpa for sharing your day with us!

Mackenzie's Big Girl Bed

Mackenzie's new bed was delivered this past Tuesday (bedside table to be delivered late next week). She was sleeping in her crib for her afternoon nap when the delivery man dropped it off. With the help of my sweet sister Emily, we got it all set up and moved against the wall. I offered to Mackenzie the choice of sleeping in her new big girl bed that night at bedtime. To my surprise, she wanted to and after a few bedtime stories, she was out...ALL NIGHT...and until 8:45 a.m.!! (She typically wakes up b/t 7 and 7:30 so this was a wonderful treat!)


I have to admit, I had been worried about the transition and have had visions of her getting in and out of bed and running wild (not that her own Mother did this as a child!) But she has done fabulous! She goes down without any resistance and we don't hear a single peep from her ALL night. She is even sleeping in a bit longer in the morning, since the sun does not pour through her window, in her new bedroom! I am so proud of my little girl, and I have to admit a bit sad. The other night, out of habit, I walked into her nursery, to find her crib empty and the scent of her gone. I flashed back to all the nights of holding and rocking my little baby girl. I have walked into that room, in the middle of the night, half asleep, more times that I can count. Kind of sad to think that I now will have to train myself to go into her new room. She is no longer my little baby. She no longer needs a crib or her mommy to rock her in her rocking chair. She is my big girl, in a big girl bed, growing and changing before my eyes each day.

4th of July Celebration

We enjoyed 4th of July at the Buzzard's Lakehouse. In years past, we have had to be right on top of Mackenzie to make sure she didn't take a spill down the stairs, fall off the dock or jump off the boat. However, this year, we didn't have to worry about any of those things. She's now an ol' pro and it made our weekend away a true vacation! She LOVED jumping off the dock to Daddy, going for boat rides and even assisting her cousin's in catching and releasing fish into the lake! Most impressive, she even hung in there and stayed up to watch the fireworks well past her bedtime. What a treat to share such a special holiday with both sides of our family and good friends. We are truly blessed!