Fall Fun

Fall is officially here! We have all of our Fall decorations out and have enjoyed some of our favorite fall foods and traditions. Kenzie and I have been using local produce to make homeade soups, apple crisps, pancakes and pies (coming soon). Our favorite so far this fall is homemade tomato soup. Of course, what would fall be without football? We have enjoyed tailgating, attending a few OSU games and having friends over to watch the games!

We made our annual trip to Lynd's Apple Farm to pick apples from their orchard. I don't know why apples don't taste this good when you purchase them at the grocery store, but there is something about picking your own apples that makes them so tasty! My parents tagged along for the fun and we had a fun filled day picking apples, buying fresh produce, visiting the Kiddie Corn Maze, sandbox, and eating lunch near the Pumpkin patch.


Here are some pics from this past weekend:

































































Cheering on the Buckeye's Victory over Indiana with Best Buddy Joshua!

Shekinah Festival

This Summer, we started Special Day's with Nana and Grandpa. Sometimes they involved an overnight, sometimes just a day of getting spoiled rotten. Well, a few weeks ago, Nana and Grandpa took Mackenzie to the Shekinah Festival. It was recommended by their good friend's the Clark's. I had never heard of it, but it's an Amish Festival full of wholesome fun! It is specifically geared for toddlers, which is nice since at some fairs the little ones miss out on some of the rides/activities because of height requirements or because they're just too young.

After a sleepover, Nana, Grandpa and Kenzie loaded up and followed their friend's the Clark's and their Grandson, Brayden to the Festival for a day of fun! There were horse rides, face painting, a petting zoo, barrel rides and yummy festival food! Mackenzie had an absolute blast and still talks about her fun day at the Festival. The highlight for her was getting to hold the baby bunnies, puppies and kittens.

Thank you Nana and Grandpa for sharing your weekend with Mackenzie. She is already looking forward to another "Special Day" (and so is Mommy:)!

My Little School Girl!

So, I'll admit it. I was a little sad last night packing Mackenzie's first school lunch. I was a nervous wreck this morning before dropping her off to a classroom full of strangers. I was preparing myself for lots of tears and a death grip around my legs.

My little girl on the other hand, went to bed last night excited to see her teachers. She woke up with a smile and carried her backpack out the front door with pride. She walked into school, hung up her backpack and even posed for a picture. After hugs and kisses, she walked right over to the toys and started playing with her new friends!

I could not be more proud of her! I would have never in a million years guessed that drop off would have gone so perfectly! Who knew that turning 3 would be so different? Mackenzie's favorite part of the day was playing outside on the playground, eating lunch at school and singing songs! When I asked her if she had fun she replied "Mommy, I went to preschool today and I didn't even cry. I'm a big girl now!" She is already looking forward to returning next week and learning all about Fall!

Here's a few pics of my little school girl this morning, at drop off and at pick up! Her teachers said she did a great job today. She learned about the animals on Noah's Ark, learned about Apples, used alpahabet stamps and even did a little finger painting! Looking forward to a wonderful school year...and a little Mommy time too!

Preparing for the BIG day!

Well, tomorrow my little girl has her FIRST, official day at Mother's Day Out! She is really excited about it and even went to bed tonight without much of a fight! To prepare, I let her pick her outfit for her big day. No surprise, she picked a pink outfit, with Cinderella on it! After bathtime, we packed her lunch...at her request of course. On the menu is a grape jelly sandwich, grapes and oranges, a cheese stick, pretzels and milk and water to wash it all down.

Crossing my fingers for minimal tears at drop-off. It will be a long 3 1/2 hours of not knowing, but I am hoping that she enjoys it! Can't wait to hear all about it from the perspective of a 3 year old! I'll post an update soon!

Mackenzie Goes To School!

I recently enrolled Mackenzie in a "Mother's Day Out" program at a local church. Since she won't start preschool until next Fall, I wanted her to still have socialization with children her age, and a school-like setting 1 day a week. A few of my girlfriends have children enrolled in MDO Programs, and they LOVE it! So we did our research and found a school that we think Mackenzie will just love!

Today was Open house, so we were able to meet the teachers, visit the Playground, Music Room, Science Room, Art Room and Library. Her school day runs from 9:30 am to 1:00 every Tuesday. She is in the 3 Year old Dolphin class. Her class has a total of 10 little ones and 3 really sweet teachers. Every school day, they have Free Play, a Language Arts Center, Arts & Crafts, Science, Music, Snacktime, Outdoor Play, Storytime, Lunchtime and more Playtime! I think it will be a great experience for Mackenzie to meet new friends, learn some academics and have a special day away...especially once the baby is here!

Here are some pics of Mackenzie at her new "Preschool!" We are looking forward to a great year and she could not be more excited. In fact, she picked out her own outfit today (and HAD to wear her backpack out of the house:) and already knows what she wants me to pack her for lunch next week!



Mackenzie with her teachers, Miss Nikki, Miss Jennifer and Miss Susan


Kenzie's Classroom. . . checking out her new surroundings!






