Red, White and Blue!

Happy 4th of July! Love, Mackenzie (and all 10 fingers and toes!)

Father's Day 2009!

This post goes out to the 3 most wonderful men I know. . . My Dad, my wonderful Husband, and my Second Dad (my Father-in-law!) The role you play in Mackenzie and my life is greater than any words I could write. You are irreplaceable, inspirational and loved more than you know! Thank you for loving us, taking care of us, and always being there when we need a good strong man by our side! Kenzie and I couldn't ask for better men in our lives! Happy Father's Day!

Neighborhood Cookout

Last weekend, we had a rib cookout with some of our neighbors. It was the first time we have ever made ribs, and I have to say we did pretty darn good! We had all the fixin's to accompany the fall-off-the-bone ribs...baked beans, corn pudding, fresh fruit, pasta salad, chips and strawberry shortcake! We had so much food and so much fun that time got away from us...and before we knew it, it was 9:30! Luckily for us, Mackenzie slept until 10 a.m. the next morning...pure heaven!!

We are blessed to have wonderful neighbors and tons of little ones for Mackenzie to play with. In fact, the year I was pregnant with Mackenzie, 4 of our neighbors were also pregnant...so there is never a shortage of friends to play with! They have grown up playing in each others backyards, having playdates and exploring the world together. We parents too, enjoy our kids entertaining each other so that we can have some adult talk, swap advice, and have some kid-free conversations! We are looking forward to our next Summer cookout!

Potty Time!

We are currently working on potty training at our house! Mackenzie has been rather easy to train when it comes to going potty. She knows when she needs to go, she will give advance notice and she will run full speed to the bathroom, potty, wipe and flush all on her own. Most of the time, she doesn't even want us to come in with her. Can we say Little Miss Independent?

However, pooping on the potty is a whole other story. Up until tonight, Mackenzie thought it was "dirty and nasty" and refused to go on the potty. She knows when she needs to go, will give us advance notice, but will either hold it in or request a diaper. That is...until tonight! After bath time tonight, Mackenzie was running around in her jammies and shouted "Uh oh, poo poo's coming!" I hesitated asking if she wanted to try to go on the potty, but decided to. To my surprise, she nodded, ran and plopped herself onto her little potty. Next thing I know she is grinning ear to ear...and had successfully conquered her pooping on the potty fear. (I am such a proud Mom!:) I am hoping that by Summer's end, we will be free of diapers and wipes!

Summer Fun

Summer is here! We are enjoying the absence of a schedule, getting together with friends, swimming at the pool, exploring the outdoors and working on potty training. Mackenzie is all about being a "big grr" so potty training has actually gone pretty easily. The potty part that is. We are still working on convincing her that pooping on the potty isn't dirty or messy. I cannot wait for the day when diapers and wipes aren't a staple on our shopping list!

Memorial Day Weekend

We enjoyed a wonderful memorial day weekend with friends and family. Friday, we got together with our neighbor's Ann and John and their 2 year old Morgan. We had a yummy cookout and the girls enjoyed playing together. This was the first time that we adults sat back, while the kids entertained each other the WHOLE night. Gotta love it!

On our way to Morgan's for our First cookout of the weekend!








Saturday was packed with errands, a bday party for our neighbor's son and getting the house ready for the Buzzard clan, who arrived on Sunday. We enjoyed playing in the fountains, a yummy cookout and spending time with each other. Ella, Kaylee and Kenzie are at that age now where they LOVE playing with each other and have a blast. Several times you could just hear them giggling with each other and having the cutest of conversations! We look forward to lots of playdates with our cousin's this Summer!















Monday we had a cookout at Nana and Grandpa's house. They even had a little pool and Backyardigans sprinkler set up for Kenzie to play in. We enjoyed yummy kabobs, veggies, fruit, asparagus and of course CAKE (Mackenzie's favorite). Emily and Mike brought sweet Liam, who also enjoyed a few runs through the sprinkler!














We are so blessed to have a wonderful family, great friends and a safe and free country. We appreciate those who have and still serve to protect our freedoms. God bless you!

New Neighborhood Park

Yesterday, we visited the new park, currently under construction in our neighborhood. I cannot tell you how excited I am about having a park within 2 minutes of our house. When it's complete, it will have a play area for big kids (school age and up), a toddler play area, basketball court, walking trails, and covered picnic tables! I know we will be spending a lot of time there this summer! I will probably have to explain to Mackenzie that the Bob Cat's and Dump trucks will not be permanent fixtures in the park; however, they were a big hit!