Glen Beck (who is a member of our faith) did a tribute to the beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley. Whether or not you are LDS, you can find something positive from it.

McKenzie Moments

A few funny toddleresque things worth noting:McKenzie is quite the independent little toddler, however she tends to say funny things like "No...I want to do it all by myself! Will you help me? "

Last week, for Family Home Evening, we were showing her the picture of Jesus being baptized. She loves to pick up the same picture now and talk about how Jesus is taking a bath. We also showed her a picture of a little boy being baptized in a church font. After explaining that she will be baptized when she is 8, she said "I want to be to be bathtized in the blue water, not the river, It is yucky."

As we were walking through the library today, she yelled "mommy look at me! I am shaking my bum when I walk!"

When we stand in line at the grocery store, or any other store for that matter, she always seems to turn heads. Usually it is because she is singing so loud. Its always the church songs that she belts out of course. "Heavenly Father..are you really there?..." ("A Child's Prayer") I love that she sings so I don't want to shush her, so I have to be kind and tricky and say, "thats a really pretty song, but maybe we could sing a little softer since we are inside." She also likes to ask if she can see the baby in my belly. She then tries to lift up my shirt over and over again. "Is the baby growing mom?!" "Yes honey, please leave mommy's shirt alone. We are in a store." Kids, man. They are ruthless.

She is always putting her babies in time out. Oops. :)

The other day she asked, "mommy can I ride the potty train?" I guess its time to get serious about this potty training business.

When we drive in the car as a family, she often says "Daddy, Mommy: How about you don't talk. Shall we sing together?" And then we drive down the road singing "You are My Sunshine" or any song of her choice. She is very musical.

Christmas Vacation

We just returned from our Christmas vacation. It is nice to come home with a few days to spare before Evan has to return to work. We spent just over a week with Evan's whole family. McKenzie loves spending time with her aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course Grandma and Grandpa. We all had a really nice Christmas together. McKenzie enjoyed Christmas morning and made out well with a some nice new toys, etc. Her favorite being the one from Santa: her very own mini guitar. She doesn't stop playing it and loves to serenade us with endless songs. She really is turning out to be quite the singer.

After Christmas, we were lucky enough to spend a few days in Yosemite. McKenzie loved her first experience with snow and enjoyed ice skating, making snow men, and snow angels. Sledding was a bit too much for her, especially since the first ride down the hill was a disaster. Daddy fell off the back and Mommy and Kenzie took off on an uncontrolled crazy ride.

We took a ton of pictures. Here are some of the highlights.

A Happier Note

Another one of these crazy kids? That's right! We are having another one. We find out if it is a boy or a girl on Feb 2.... so stay tuned. July 2nd, 2008 is the due date that the first ultra sound predicted. We'll see. Nausia and fatigue have been in full force this time around. But it is all worth it, I know. We are excited and nervous about adding another one to the family. Most of all we feel incredibly blessed.

Now this?

Just when we thought it wasn't going to get any worse...it did. McKenzie is either allergic to Amoxicillin or caught the stomach flu in the midst of this week long drama. She has been throwing up, or as she says it "spitting" all day long! AHHHH. McKenzie is such a funny, sweet kid. It is hard to see her so down. Ah the joys of parenthood. I am sure she'll be fine by the end of the weekend. Lets hope so!

sick, sick, sick-

Warning: This post is one big pity party. But here goes:
Most people tend to forget how awful a cold is until you have one. McKenzie and I have both been struggling with a really bad cold for quite some time now. It is seriously the worst cold I can remember ever having. It is definitely the worst one McKenzie has ever had! And just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. She was diagnosed with a double ear infection today. Wow. She has never had an ear infection in all her two little years. Well thankfully they gave her antibiotics today, and then I pumped her with Ibuprofen. Before she fell asleep she said, "Mommy I am not sick anymore." Very cute, but all I could think was "just wait until a couple of hours from now when you wake up crying again in agony." Lets hope we get some sleep tonight. Between the two of us coughing and being congested, nobody has been getting any real sleep lately.
Did I mention I have the best husband ever?! He has been a great help and has done a really good job at playing Dr. for the both of us. Luckily he has not become sick. We are grateful for that. We are also grateful for medicine!

The Christmas Spirit

Here is our Christmas tree. I always love how warm and cozy the home feels with Christmas decorations up. I am one of those people that has to get passed Thanksgiving before I can even begin to think about Christmas. Today, being such a fun family filled day with decorating the tree and listening to music, has definitely thrown me into the Christmas spirit!