The Jepson Family

Russ Turns 29!!

2010-08-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

29...Can you believe that? One more year till 30!! That sounds old. I remember when you turned 16! haha (I think I just managed to make myself sound even older)
We didn't get much time to celebrate last Thursday because Integrative Sports and Wellness was having an Open House.

But we did give him a couple presents open when we got back that night.

Kenzie picked out this hat for Russ and was sooo excited to give it to him.

He didn't blow any candles out till Friday night though. He asked for a banana cream pie for his birthday this year...so I rose to the occasion and made my very first pie...ever. Russ always makes the pies in this house. Mostly because he knew how, and I didn't. So I always pushed that one over to him. But now I'm happy to say that I at least know how to make a pie. I admit his are better than mine turned out, but practice makes perfect right? :) ANYWAY... Friday we left our girls sleeping with our nephew Ben and went out to dinner and a movie. Neither of us sadly can remember the last time we did that, so it was SO NICE. We ate dinner at the Steiner Ranch Steak House, and then we planned on seeing Inception, but were a little late getting there, so we saw Dinner with the Shmucks instead. (NOT a favorite)

Happy Birthday Russ, you're amazing!! Thanks for everything you do! We love you!!

A Visit to Utah

2010-08-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Again, I am so happy we were able to make it out to Utah this last month. I would say I really needed the break, but I can't say it was much of a break, doing the trip without Russ. BUT--it was nice to get a change of scenery, and see some grandparents and Lindsey. We had lots of fun hanging out with them. We were able to go to 7-peaks, Boondocks (which turns out to be the Schaack Daddy's favorite place), Temple Square. We hit a parade (we really love parades...really. one of the few maybe.), a fountain park, a craft fair or two, and a few visits with great grandma cook....it was great!! And of course the reunion and wedding were great. Utah in the summer is AWESOME!!
Here's a few pics to highlight the trip.

Boondocks..gotta love the arcade

Temple Square..the only day I was really on top of the picture taking.

Highland City Parade..you can see Kenzie's cheek full of candy

Fountain Park

Grandpa and Grandma J's house! We missed seeing you guys. We're excited that next time we come some one will be home!

10 year Reunion

2010-08-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

This year marked my and Russ' 10 year high school reunion! I can't believe it! Really, I always thought I would FEEL a lot older at my ten year reunion. I guess that's a good thing. I am really happy I was able to go, but I felt really bad Russ had to stay and hold down the fort (a.k.a. work). It felt weird to be there without him. But he was nice to let us girls go. It was really fun to see a bunch of people I haven't seen in a really long while, and to also hang out with my girls! I was lucky to have a great great group of friends through junior high and high school, and we have stayed close throughout the years. A few of them came in from out of town without their husbands as well, which actually made for some really fun girl time to catch up. There were a couple late nights, lots of reminiscing, a few confessions I think, and even an accusation or two (which I still deny! haha!) These girls know me inside and out and I LOVE them! It was just like old times!! SO FUN!

There were a couple others at the reunion that I WISH and SHOULD HAVE gotten a quick picture with as well, but you know me, I'm never quite on top of stuff like that.

The same weekend one of our good friends Brandon Boulter got married as well, so I was able to hit both events in one weekend! We were able to snag him for long enough to snap a quick pic with everyone. I have soo many great memories with this gang and think the world of all of them--It was really good to see everyone, and to see Brandon with his cute new wife!

Other Summer Fun

2010-08-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

Father's day was shortly after the flood, so we were in a hotel that Sunday. Not ideal, but we did our best to celebrate Russ.

He's such a good dad and we love him!!

Next we did some house/dog sitting for some friend for a couple weeks. The girls really loved Ollie! Kenzie says when (meaning "if") we get a dog, it will be a girl dog, and its name will be "Mollie" instead of "Ollie".

We were at their house over the 4th and did a few fireworks outside. Brinley LOVED them. She was really excited about it. Kenzie wasn't so impressed, but it was still fun! I LOVE the 4th of July! Its right up there with Christmas for me. It was a little disappointing this year because it rained most the weekend, but at least we got a few fireworks in!

outside on the driveway doing fireworks in their pajamas.

Kenzie did a little swimming camp this summer which she LOVED. At the end she got a T-shirt and a medal that she was SO PROUD of. Really. SO PROUD. She kept saying, "Mom, I never won a medal before!" She wore them both the rest of the day. Her shirt was like a dress, but she was so excited I couldn't make her take it off.

