Fountain Fun

Our neighborhood has an amazing Spray Park minutes away. Since Mackenzie was able to sit, we have taken her there to play in the fountains. Unlike many kids, she is never hesitant to run through the fountains, get soaking wet, or even get an accidental nose/mouthful of water! Mackenzie absolutely loves playing there! Everytime we leave our neighborhood she comments about how the fountains are closed (this conversation has been on-going since Fall when they closed for the Season!) Friday, as we were driving home from her sitter's house, she started screaming with delight. I had no idea what was going on until I heard "Mommy, the fountains are open, the fountains are open! I want to go there sometime!" Sure enough, they were. She had been watching and waiting ever so patiently! So, once Jeremy got home from work, we loaded up and walked over for some family fun! Judging from the pictures, I would say she had a good time!

Big Girl Bed Trial Run

Mackenzie is all about being a "big grr" (aka big girl) these days. When it comes to getting dressed, getting into the car, putting on her shoes, her jacket, etc. she HAS to do it on her own. It was only a matter of time until I knew the conversation regarding a big girl bed would surface. While I have NO intention on transitioning to the big girl bed, I decided we could do a trial run. Here is how the conversation today began as we were getting ready for naptime.

Mommy: Let's go Kenz, up the stairs, it's time for a nap.

Kenzie: Kenzie go nigh nigh in a big grr bed like Mommy and Daddy

Mommy: Yes, someday when you are a little older you will get to sleep in a big girl bed, today you are going to take your nap in your crib

Kenzie: Kenzie go nigh nigh in big grr bed in green room? (One of our guest bedrooms is green, hence the green room remark:)

Mommy: Hmmm (At this point, I am kind of curious myself if maybe she is ready. Then, I have visions of her running/hiding/playing during my most loved time of the day--naptime!

Kenzie: Please? (In the sweetest of voices)

Mommy: Okay Kenz, you can take your nap in here today but tonight you have to go nigh nigh in your crib, okay?

Kenzie: Okay Mommy!

I have to say that she is never as excited about naptime as she was today. She climbed in, got under the covers and was grinning ear to ear. At this point I doubted that she would sleep at all. I got her monitor and sound machine, plugged them in, kissed her and decided not to mention anything about staying in bed just in case the thought hadn't yet entered her little mind. To my surprise, she slept for 2 1/2 hrs and woke up as happy as could be.

Who knows what request tomorrow will bring...hopefully not driving a car or dating! My little girl is growing up before my very eyes.

NYC Trip

Jeremy and I recently took a 4 day trip to NYC! It has been a while since we have had a trip just the two of us and we LOVED every minute of it. We of course missed sweet Mackenzie, but sleeping in past 7 a.m. and not having a schedule dictate our day was pure luxury. We stayed in Hoboken, New Jersey where we also attended the wedding of our friends Matt and Tammy. The rest of our stay, we enjoyed sight-seeing, catching the Broadway Play "The Lion King", people watching at Central Park, buying some knock off purses and sunglasses in China Town, and just being together! I have to say that going into the trip I believed that New Yorker's were fast-paced and rude, and that the city was dirty and dangerous. I was completely WRONGE!! Apparently, t.v. does not accurately depict NYC fairly, b/c everyone there was so friendly and helpful and we loved every bit of our time there. It is our new favorite city! It was quite an adventure figuring out which path train or subway to hit, but Jeremy had it down in no time! And I will say that hailing down a taxi is not as easy as it looks and is VERY expensive (we learned that Day 1!) We are thankful for our wonderful family who watched Mackenzie so that we could enjoy a wonderfully memorable trip together.

Spring Fun

Springtime is here and we are so glad to be outside again! It is nice to to play with the neighborhood kids again, explore the outdoors with a curious 2 year old, and run off some of her never-ending energy. Mackenzie is full of questions these days and is a little sponge when it comes to learning about the world around her. Over the past few weeks we have enjoyed visits to the zoo, played in the Sprinkler, had picnic lunches at various parks and fed the ducks at the duck pond. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast. I tell Mackenzie all the time that she is my "little girl" and she of course corrects me and says "no Mommy, I big grrr now!" Below are some pics of her from the past few weeks. Can you say "big grrr?"



Princess Mackenzie



Visiting the Columbus Zoo with our best buddies Connor and Peyton


Enjoying a snack outside


Playing in the Sprinkler


Kenzie's 1st "poop in the potty" (One day she will hate me for this one, but look how proud she is!)


Storytime at the Library with Ms. Allison, singing her favorite song (Open them, Shut them!)

Easter

Easter

We have enjoyed several Easter egg hunts, dying and decorating eggs, meeting the Easter Bunny and lots of family fun over the past few weeks. This year, Mackenzie was very into the Easter bunny and we got our first picture of the two, without tears or hysteria. She thoroughly enjoyed hunting for eggs and had to open up each one to see what was inside, before finding more. Dying eggs was quite an event to watch. This was the first time I have dyed eggs with a toddler and she had a slam dunk approach to dying them. It was almost like watching a game of basketball as she would throw them into each color. As you can imagine, we had quite a few cracked ones, but in the end they were lovingly decorated and eaten (yes, Mackenzie is now a hard boiled egg fan)!

Meeting Liam

Last week, a new love came into my life and his name is Liam! Now before the rumors start flying, let me clarify that Liam is my sister Emily's dog. Below are some pics of Kenzie meeting Liam and the top 10 things I love about this little pup!








The Top 10 Reasons I Love Liam:
1. He is good with Mackenzie and gives her lots of kisses.
2. He entertains Mackenzie and keeps her occupied which means more "ME TIME"!
3. When he runs, he hops like a bunny.
4. I can cradle him like a little baby, in one hand.
5. He is Mackenzie's new best friend.
6. He is the dog my sister Emily has always wanted and DESERVES!
7. He loves to play fetch and can pick up an entire tennis ball in his tiny, little mouth
8. He may just be the cutest and quietest dog on the planet Earth.
9. He never tires of Mackenzie's need to pet, kiss, hold and hug him endlessly.
10. I can now dog sit him and pretend that he is MINE!
We love you Liam!! Welcome to the Family!