Makenzie Dec 2012

 

 Look at that sweet face!

 

 

 Our wonderful neighbors gave her this scooter. She does really well and loves it.

 

 

She has been dying to play in the leaves!

First Haircuts

 Parker

Parker was not so sure about it all!

Look at that Mohawk!

Had to know what sister was doing!

So handsome!

 Makenzie

A little apprehensive.

Excited about her first professional haircut.

Feeling like a superstar with her purple stars and hair.

By the way, we got their haircuts at Sweet N Sassy. On Tuesdays all of their haircuts are $5 off. So their "cutie cuts" were only $10! What a great deal! Makenzie's purple "hair extension," glitter spray, glitter stars, and sucker were all included. I'm sure she'll always want to get her hair cut at Sweet N Sassy!

My children

They'll only be little once. Focus on their hearts and who they are. They are gifts from God. He will take care of them. He has blessed you with the opportunity to raise them for Him! What an awesome responsibility! They are people that deserve respect, but they are not little adults. They are children.

My sweet girl Makenzie. She is her momma through and through. She is very maternal and loving. She is quietly adventurous. She is slowly climbing out of her shell and standing on the edge of childhood. She is putting herself out there to meet new people. I'm so proud of how much she has grown in the past year. She is strong willed and strong minded. She knows exactly what she wants and how she wants it. She loves her brother, but is really having a hard time with his new found mobility and curiosity.

 Oh, Parker and his sweet, mischievous smile. Oh, how I love that boy. He is T.R.O.U.B.L.E., but I don't care. I love him so much. He melts my heart when he wraps his arms around my legs in an attempt to get my attention. He gives me a little flirty grin that says, "pick me up...you know you want to," and he's right, I do.

Makenzie's Fourth Birthday

Mommy and Makenzie

Making buttercream frosting for her birthday cupcakes.

Birthday Girl!

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Best Friends

The birthday princess with her new Rapunzel doll from Grandma and Grandpa.

Time flies when you're having FUN!

It's hard to believe how fast my littles are growing up! Makenzie is almost four and Parker is already 7 months old! I feel like his first birthday is going to be here before we know it! When Makenzie was a baby I just wanted her to stay little. I was always excited about the milestones, but everyday I wished she could "just stay little!" Needless to say it didn't happen and the same thing is happening with Parker. However, unlike Makenzie, he isn't meeting the milestones quite so quickly. He rolls over in his bed, but no where else. He is sitting great and has been for about six weeks. At this point Makenzie was already crawling. I think Parker is far from crawling and I'm thankful!

Parker at seven months:


Makenzie January 2012(almost four years old):

One thing I really love is watching my kids interact. My friend was right that the gift of giving Makenzie a sibling would be worth the time that she would lose with me. It definitely isn't easy when they both have needs at the same time. Like when Parker is being fed and Makenzie needs help in the bathroom. This happens almost everyday at some point. But, I love watching them together! They are so "peshish,"(precious) as Makenzie would say.

Bath time:


Going down the slide together at Arbor Hills:


What morning looks like at our house:


So, today I'm thankful for my sweet children, the wonderful relationship they have with each other, and the ability for me to stay home with them and experience it all.

Letter of the Week-P

Makenzie was happy to practice her coloring, cutting, and pasting skills with this fun "Letter of the Week." I would've never thought to do anything to help her learn her letters, at least not this creatively, had it not been for http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/ I love her posts and try to emulate them with Makenzie often. Obviously I don't always blog about them, but I thought this "P" peacock turned out too cute!

Little Miss Independent

Makenzie is becoming more and more independent every day. One evening this week she carried all of her stuffed animals into her bedroom and played by herself for almost an hour! My husband and I didn't know what to do. She is getting better at dressing and undressing herself. Thankfully she only does this at designated times instead of throughout the day. Just this week she started being able to open the refrigerator by herself. She's very proud when she does it too. Let's just say that last night she opened the refrigerator about six times in a row to check if the hard boiled eggs were cool yet. I'm so proud of her for all of these little milestones. It's also hard for me to see her growing up. I just need to do my best to enjoy her how she is right now.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Makenzie is three years old!!! I can hardly believe it! She is growing up so fast! Her birthday party was a success. We did a princess themed birthday party for her and two of her friends. Makenzie and I made cookies the night before and cut them out in the shape of princess shoes and crowns. She and her friends decorated them with icing and sprinkles. They played dress up and got their nails painted. They also played "pin the tail on the unicorn" and parachute. The cake cone cupcakes that I made did not turn out well. The cones were soggy and the icing did not taste good. Of course the kids liked them just fine. We also had cheese and crackers and fruit skewers. My grandmother, my parents, and my best friend all came to celebrate also. This past weekend we went to Cleburne to visit with my husband's family and celebrate again. She received some wonderful gifts for her birthday. One of which was a bike from her daddy and I. She loves it! She's ridden it almost every day since she got it.
I want to document some things about Makenzie at this age.
She loves:
-her pink blanket and Mary
-being a "big girl" and a "big sister"
-her daddy! (and mommy)
-being home...she often asks if we can "just stay home"
-playing tea party with her babies: Annabelle, Sara, Ashley, Libby, and Jordan
-helping Mommy with everything
-Daddy and daughter time at the basketball games
-anything crafty! cutting, pasting, coloring, painting, or playdough
She is constantly asking questions about everything. She often asks the same questions in a different way. She is like a little sponge just soaking up information all the time. She asked me the other night if her daddy had taken the bus back to the bus barn. I said yes and when her daddy got home she asked him what the farmer does with it. She is so hilarious and smart. She is generally obedient, but sometimes just tells you no to your requests. She is well acquainted with timeouts...even at the grocery store. She is constantly pushing her boundaries and independence. We are working hard at establishing both in her life. She is a wonderful part of our family and I know we don't deserve the right to raise her, but we are doing our best. I love her very much. I'm proud of her in her strides to become her own person and in her love for God and Jesus.