Then on the 24th of July we went up to Dallas for the weekend. Russ had a seminar up there that weekend, so we all went up to spend some time with Jon and Lisa and kids, and Robbie and Jessica who recently moved there!! Robbie and Jessica had actually been at our house a few days prior to that, which was so fun! Then we all left and drove up to Dallas Friday. It was a fun weekend. We were able to hit a Rangers Baseball game with Jon's family, which is always fun. We didn't get there until about the 5th inning (which made me and Brinley happy--I like going to those games--but a 5th inning arrival is about right for me... :) ). And we spent some time swimming and checking out Jon and Lisa's new area and house. It was really fun to spend time with everyone!

at the Rangers game with cousins, you can see her still wearing her shirt and medal.

After the game we were walking back to the car and the kids were running around and goofing off as we walked, and Kenzie tripped and face planted it on the road. Her face was all bleeding, and of course Dentist Jon was worried about her teeth, she being the drama queen that she is was SCREAMING, and bystanders were asking if we needed ice, first aid, parametics...haha. She was fine, but her face a lip did kind of take a beating.

its a pretty good lookin' group if you ask me :)

The Flood

2010-08-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

A week after we got the office open, and we were hoping for some CALMER days, our life got a tiny bit more hectic.

At about 6:30 on a Tuesday night, I was getting dinner ready, Brinley was screaming at me in typical Brinley fashion for want of food. I was beginning to think that if Russ did not walk through our door soon, I might lose it, or Brinley might, I'm not sure which. :) One of those days. Then I heard a knock at the door. I thought, Oh good! Russ is home! But I opened the door and it was the poor man that lives upstairs, reporting that one of his bathroom pipes had just broken and his place was flooding and we might start seeing some water come down--he was trying to get a hold of maintenance to turn off the water, but because it was after hours, his calls were being sent to a third party emergency answering service which could only page our maintenance crew. So I said OK and didn't really give it much thought. Afterall, who could really think about anything with Brin YELLING like she was, and surely the water would get turned off in a few minutes.

5 minutes later Russ walked through the door, Hooray! That six'o'clock celebration never gets old. Then Kenzie noticed there was some water coming down in her bathroom. Oh ya! So I gave Russ the run down from what the guy said upstairs. He goes out and finds out, the water is still on, and no one has been able to talk to anyone from management yet. I notice the water is dripping in the bathroom, doorway, and by the girls bedroom door now. (within 15-20 minutes).

Fast forward 2 HOURS...the water is STILL ON, and by now its a full on RAINSTORM IN OUR HOUSE!! What the??? Where is maintenance??? Where is Management?? We've called the city, the fire dept (our fire alarms were going off for a good hour, 911...nobody can turn off our water. The water was leaking through any little hole, fire alarms, light fixtures, light switches, so it messed with all the wiring and turned off half our electricity.

Now..rewind a little bit. About 30 minutes into this Kenzie was stripping down to her swimsuit, pulling out her umbrella and rainboots and running crazy. We called sweet Aunt Laurie to come pick her up ASAP. :) We called some friends for some tarps and boxes, who made some calls and brought in the forces to come help us move our stuff out. And we CAN'T THANK THEM ENOUGH!!! My friend took Brinley for the night, (although she didn't know it at the time,) with no change of clothes, no diapers or wipes, or food, or instructions.....Bless her heart! So by about 7:30(roughly) the 11 year old scout leaders and scout troop, who ironically had been at the church having an emergency preparedness lesson, came to help us move everything out. Other ward members and neighbors which we had never met came too and I was frankly OVERWHELMED at the generosity of others and their willingness to help. Really, moved to tears. I didn't even care that the scouts were slip'n'sliding in the living room.

The water was finally turned off around 8:45pm. We got all of our big and important stuff out of our house around 9-10 ish??...kind of lost track of time throughout this. Then Management finally showed up and apologizes profusely, and then tells us that people were coming to rip up the carpet the same night and we had to have EVERYTHING OUT! What? Nobody told me I was moving today!! I haven't had time to de-clutter and do all the pre-moving stuff, aka get rid of my junk that nobody is supposed to see!! aaahhh..!! Oh well, it was no time to be prideful I guess. Anyway...we left our apartment--completely empty--at midnight, threw away the dinner that had been left on the oven all night, and headed to Bryan and Laurie's for the night. We stayed there for a few nights and then in a hotel for a few nights before getting into a new apartment a week later! WHOA. So here's some more pics.

There were all these weird water bubbles on the walls.

12 hours later...it looked like this...

12 hours after that the sheet rock was torn down too. so fun.

First Things First....

2010-08-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

This was such a huge thing for us, I can't go without mentioning it.

Introducing...
Integrative Sports and Wellness....

On June 7, 2010 the office officially opened for business. Hooray! We were so glad to FINALLY get things going and move on to this next stage! Russ worked (and works) soo hard to get this all going! Way to go babe! The office has been opened two months now and it looks great!

You can see more at integrativesportsandwellness.com.

