Easter

I am a little late with this post. I am going to be playing catch up with the next few I believe. Easter was fun this year as Makenzie had a better understanding (granted, we still have a ways to go) of why we celebrate Easter. Between home, parent's day out, and church, she was able to tell us that Jesus died on a cross. Hopefully next year, I will hear her explain how the tomb was empty-PRAISE GOD!! Makenzie also had fun coloring eggs and participating in three easter egg hunts. Ashlyn just pushed her walker around while the three of us colored eggs. I am sure she will enjoy participating next year. Here are a few pictures from Easter weekend.

Makenzie is 3!

Our baby girl (well, not exactly a baby anymore) turned THREE this past weekend. We had a very busy weekend as we turned Makenzie's birthday into a three day celebration. Aaron took Friday off from work and we spent the morning running errands and finishing up shopping for Makenzie's birthday. Later in the evening, the four of us celebrated with cupcakes and presents that we bought Makenzie. Once the girls were in bed, it was time for daddy to decorate Makenzie's cake. This was the first time to make her cake and he did a GREAT job! Makenzie wanted a pink butterfly cake and that is exactly what her daddy made her. Way to go daddy!! Saturday morning was Makenzie's friends' party at Pump It Up Junior. My family also came up on Saturday to celebrate Makenzie's birthday with her. The kids had fun jumping and sliding on the inflatables at Pump It Up. After about an hour of playing, they enjoyed pizza and cake. We ran out of time to have Makenzie open her gifts at the party, so there was more excitement to follow as she opened her gifts at home. On Sunday, we had Makenzie's family party at our house. Makenzie had fun playing with her cousins Faith, Megan, and Caleb and spending time with Aunt Tammy, Uncle Nathan, grandma and grandpa. Our good friends Tera, Jeff, and baby Trent also joined us for the celebration. By the time Sunday evening came along, we had our fill of cake, cookies and ice cream. I can't believe Makenzie is 3! We are so blessed by her life!!

Our Girls and Mud

I thought Makenzie had a weird fetish with mud.....or perhaps she was just lacking in some nutrients that she wasn't getting in the food she eats. However, on Thursday, I found that Ashlyn seems to take a liking to the sick stuff too! Really, the girls won't keep it out of their mouths. As a baby, Makenzie also loved playing with the dog bowls and I have found the same to be true for Ashlyn. However, with Ashlyn, I have discovered this weird thing she does with her mouth, almost like she is bobbing for apples, but with plain water from the dogs' bowls, mud or the wood chips that you find at most parks. She just puts her face down to the ground and comes up with a mouthful. Perhaps the pictures will shed some light on my description. Oh, and Ashlyn has been dealing with an awful diaper rash, so I figured in order to give her some relief from the sweaty diapers, I would put her in a pair of Makenzie's panties. The funny thing is, they just about fit!

Notice Anything Missing?

This morning I had a doctor's appointment so Aaron was left in charge of the girls. Ashlyn would be going down for her nap soon so that left Makenzie who loves to play with daddy. Well........I get home from the doctor's office and not only does it appear a tornado has whipped through our house (granted, I was only gone a little over an hour), but Makenzie is adament in telling me how she licked the icing off the cupcakes. I thought she was referring to ONE cupcake that her daddy let her have while I was gone. She kept telling me over and over as if I was not understanding her, and rightly so, b/c it wasn't until I walked over to the counter and discovered that she had licked the icing off of the remaining FIVE cupcakes. Of course, I asked Aaron if he was aware of what his daughter had done and his reply was "man, I don't know, I WAS SLEEPING." Hmm...............I am thinking busy season better be over very soon.............. :o)

Girls Trip to Tomball

It's been over a month since my last entry. These days, I am so tired once I get the girls to bed that I rarely have the energy to sit and type. Aaron is still going through busy season so it has been me and the girls since January. I decided it was time to make the trip to see my sister and parents and that with a lot of prayer, I could make the trip to Tomball by myself. Up until about 2 months ago, Ashlyn would scream in the car and I just wasn't looking forward to an almost 4 hour drive. As it turns out, my mom was at the country with my dad and she decided to make the rest of the trip with me and the girls. I couldn't have asked for a better drive down. The girls did great and we had a really good time hanging out with my sister and her family. I don't like to do much once I get to Tomball since our time is so limited, so other than a trip to the Woodlands Mall to eat lunch and ride the carousel, we really just hung out at my sister's house. Makenzie and Madelyn had fun jumping on the trampoline, painting with Aunt Heather, and riding the gator. My dad had some bonding time with Makenzie at the country as he drove her around on the mule to see the cows, chickens, and horses. Makenzie is already wanting to go back to see her cousin and Aunt Heather, so I am sure we will be making a trip within the next couple of months.

Valentine's Day

Last year for Valentine's day, I planned a small party for Makenzie and some of her friends from church. My friend Tamara and I made lunch for the kids and let them decorate cookies. Tamara and her family have since moved out of town, and with Valentine's day being on a Saturday this year, it made for a fun family day. Aaron and I spent the morning playing with the girls. We enjoyed decorating cookies with Makenzie and laughed several times as she licked more icing than she placed on the cookies and dumped large amounts of red and white heart sprinkles on top of the icing. Then we watched the girls open a gift from their grandparents and from us. Makenzie has been wanting another room for her dollhouse so her daddy made a special run to Toys R'Us since I was unsuccessful finding it at two other stores. We also had some time to play outside in the afternoon and Aaron took Makenzie for a stroll through our neighborhood bike trail. All in all, it was a great weekend spending family time together, especially since we don't get much daddy time these days with busy season in full force. Here are a few pictures from Saturday.

Ashlyn's 9 Month Milestones

Our baby girl turned 9 months on January 30th.  She has really started to develop a personality which is quite different from her sisters.  Ashlyn LOVES her big sister.  Her face just lights up when she sees Makenzie first thing in the morning and she almost always gives Makenzie a BIG kiss on her cheek when I take Ashlyn to her.  Some of the milestones Ashlyn has reached since she turned 9 months are:  waving bye-bye, signed "more" for the first time, pushing her walker, climbing stairs, and dancing.  I have yet to capture the dancing on video (soon to come), but Ashlyn loves to bop up and down to one particular song her daddy likes to play over and over (thanks Scott Keith for sharing the song ............).  Ashlyn also enjoys riding her "Music in Motion" rollercoaster and playing in the dogs' water bowls at the back door.  It has been fun watching all of the changes that have developed recently in our little girl.  This age is certainly much more enjoyable than seven months ago when I thought time could not go by fast enough.   We are extremely blessed to have our girls!