Second Trimester - 25 Weeks

I am really feeling pregnant these days. I'm so happy every time I feel Parker move. He kicks a lot! I don't always appreciate the swift kicks to my bladder, but I'm always thankful to know that he is alive and well. I think of Parker as a person more than I ever did when I was pregnant with Makenzie. I find myself talking to him often. I'm so excited to know that we'll have our baby boy in our home in just a few quick months! We're starting to prepare more and more for him. We bought a box of diapers yesterday at Costco and we've ordered some artwork for the walls in his room. My friend is throwing me a baby shower in two weeks and I can hardly wait! We'll probably start really working on his room after the shower because that will be spring break. I'll post pics as soon as everything comes together.
Makenzie talks more and more everyday about Parker and her role as "big sister." She has been putting her dolls and animals into the roles of big brother or sister too. She is becoming increasingly independent in her play. I'm sure that is a skill that will be especially helpful once Parker makes his arrival. I'm sad to lose one on one time with her, but I'm so excited to see the relationship that will grow between the two of them.

Makenzie's Third Birthday

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Can I Cry Now?

Makenzie is growing up! She transitioned to a "BIG girl bed" tonight. She was sort of unsure about it, but also excited. This is the first step of many in her process of growing up and I never realized how hard it would be on me. It made me wonder how my parents, especially my mom, ever let me do anything. How did she leave me at college? I cried like a baby after we took the crib away and put in the full sized bed. I can't imagine what I'll be like when we have to leave her at college, or even let her spend the night at a friends house, or...go on a date!







I love how proud she looks in this picture!
Another thing that was hard about today was going through Makenzie's clothes that we had stored in the attic. We were saving them in case baby number two was a girl. Now that we know for sure that we are having a boy it is time to sell or donate all of her old things. I haven't even gotten to the hardest part...her infant clothes! I may have to save the outfit we brought her home from the hospital in. So, lots of big steps being taken in the Neal household today. We still have the biggest transition of all to come in June.

Back to the grind.

Look at this sweet face! I absolutely love this picture of her and had it printed and put in frame immediately. I love her so much! My sweet husband was home for two weeks for the Christmas break. We loved having him here and completely forgot what it was like when he was working. Thankfully we fell back into our old routine pretty easily this week when he had to return to work. I'm eating up every second I have with Makenzie as an only child. She is so wonderful! She is very caring, sweet, and smart. I love to hear the silly things that come out of her mouth. She repeats everything that you say and constantly has a question to ask. She wants to know "why" about EVERYTHING! I do my best to answer all of her questions even if the answer isn't at her level. Some things just aren't, such as: "Why do you have to change the oil in the car?" So I explained that the car needs oil to run and that it has to be changed to keep the car going. Now she keeps asking me if the car is still working...because we haven't been to change the oil yet. She is so funny and smart. I pray that the next one has similar qualities to her, but I here that second children are almost always nothing like the first. Hey, a girl can dream. I do know that whoever this second child is he/she will be absolutely wonderful in their own way.

I'm really late on posting Halloween pictures, or anything, on my blog, but here they are: (better late than never).


The sweetest little Minnie Mouse I've ever seen!

"Trick or Treating" with Daddy.

Cooper, Jordan, and Makenzie at the Prestonwood Carnival.

She loved the pony ride and of course had to be on the horse with the pink hair. Who's name was "Prince."

almost two!

Makenzie's second birthday is sunday. It's so hard to believe that she's almost two years old. I love her so much! She has started praying and singing lately. I'll say, "Dear God, thank you for..." and she fills it in with, "Mommy, Daddy, Jack-bear, my bed, my blanket, ME, my Mary, my pacifier, my house..." It is so sweet to hear her talking to God.

She has also started singing with me. She sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "It's Raining, It's Pouring," and "This Little Light of Mine." I'll post pics after her birthday. btw, Minnine Mouse is not easy to find. I promised Makenzie a Minnie Mouse cake and have not been able to find one. I wish I was skilled in cake decorating so I could've made her one myself. I think she's gonna have to settle for a cupcake with a Minnie Mouse figurine on it.

Snow Day!

Woke up this morning to the neighborhood covered in snow and lots of it still coming down. The flakes have gotten bigger as the day as progressed. It looks so beautiful outside. I took Makenzie out in it after bundling her up as much as I could. She was really excited about it when she was inside, but not so much when she was out in it. We attempted a snow man and I made a snow angel...but neither turned out so great. It was a lot of fun to be out of the house and playing in the snow. I wouldn't want snow around all the time, but once or twice during the winter would be fine.

Jack enjoying the snow. He's looking for his tennis ball.

All bundled up and ready to play!

After we came in it was time to eat! And then take a nap. We all wish Eric could've been home with us to play in the snow. He would've built an awesome snow man!