Sooooo Far Behind

2010-08-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

In the next few days I'm going to attempt to get caught up on this. I'm a little overwhelmed, but a little encouragement from Grandma J. yesterday has given me the motivation to try! (Thanks, I needed it!) So look forward to a re-cap of our crazy summer!

She's ONE!!

2010-05-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Oh my SWEET SWEET Brinley!! I can't believe she's one already!! She's getting so BIG!! It seems like just yesterday she was so small and would actually let me hold and snuggle her up a tiny bit. She has brought more happiness than I ever thought possible to our little family. Her eyes are so pure and her smile is sooo contagious, and her rolls and cheeks so squeezable....what not to love?!! I can't help but think about how she looked only a year ago... just a bundle of joy.

photo credit Whitni Parker Photography

We had a fun little celebration last Friday where we gave her some presents....

which she did not want....
And sang to her and blew out a candle.....

that she LOVED.

And gave her some carrot cake.....(I've been really wanting some lately)

which she did not like....

This is how she tells us she is "DONE!"

We tried so hard to get her to eat this little cake..but she wanted nothing to do with it. I thought if I could just get a little in her mouth she would taste the goodness and devour it. Nope. What? A kid of mine? Not like cake? hmmmm.. I blame the carrots...Brinley HATES vegetables. Always has. I thought if I grated them up extra small and coated them with sugar and all that other goodness she would eat them, no doubt. But any little bits of cake we got in her mouth were spit out seconds later. Kind of made the cake thing lame, but oh well. :) I guess I should have just frosted a block of cheese or something. She probably would have loved that. :)

So now that Brinley is one she spends her time doing this.....

getting into ALL my cupboards and drawers. I think she empties this drawer at least 5 times a day. I have mixed feeling about this. While its nice it offers some distraction while I make food...it gets a little old putting all the contents back in over and over again. And I have recently caught her doing THIS on more than one occasion....

The picture quality is bad, but that's a cup in her hand on its way into the trash. So that's fun. :)

Brinley also enjoys this now that she's one....

Facing forward! YAY.I always love this milestone. But I'm not sure how Kenzie feels about this. Any guesses?:)

BRINLEY'S FAVORITE THINGS:
Fruit
Cheese

Bread
(I really wish I could add more foods to this list)
The trash can
Running away whenever I change her diaper or clothes (such a funny girl)
Dad
Saying "DAAADD!!!"
Ducks
Her bed
Going outside
Kenzie--she's not happy after she wakes up till she sees her
SHOES--always carrying around someones shoes
Walking

NOT-SO-FAVORITE THINGS:
vegetables
milk
the carseat
sitting on laps
(basically being restrained by any means)

p.s. Kenzie decided that Brinley's birthday was also going to be "Cookie's" birthday (a.k.a Shamu) and insisted on getting some pictures of him as well. I think she was a little annoyed at all the pictures being taken of Brinley and not her. :) FUNNY GIRL.

Come Back!

2010-05-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

photo courtesy of BellaRae photography

Come Back! We miss you! Don't you get cold just looking at this picture? Yet, so heart warming at the same time.

I love this girl. No really. I love her.

Here's why: there are actually hundreds of reasons...but here are just a few.

1. She's Beautiful..(but you already knew that...just look at that picture.)
2. She's smart.
3. She's funny.
4. She makes everyone feel like her BFF.
5. She spent her measly 1 week break from school, here--with us!!
6. She brought presents. :) (no seriously, thank you)

Thanks for spending your break with us and for a few fun filled days.

We had fun doing this....

Well, most of us that is...Brinley--not so sure.

And this....

And this....

And...oh wait.....no pool pictures. :)

We miss you!!

TRICKS

2010-04-17T19:29:00.001-07:00

There's a few new tricks at our house.....

A couple weeks ago, Easter weekend actually, Brinley started walking! I've known all along she would do this kind of early because, lets be honest, she can't sit still for more than 2 seconds. But still, I'm a tad bit saddened because I'm realizing my baby's growing up. Only one more month and she's one! But I LOVE this stage. I love watching that proud look they get in their eyes. They know they are so totally cool. :) She isn't walking everywhere yet; usually only when she wants to go short distances.

We tried to get a couple pics on Easter, yes, with the corny Bunny ears and all to capture the moment. I know they're not very good pictures and are kind of blurry for some reason-- but oh well.

YAY for Brinley! :)

.......and not to be forgotten....here's Kenzie's new trick. This is her way of getting the attention back to her.....

YAY for Kenzie! :)

and sorry--hope no one's offended by the immodesty. :)

Sunny Days, Egg Hunts, & Half Marathons

2010-04-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL over the last couple weeks and we've been having a great time being outside. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year when the weather PERFECTLY ranges from 75-85 degrees and all the trees and Texas bluebonnets and wildflowers are in bloom. Its been great for parks and especially EGG HUNTS!! These were taken our little city's egg hunt held at the city park. Isn't it awesome?! Last time we were there the lake was all dried up so it wasn't that great. But after a few months of rain...AMAZING. So its my new happy place. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Texas?!

