Big Girl Haircut

I have been warning Aaron for months now of my plans to get Makenzie's haircut. Despite his wish to keep it long, I am the one who gets her wrath as she complains almost every morning how I am hurting her head trying to get the tangles out. I guess you can say I have gone in small stages, with 4 inches taken off about two months ago and another 4 inches taken off Monday. I would have gone a little shorter, but I figured daddy would not be happy if Makenzie came home with her hair chopped. Good thing I had the hair stylist stop where she did......Aaron's remark was something along the lines of, "we will not go any shorter." Hmm....I think someone is a little partial to long hair.....
Here is my baby girl who doesn't look so little any more....

Paint Fun

Makenzie and I will usually have some sort of craft time while Ashlyn is taking her nap in the afternoon. On this particular day, Makenzie wanted to try out her new paint spinner from her cousin Madelyn. It took us a few attempts to figure out what we were doing, but Makenzie eventually got the hang of it and didn't want to quit. Here is my little Rembrandt in the making...

Easter Weekend

We took the girls to Pawpaw and Granny's ranch over Easter weekend. It was strange not being in church to celebrate such a remarkable event in our history. I would have liked to have heard our Pastor's sermon, but it was also good to get away from the city and just enjoy country life for a couple of days. We took the girls fishing for the first time. I can't say Makenzie was too impressed, but she got a Barbie fishing pole from her daddy that worked pretty well. Ashlyn had her first experience horse back riding, and I think she liked it given the absence of tears. Pawpaw let Makenzie drive the gator and I have to say that she did really well since those things don't have power- steering. I wish I had my camera to catch Ashlyn stomp her foot right in the center of a huge cow patty. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react. Her granny and I don't know what she was thinking, other than it was a little dry and perhaps she mistook it for a rock??? I guess it could have been worse....she could have rolled all around in it like our dogs did after taking a plunge in the pond......talk about gross!!! We were all gagging after watching that event unfold before our eyes!
We had a great weekend and the girls are already asking to go back.

Decorating Eggs

We decorated Easter eggs a few days earlier this year b/c we were out of town for the Easter weekend. It's amazing what a difference a year makes! Ashlyn just watched us from her booster chair last year, but this year, she was dying eggs and putting stickers on them with her daddy. I laugh at the picture of Ashlyn with her thumb in her mouth....if I could pick her brain, I would say she is thinking, "okay with the pictures already.........here's my egg, now can I just suck my thumb?"

More Birthday Fun

We spent Makenzie's actual birthday at the Dallas Zoo. Aaron was able to take the day off so we could spend the day as a family and celebrate Makenzie's big day. We could not have asked for a more perfect day as the weather was beautiful and there weren't many people at the zoo. We made our first stop at the Children's Zoo as the bird feeding area has become one of Makenzie's favorite spots. I think we were the first to arrive so the birds were pretty hungry and eager to eat. Makenzie didn't want to leave, but we finally talked her into going to see other animals with the possibility of stopping back to see the birds at a later time. We also spent a long time in the reptile center, which surprisingly, the girls really enjoyed. While seeing the alligators, Ashlyn asked if she could sit up on the ledge overlooking them.....uh, no baby, they will eat you sweet thing! We headed home for more celebration as Aaron baked Makenzie a birthday cake, we sang Happy Birthday, and let her open her gifts from us. Now, just a few weeks to go and we will be celebrating Ashlyn's birthday...........boy am I tired!!

Makenzie's 4th Birthday Party

We celebrated Makenzie's 4th birthday this past Saturday. From the day she chose a carnival theme for her party, we have been busy planning the big event. Aaron finished "busy season" and moved straight into late nights getting the games ready that we had for the kids to play. I have to say that his craftiness with woodwork was a great asset for this party. He did a GREAT job on the games and I think the kids had a good time. Plus, he created this lion/lion tamer board for photo opts which was very creative. I think Ashlyn enjoyed it the most! It's hard to believe that Makenzie is already 4. I am having a difficult time grasping that she will start kindergarten in a year and a half. She is a bundle of energy who loves to play with her baby dolls, ride her bike, create pictures with her many crafts, and play at the park. We are so blessed by her life and love her so very much! Here are some pictures from her party....

Pretend Play

A few weeks ago, we were finishing up breakfast and Makenzie said, "Look mom, Ashlyn is having a birthday party for her babies!" I stopped washing the dishes, walked around the bar, and found Ashlyn on the floor sharing an ice cream cone with her baby doll. These wooden cones that Aaron bought the girls for Valentine's day have been one of the girls' favorite toys to play with. And since 3/4 of the girls' day is playing with babies, why not have a birthday party for them? I love these pictures of the girls!!!