Makenzie next to the giant turtle shell at the children's zoo.
Mommy and Makenzie.

Reaching for the Rhinoceros.

Reaching for the kangaroos.

Hello Again...

No, we didn't fall off the face of the earth. I no longer have access to a home computer with internet. My blogging will now be few and far between. My phone is now my most advanced piece of technology and communication with the outside world.

Well, Makenzie is now fourteen months old. She weighs 21 lbs. and is 30 inches tall. She is extremely curious and constantly busy. She walks everywhere and has recently started climbing and standing on top of her toys. I'm sure climbing onto the couch will be her next endeavor. Jordan, the little girl I baby sit, has recently started walking and we are really enjoying watching her. Makenzie and Jordan have a great time together. I'm going to miss her when the summer comes. I hope that we can continue to get the girls together as much as possible. We took them to the zoo thursday. They had a great time! Makenzie was reaching for the animals and trying to find them inside their habitats. She really liked the frogs and an eel. She wasn't so keen on the snakes. I'll post pictures from the zoo as soon as possible.

As for Eric and I, things are going well. Spring football is about to start and Eric's going to be busy. We're both looking forward to the beginning of summer. It's going to be very busy and lots of fun. I'll try to post our adventures and pics as they happen.

Date Night

Eric and I had a great date night on Saturday. We hadn't been on a date in over a year! We went to Steve Fields in Plano. We hadn't been out to a nice restaraunt like that in a long time. The food was amazing! Eric was afraid I would be worried about Makenzie all night and not be able to relax. Seriously, all it took was walking through the door of the restaraunt. We were through with our appetizer and I looked at Eric and said, "Oh my gosh, I haven't even thought about Makenzie!" Because it was our anniversary the waiter brought us chocolate cake and a card. It was really nice to celebrate us. After dinner we went to The Shops at Legacy and had a couple drinks at a place called Coast. It was great to sit back, relax, and be a couple for a while. Makenzie did really well with Tiffany. We didn't get any phone calls and Tiffany said she didn't cry at all when we left. As a matter of fact, Makenzie waved good-bye to us as we walked out the door. I was shocked and relieved. My little girl is growing up, and finally I can be an adult again and not just a mom.

Future Athlete

Our excursion to Eric's track meet went really well. Makenzie was amazing during the car ride both there and back, yeah! She had a great time being outside, playing in the grass, and running away from Mommy. She was very excited to see Eric. Many nights during season (track or football) she doesn't get to see him. This was the first time that she cried when he handed her back to me. It melted his heart. He commented on it when he got home last night. He is wrapped around her little finger. For only being one Makenzie is very brave and very active. I was literally chasing after her over and over again! It looks like we may have a future athlete on our hands.

Family Pictures

We finally got family pictures taken. We wanted to commemorate Makenzie turning one. Of course we wanted a family picture as well. We went to Babies R Us/Kiddie Kandids and they did a good job. There were a lot of options to choose from. We are really pleased with the way things turned out. Makenzie was really great through the whole process. Thank goodness.

Today Makenzie and I are going to Plano to see Eric's track team compete. I hope the weather is nice and that his team does well. This will be our first track meet to attend this season. I'm really looking forward to it. Also, it gives me an opportunity to show off Makenzie. She hasn't been very good in her car seat the last several times we've gone somewhere, but I hope today is an exception. Hopefully we'll be able to turn her car seat around soon, but she has to gain some weight first. Looking forward to a beautiful day and hopefully a peaceful drive.

Makenzie's First Birthday cont.

Makenzie is one year old! Her birthday party was a huge success. Eric fried a turkey and we served sandwiches, salad, Noel's famous baked beans, and Mom's yummy potato salad. We were so blessed to have so many friends and family attend her party. Everyone had a great time...most of all Makenzie. She loved being the center of attention. She loved showing everyone how good she is at walking. She received a lot of great gifts. She will be wearing dresses all summer! She loves all of her new toys. I made a cake especially for Makenzie. She wasn't so sure about all of the sticky icing. She made a huge mess and had a really good time playing with the cake.

Makenzie's First Birthday

Oh the joys of planning a party. None brings as much sweet sorrow as that of a child's first birthday. She is no longer a baby. She is now officially a toddler. She has changed so dramatically over the past year. Makenzie is smart, curious, independent, strong willed, sweet, and loving. I'm so blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise her.
As for her party I am expecting around fifteen people. Only close friends and family. If we had the space we would've had a much bigger crowd. This is probably the perfect size for a first birthday. I don't want her to get too overwhelmed. She usually handles people really well. I'm more concerned about the cake she is going to eat. We ordered a cake for all of the guests and I'm baking a cake for Makenzie to destroy all by herself. I can't wait to post pictures and blog about how the party turned out. I really have to give the glory to God that this party is even happening. We received our tax refund check just in time to fund this party. He has blessed us with so much and continues to do so everyday.