The girls were also big fans of this beautiful lake. A little egg hunting then in to the water for a little swim. The idea was to just get their feet wet, but when they left they were soaking wet. This is becoming a common occurrence lately with all the lakes and rivers around. Guess I need to start keeping a change of clothes in the car.

Its hard to keep this little one contained. She is such an ACTIVE little girl. She has been taking a few steps on her own here and there around the house throughout the last week or so. She's actually been trying to do this for months but she usually would let go of something and act like she was going to walk, and then FACE PLANT it, but now she's actually stable enough to stay on her feet. :) I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet though! Hopefully she'll hold off a few more weeks before she's really moving!

Also, Last Saturday I was able to run a half marathon! It was so fun. I don't have any pictures as of yet because I didn't have my camera and they made it nearly impossible for spectators to come (only those willing to catch the shuttle at 5 am with us,.... meaning-- not my husband and 2 girls)...but it was a beautiful and "challenging" course...(lots and lots of hills). But again...all the wildflowers and trees were awesome. Although there were a few discomforts, a lack of porta-potties and an aggravated IT Band (knee) to name a couple, I finished about 5 minutes faster than my last one so I was happy and can't complain too much. There were a few other girls in my ward and another ward that ran it too, so it was all in all a really good time! SO-- I'm already trying to figure out when the next one will be.

BIRTHDAY GIRL

2010-03-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mckenzie!!!

Yes.I'm a couple weeks late posting this. But I know no one is surprised by that. :) But still I just wanted to wish this little girl a Happy Birthday. Can't believe she is 4!! Four seems so much older than three. But she is soo happy to be 4 now and tells everyone she sees. And everything new or different that she does is because "that's what 4 year olds do, right mom?" She definitely prides herself on being a big girl now.

Things I love about Mckenzie:

The first thing she does when she wakes up every morning is make her bed. Amazing. I never have to ask. I don't even know if I taught her this. But she's good at it.

She is also very good at cleaning up. If I ask her to clean up her toys, she'll generally do a really good job. Occasionally it takes a little persuasion, but more often she just does it and is happy about it.
She will go to great lengths to make others smile and be happy.
She LOVES Brinley. Loves, loves, loves.
We have great conversations. She really THINKS about things and is actually pretty deep at times.
She wears her heart on her sleeve. I have never had to wonder what she is thinking. Even before she could talk, she found a way to express herself. Good or bad..I love knowing whats on her mind.
She is very sweet and loving. She is good at giving us hugs MULTIPLE times during the day, followed by a sweet "I love you" that melts your heart.
She is very decisive and determined. She knows what she wants and WILL get it. This is probably my biggest challenge. Even though its a little hard to deal with now..I think its a good quality to have. :)
She is very thoughtful. Loves to write us notes. She'll leave them on our bed for us if we are not home when she goes to bed.
She's just excited about life. She has a smile that's bigger than life. I love how excited she gets about little things.

Mckenzie's favorite things (as of today--its changing all the time these days):
Parks (this one is contant), the color blue, singing, pretending there is a barn under our kitchen table, building forts and tents, playing make believe, reading the scriptures,(I probably have to categorize that as her favorite book right now too...she loves to read Book of Mormon stories), watching "Little Bear", all her cousins, water (baths, showers, swimming, playing in the sink,etc), preschool, writing and practicing her letters (she calls this doing her "work"), cooking, riding on things that move (powerwheels, bikes, swings), making others smile.

For her birthday we did a little Chef's party. It turned out to be a pretty good time. I was bit nervous that it would turn into complete chaos, but I think we kept things pretty well under control. All the kids got their own little chef hats and aprons and made their own pizzas, chocolate covered pretzels, fruit kabobs, trail mix, and cupcakes. I think everyone had a pretty good time.

This is one thing I will miss about age 3...

Goodbye Princess....
Recently, Mckenzie declared that she is NOT a princess anymore. She is just a kid. Just Kenzie. (her words) And though, I myself, am definitely not the princess type either, I did love watching how excited she got about all the princess stuff and how happy she was pretending to be a princess.
Happy Birthday again Mckenzie!! We love you! Can't wait to see what the next year brings!!

TEXAS SNOW DAY

2010-03-01T20:17:00.001-08:00

It snowed! (a week ago actually, but I'm just now getting to it) I admittedly kind of like when it snows here because its usually a one time a year event, only lasts about 12 hours, and everything shuts down! It started snowing around 10am. The schools let out around lunch time and they even canceled YM/YWs. Look and see exactly how much we got. :) I LOVE Texas!

All you die hard winter people, please excuse the rain boots.

Isn't she a cute chubby snow baby?

