Doesn't 4 Sound So Old?

Mackenzie had a fabulous time celebrating her much anticipated 4th birthday. Her wish was granted and she was able to have her Grandma Jill, Grandpa Jeff, Grandma Jean, cousin Kate, and Aunt Shelley come visit for the whole weekend. What Fun!

Mackenzie's request was to go to Jungle Jim's which she insisted on calling Disneyland. You would hear it if you did not call it the correct name.



Thanks to everyone who came for cake and presents too. This little girl was in heaven.


We brought Mackenzie home from Mercy hospital in Des Moines 4 years ago. I remember those first several days falling in love with that baby and it was during the Torino winter olympics. I've been surprised how these 2010 winter olympics have brought back such memories of learning to nurse Mackenzie and hold her and dress her and all the time spent staring at her...all to the background of skiing and skating and metal counts. Couldn't believe how much I loved her then and it just keeps growing.

Imagination

Mackenzie loves to draw, write, color, paint, or do anything she considers an "art project." I bought her this canvas to put up in her room and let her paint away. I was excited to see what she would choose to paint with no guidance from anyone. It is her dad driving us to the ice cream shop and our back yard with horses in it. And her someday to be famous signature is on the right side.

Of course Robert and I think this is a true masterpiece.


To the untrained eye, this is a mess of clothes and papers all the way up the stairs. To the mother of the almost-four-year-old, it is actually pretty cute. The clothes (audience-specifically husbands and wives) with the papers (programs) watch the show (Mackenzie jumping off the bottom 2 steps).

The Aftermath

Well, I'm ashamed to say that I don't know how the hair cutting went down because I'm an extra good mom like that. All I know is both girls had scissors, Brooklyn got the worst of it, and all the hair was in one pile.

Here is the "fixed" hair cut. I like to think of it as a sassy asymmetrical bob.




Good thing that hair do is on this cute face, huh!


And this is the side view before


Mackenzie's Aftermath will have to be another post. I'm spent.

Should I laugh???

Or should I cry???

I think I'll cry.

Do my girls look like me?

The other day someone asked where my kids got their blond hair. Once upon a time I didn't have to fake it.


Here is me and my cousin Trelese playing in the mud:


My brother and me in our kitchen:

Like Mother Like Daughter

I love that the first the Brooklyn says when we go to get her in the morning is "I want food."

Christmas Morning

Could there be a more exciting couple of hours than this:








Sometimes I wish I could put my girls on ice keep them like this forever!