Checking out the Art Room (with friends Connor and Peyton)....and the art supplies (this will be a favorite rotation of hers, I can already tell!)



Making some noise in the Music Room



Diggin' in the Sand in the Science Room



Checking out the Indoor Large Motor Skills Playground (with friends Connor and Peyton), called "The Rock" (They also have a fabulous outdoor playground!)



Posing with Mommy at her new Preschool! Is it me, or does she look ridiculously grown up here?

Meeting Baby #2

**Remember to pause the playlist on the side to hear the video. :)

Today, we had our 21 week appointment. We couldn't be more excited to get a sneak peek of the baby! While we decided NOT to find out, we both have different guesses. I think it's a boy, Jeremy thinks it's another girl, and Mackenzie really just wants a puppy! Time will tell! The heartbeat was fast (156 beats per minute), so I am starting to second guess my guess, but either way we will be ecstatic! The baby looks great, very active, growing appropriately and as cute as can be (ok, so I'm a little bias)!

Checking out the Ultrasound Machine!

In awe of all the buttons and gadgets!

Excited to see the lil' peanut!


And this post would not be complete without a short clip of the Ultrasound. As you can see, Lil' Peanut loves the camera. It looked straight ahead and even waived hello! Thanks to my wonderful videographer (aka my hubby) for shooting this great clip. I know it was hard to hold Mackenzie, record the video and see for himself the ultrasound. As a result, we just recorded a few mins so he could actually enjoy watching it live himself!




Close Up of Face


10 Little Toes


Can't wait to meet you sweet baby!

All About Mackenzie!

Days Old. . .



1 Year Old. . .




2 Years Old. . .



3 Years Old. . .




This post is dedicated to my favorite 3 year old in the World! It seems impossible to me now that I could forget some of the day to day memories that we share, but I know one day I will look back and forget a lot of this! So...this post is all about my sweet girl, Mackenzie!

Height: 38 1/4 inches, 75th percentile

Weight: 36 pounds, 90th percentile

*Favorite colors: blue, pink and purple

*Favorite foods: Mexican (if you ask Mackenzie what she wants to eat, she will 100% of the time reply "Mexican!"), mac 'n cheese, fresh fruit, salad, spaghetti, steak, cheese burgers, cheesy tots, cheese and yogurt.

*Favorite activities: painting, coloring, imaginary play (pretending we're the Wiggles, pretending her closet is "preschool" ), going for walks, building with lego's, swimming, cooking with Mommy, playing Golf with Daddy on the Nintendo Wii, spending time with Mommy & Daddy, friends and family.

*Favorite shows: The Wiggles, Imagination Movers, Mickey Mouse, Backyardigans, and Dora the Explorer.


*Favorite sayings: "You're my best friend ever, I love you to the moon and back, I can do that all by myself, Mommy/Daddy, lay down with me a little bit (her plea at bedtime since taking away her pacifier), I don't want Mommy/Daddy to go to work, it makes me so sad, In case you need me, I'm _______."

*Mackenzie is very verbal for her age. She puts 10 or more words together and sounds more like a 4 year old than a 3 year old. Since she was litle, she has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to her verbal skills.

*Mackenzie is FEARLESS! She will try anything and everything. Whether it's jumping off the dock at Grandma and Papa's lakehouse, swimming under the water at the pool,or trying to attempt a flip on a trampoline...there is nothing she cannot and will not do! She is also an adventurous eater! She will eat things most 3 year old's wont: asparagus, brocolli, bbq ribs, guacamole, baby tomatoes, onions, etc!

*Mackenzie is extremely strong willed, persistent and knows how to manipulate to get what she wants. You can not pull a fast one over on her, she is way too smart.


*Mackenzie can count to 20, can recognize many letters, knows her colors, and days of the week. We are currently working on potty training (again...a little set back following transition to the big girl bed and taking away the paci).

*Her memory is unreal! She will bring up things that happened 6 months ago with vivid details, when we get in the car, she will list the places we will pass by if we are headed a certain direction, she can recite several children's books ("Goodnight Moon" is a favorite). She is also very aware if you try to skip a page or two and will make you go back and reread it in it's entirety.

*She LOVES animals, bugs, trash trucks, Disney Princesses, Jeff from the Wiggle's and Mommy and Daddy!

*She recently moved into a new bedroom, into a big girl bed and gave up her pacifiers at night. She has had A LOT of changes and is becoming such a big girl.

*She is excited to become a big sister and I hope that when the baby arrives, she will still have the same excitement. She pats my belly and uses a really high pitched voice when she talks to it. She can tell you all about why babies cry and already says that she will read it a book, sing a song or bring it a pacifier when it does!

*Mackenzie is a kind hearted little girl. She does not like it when other people are upset or hurt. If she can tell that I have had a bad day, she will run to the fridge and pull out the "ready whip" and say, "here Mommy, I have a present for you!" (She knows her Mommy well!:)

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter in our lives! We could not love you more, Mackenzie!