Not quite enough snow for a snow angel, but she was so determined.

Pretty much the world's best snowman. :) This is how much snow was left around 5pm. Didn't last long.

PEACE and QUIET

2010-02-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

Its 4:45pm and I am so happy. Usually this time of day the intensity is rising...gearing up for the five 'o'clock melt down. But not today. Everyone else is asleep. Its still, its quiet..I love it. Don't get me wrong. I love my family, but I also LOVE a quiet afternoon (or morning or night), mostly I just love a little bit of "me time". I know I will NOT be loving it at 8pm when I am trying to put the 3 year old to bed and she is not tired. But today I don't care. Its totally worth it.

Happppy Holidays!

2010-01-02T13:41:00.001-08:00

Its been a great week! I love Christmas time! We had a quiet Christmas here at our house, which was nice. We still were able to go visit Bryan and family in the afternoon, and then of course skyped everyone else later that day! Jon and family came to visit a couple days after that which was great also! I think Mckenzie might have been just as excited for them to come as she was for Christmas this year! Here are a few highlights of the last week or so...

We got to squeeze in one last trip to Sea World before our passes expired. It was really fun this time because A. I was not prego, B. I did not have a newborn, and C. It was not over a hundred degrees. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. Also, Kenzie got into the rides a little more this time which made it more exciting as well than just all the shows. I love Sea World. Love, Love Sea World.

Anybody want some of this attitude?

Brinley was a good to be a trooper despite the layers and layers she was wearing. Onsie, Long-sleeve, Fleece pullover, sweater. I think it might have gotten as cool as 50 degrees...do you think she's over dressed? :) Raising a couple Texas wimps here I think. :)

We were also able to go to the Hill Country Christmas Celebration! They turned some of their water slides into sled runs and had lots of carousels and the whole park decked for Christmas.
(yes, I know Brinley looks like she might be in a food coma. Poor girl.)

We also hit a cool little town called Fredericksberg, and did some hiking at Enchanted Rock just outside of town. Its kind of a random BIG rock that you can hike to the top of. About 2 minutes into the hike Kenzie complained that her legs were tired, so we stopped for a little break. At this point I thought it was going to be a LONG trek to the top, but luckily her competitive spirit kicked in--and she decided she did not want to be left behind by her 2 cousins. So, with minimal dragging we did make it to the top. We didn't get any good pictures at the top though because it was SUPER windy and Brinley shoes kept blowing away. Kenzie kept asking, "Why did we come all the way up here, Mom? I don't think we should have done this." I love how kids tell it like it is.

I love these two blue eyed people.

And of course we couldn't leave out a pic from the big New Years Bash. (by that I mean, at 8:45 we say, Ok kids time for our New Years party! We put on some hats, throw some streamers around, blow some horns, throw some Pops, do a few magic tricks. Then at 9:29 we say OK--its time for the countdown! 9:30pm-Happy New Years! Time for bed kids!)

Big Month for Brinley

2009-12-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

Last month was a month of many firsts for this girl! She accomplished a lot.

All in one month she learned to:

-Eat
Favorite things to eat: bananas and avacados. She DOES NOT like veggies(but will eat sweet potatoes if forced)...the only way to get any other veggies down her is to trick her. :)

-Sit
Life always seems easier once they get the hang of this.

-Crawl
Still mostly army style for now.

-Talk--first word--"Da da" ...yes she does say "da da" to a lot of things, but she almost always says it when she sees Russ. So we're counting it. :) If she's not saying that than she doing this, "AAAHH!" -in a happy tone, but it gets to be a little disruptive, especially when we're place like oh, say church...you can imagine I'm sure. She pretty much did this the whole meeting last Sunday--I think she was trying to join in with all the Christmas music being sung. :)aaaaahhhh!

She's growing up so fast I can't stand it. But at the same time its SO MUCH FUN to watch her and Kenzie interact the bigger she gets. They both love each other SO much. Right now they can't do much else besides yell and laugh at each other (meaning both yelling "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" and laughing their heads off.) And Kenzie likes to tackle or "hug" her every chance she gets. Its so much fun! And we're learning that Brinley is one tough cookie. :)

Getting Caught Up

2009-12-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

I promised posts...so here we go. But how do you get caught up on 2 months worth?? I've decided I didn't want to bore myself or you with the ins and outs and ups and downs of the last couple months, but I've chosen 2 pics of each kiddo and a family shot that I wanted to remember about the last little while.

So here it is..the update.....

Its not a great Halloween pic but its what I want to remember about her first Halloween. She NEVER snuggles--but every time we put this warm, fuzzy costume on she dropped. And I LOVED it. So this is how she spent Halloween, in my arms.

And this is how I want to remember Brin's 4th and 5th month. SMILEY SMILEY. I just love her smile--so contagious.

Now onto Kenzie....

Kenzie was the happiest Snow White ever! She loved putting on that beautiful dress and she transformed heart and soul into a princess. And isn't this picture beautiful? My AMAZING sis-in-law Jess took family pics of us while she and Robbie were here in November. (which so fun) You can see a whole fairy tale about this girl on her blog at www.bellaraephotography.blogspot.com. She did an INCREDIBLE job on our pictures. We LOVE them!

And here is Kenzie un-edited. This poor girl was sick most of the last month it seems with pretty much anything and everything you can think of. This was taken one night after dinner after a week of being "shut-in"..we had to get out and go for a drive. So I said something like, "Go get a jacket," and she came out of her closet looking like this. "Kenz what's the back pack for, we're not getting out of the car." She said, "Mom, its keeping Shamu safe." I LOVE moments like this as a mom. I love seeing what makes them tick. And even though it can be so hard to have sick kiddies....I kind of like how they become so meek, and submissive, and snuggly. You gotta appreciate the good times I guess. :)

And here....sums up our life. (again--thanks for the pics Jess)...Its all about the girlies.

okay two more pictures..I just LOVE kissing this little girls cheeks!!

and how sweet is this daddy/daughter pic??

Melts my heart.

An Early Resolution

2009-12-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

This post is mostly for me...consider it an early New Years Resolution.

I am going to be a better blogger.

I have spent the past hour blog stalking most of you and realized how fun it is to get caught up on all the fun things you are doing. It has re-kindled a like, not love, but like, for blogging. It can be fun. So for anyone who reads this..expect more posts to be coming soon. :) And my apologies for how lame I've been lately.

Dinner Talk

2009-10-15T18:48:00.001-07:00

Here's how our mine and Kenzie's dinner conversation went the other day. She was pulling out some RANDOM stuff so I grabbed a piece of paper and started writing it down. It was just killing me because there was no transition and it left me in wonderment (wonderment? is that a word?) of how this little girl's brain works.

Kenz: My tummy feels frustrated.
Me: Frustrated? Why?
Kenz: because its hungry! (duh mom)
Me: Keep eating then.
Kenz: So my tummy won't be naughty?
Me: Yes? (still trying to think of how her tummy could be naughty)
Kenz: I think my tummy will feel better after I eat a strawberry.
Me: Eat chicken first-then you can have a strawberry.
Kenz: stands up on her chair...."I gotta give my legs a little stretch so they will feel a little better. Mom, my legs are feeling tired"
sits down eats a few bites
"Mom, you're having a cold."
Me: Cold what?
Kenz: A Cold sneeze. (I did not sneeze)
Me: WHAT??

I have to say this little Mckenzie is kind of funny sometimes. She is such a little girl now; I almost can't look at her without wondering where time has gone. She is very into imaginative play right now, which is really quite interesting to watch. She now has two little imaginary children. Their names are Big Qua and Little Qua... and I have NO IDEA where they or their names came from. :) She LOVES to play "mommy and daddy" .

She started a little co-op preschool this year and she's so funny because she calls one of the moms "Rainstorm". I love it--her last name really is Storm, but Kenzie just kind of added her twist to it. So its not Ms. Storm, or Sis. Storm--just Rainstorm. "Rainstorm will you help me tie my shoe?" We laugh every time--but hey whatever works. (Of course, we tried to explain what her real name is and of course, she could care less what anyone else has to say. )
She prides herself in being a "big kid" now. Its so cute. She loves that she is big enough to go to preschool now and loves being a big sister.

First day of Preschool.

Being a good big sister. Brin LOVES
her! (and yes, they do look like they're two different nationalities)

BRINLEY BRINLEY BRINLEY

2009-09-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

taken at 2 months

So I realized I really haven't posted much about this sweet little girl with all that's been going on this summer. She is already 3 1/2 months!! Where does time go?! This little girl makes me so HAPPY. She just has such a funny little personality and makes me laugh. She started smiling at about 6 weeks and its been so fun to watch her personality develop since then.

Things I love about Brinley:

Her little happy squeals. She doesn't really coo like most babies--she just squeals and blows bubbles.
When she smiles, everyone smiles. Its impossible not to.
Her big cheeks and HUGE double chin (really, whats not to love?)

She sleeps good. I've decided that its harder to love your baby when they don't sleep. Luckily for us, my babies have slept good. Lots of LOVE. :)

taken 5 minutes ago

She rolls already.
She does sit ups. (more like crunches, but its quite amazing)

one of her first rolls, kenzie's good at helping her flip back over.

YES, its true. She started rolling just before her 3 month birthday. I don't think Mckenzie rolled till almost 5 months so this was quite a shock to us. But honestly, its because she does all these crunches. She is STRONG. I'll show you some pictures. She probably does AT LEAST 100 crunches each day. And its not just one here and there. She'll do sets of 10-15 in a row.

Talk about a BABY SIX PACK!! She has rolls everywhere else-LOTS of them, but not her stomach- the stomach is firm. I really did feel her stomach today while she was doing some sit ups and it was hard. Harder than mine. (not that that's saying much right now, but still) I think we might make a baby workout video. It would pretty much be awesome!

Even in her car seat--she is trying to sit up. She never just "chills". Always, trying to move and get somewhere. :)

I SO LOVE this little Brinley!

ADVENTURES and BIRTHDAYS

2009-09-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

While we've kind of been in transition mode still, we've been trying to take advantage of Russ being home and have been exploring our new turf. The great thing about where we live now is there are tons of trees, hills, and thus more recreational type activities. Its been fun going on lots of little "adventures" as Kenz calls them. :)

This is a little place that we've found that is pretty much awesome. Its this little natural pool/lake in a little cove that you have to hike into. Its great because it has a beachy area with some shade, or you can hop in and swim when it gets too hot. When there is not a major drought, I guess there's usually a big waterfall that falls in the back of the little cove, which would make it even more sweet, but we've had fun going here a time or two.

This is Kenzie with her cousin Ben. She LOVES Ben. And by this I mean in love with him. :) She's so cute; she's always talking about him. And he is SO NICE and good to play tag and hide and seek with her. Such a GREAT cousin to have. I really think he might be her first crush. (which is kinda cute now, but we'll have to discuss this a little if it lingers as she gets older.)

You can't see very well in this picture but this is downtown under a bridge where every night at dusk MILLIONS of bats come out from under the bridge. Its CRAZY. I HATE bats. REALLY I HATE bats. But this is so crazy to see.

AND not to be forgotten, we celebrated RUSS'S BIRTHDAY on the 19th! Happy Birthday Russ!
I am so LUCKY to have such a great husband! He is such a HARD WORKER. I am always in AWE of the direction and VISION he has on life. He KNOWS what he wants, and if he wants something--he goes out and FINDS A WAY to get it. I actually really love that about him. It takes me a lot longer to make a decision and carry it out. He knows me so well and USUALLY what I need without me telling him. He has always had this ability which is another thing that drew me to him in our youth. :) AND he is a WONDERFUL DAD. And I mean WONDERFUL. I honestly couldn't find a fault there if I tried all night. He makes me LAUGH(which I also love), INSPIRES me, and makes me a BETTER PERSON. And he brings out a competitive edge in me--which is good because it gives me drive--but makes it ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to play games together without a fight. :) He makes me HAPPY and will do ANYTHING for me. Like I said I am SO LUCKY to have such an AMAZING husband.

We went to dinner at a place called the Hula Hut on Lake Austin for his birthday. Its such a fun place that overlooks the beautiful lake.

It was fun to have Bryan and Laurie over to help us celebrate! Its great to still have family nearby!!

A TOUR OF TEXAS

2009-09-03T07:23:00.001-07:00

My family flew in for the week of Russ's graduation and it was jam packed full of fun! We went to San Antonio and drove around some areas where we used to live, went to the Riverwalk, went to Sea World, explored our new area here, and then up to Dallas for a Rangers game, graduation, Rodeo and more fun! It really was all SO FUN! We couldn't have fit more into one week! We unfortunately forgot our camera when we went to Dallas so I don't have pictures of some things.

Sea World was so FUN and so HOT! You can probably tell from our "glow".

Trying to COOL down.

At the end of the day, grandma SURPRISED the kiddies with their own little Shamu stuffed animals. Honestly, I've never seen kids more EXCITED about anything! It was so CUTE, the icing on the cake. They packed those things around everywhere with them the rest of the trip. ( And don't worry- Shamu still goes everywhere with us.)

Some pictures of us at the San Antonio temple. Its so BEAUTIFUL!

Brinley's SWEET moments with Grandpa!

Those water fountains outside the temple are for playing in right? :)

Lots of FUN, and a little TIRING. Looks relaxing doesn't it?

CONGRATS RUSS!!

2009-09-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Graduation was something we thought would NEVER come! CONGRATULATIONS again to you Russ! HOURS and HOURS of studying, literally HUNDREDS of tests, LONG nights, and lots HARD WORK. It all finally PAID OFF!! It was such a FUN day.

My mom, dad, and sister Lindsey flew in from Utah, and Russ's brother Brian and two boys drove up, and of course Jon and Lisa and boys came to CELEBRATE with us! Thanks to everyone for making the trip--it made for such a great day. We're so PROUD of you Russ! :)

So Hard To Say Goodbye!

2009-09-01T14:01:00.001-07:00

It's so hard to say goodbye..to yesterday....NAME THAT TUNE. :) I was going to put this post to music..but lets be honest--only time for the basics when you're so far behind! :)

We celebrated PIONEER DAY by packing up and trekking about 3 hours south. YEP--we've moved. I was a little SAD and sentimental about this move. I usually LOVE moving, but this one kind of tugged on my strings a little. We have ABSOLUTELY LOVED the past 3 years, even though it had its HARD times--especially for Russ being in school and all--but I feel that we've GROWN a lot over the past few years and we've had a lot of FUN, and made some really GREAT FRIENDS. Its been so AMAZING living so close (literally, next door for 2 years) to my brother Jon and his wife Lisa and their little boys. They are such GOOD EXAMPLES and friends to us. AND its been such a DELIGHT to watch the little cousins grow up together and be such good friends as well. We will definitely look back on this phase of our lives with SWEET MEMORIES. We are, however, really EXCITED for this next chapter in our lives.

Jon and Lisa were so nice to throw a little farewell party for us at their pool. It was fun to see some friends one last time. And lucky for us--its only a 3 hour drive to go visit every now and again. :)

Kenz with her friends--Preston, Asher, Madi, and Riley
Just can't hold back the tears. :) (I'm sure in reality she is crying about something else-but its appropriate for this "goodbye picture".

Brinley's Blessing Day

2009-08-02T17:19:00.001-07:00

Brinley was blessed on JULY 5, 2009. It was the sunday after we got back from our big Utah trek. It was such a SWEET day, and I think little Brinley looked like an ANGEL. We love this little girl SO MUCH! Russ did a BEAUTIFUL job and I think its a day we'll both REMEMBER FOREVER. It was nice to have my brother Jon and Russ's brother Jared stand in the circle. We LOVE having FAMILY close by!

I'm so bummed we didn't get a picture with Jon too. I had to teach primary right after and wasn't around to round up the troops. And you can see Brinley was a little put out to be waiting. :)

The Fourth of July!!

2009-07-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

YEA for July 4th!! We were able to make it back to Texas just in time to celebrate Independence Day. We got to do ALL the traditional things--went to a little parade, went swimming and had a bbq, and then watched fireworks! It was FABULOUS! Sure do love this time of year!

Mckenzie with her 2 cousins, Jacob and Caleb, waiting with anticipation for the parade to start.

At the Parade. I admit to being one of the few left that LOVE a good parade! Last year I dragged my family 45 minutes away to a parade that titled itself "The best in North Texas". ANd I will agree it was probably the longest--but not necessarily the best. So this year we decided to stick with the local small town parade and was GREAT.

Had to post one more of these 3! They have SO much fun together! There is always so much excitement when they see each other...And YES it can get a little CRAZY when they're together but its SO WORTH IT to see these smiles that are AS BIG AS LIFE!

These 2 had a great time jumping off the wall at a nearby swimming pool on the 4th.

Nothing better than eating popsicles and watching fireworks! Really, life can't get much better can it?! It was such a FUN day!

A Trip to Utah

2009-07-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

I'm so far behind in the blogging world, its getting a little ridiculous. BUT I refuse to give up trying. :) Last month we were able to go to Utah for a couple weeks and spend time with some family and old friends. We always really LOVE Utah in the summer. My brother Steve and his little family were there from California at the same time which made it EVEN BETTER. Beware....there are lots of pictures...but its really the best way to recap the trip.

We were able to go boating out on the beautiful Utah Lake with my sister Lindsey and our friends Eric and Amber and their family. It was TONS of fun! I gave it my best shot at my first time wake boarding and I'll admit I was pretty bad at it. But it was fun nonetheless. Even Mckenzie had a good time and jumped in the water as often as we would let her...which was great because then she was all tuckered out for the last half of the day.

We really did see TONS of old friends, and some family and cousins we don't get to see nearly enough. However I regret to say, I was a horrible picture taker on this trip and only got a few pics..but here they are.

Our friends Dallas and Abi and their BRAND NEW baby Miley. Doesn't Abi look AMAZING for having that baby just 5 days earlier?!

Kenz with her cousin Jesse. Two CUTE kids!

Grandma and Grandpa Schaack and Mckenzie

The 3 grand-daughters. There was lots of backyard fun at Grandma and Grandpa Schaacks! AND its always a treat to have Grandma Cook around!

More water fun! Kenzie LOVED this slide at the pool! She really probably went on it a good 50 times in a row! We couldn't pull her away.

We made the trip down to Bridal Veil Falls which was fun! Sad to say, but I don't I had ever actually been there. I have driven by countless time, but never as a destination. The only downer was I came totally unprepared without water shoes for Kenz. It was a little frustrating but as you can see...it didn't stop her from getting her feet wet. Thanks to her Aunt Alli, Lindsey, and grandma!

And Mckenz got her first ride on a 4 wheeler just before the long drive back to Texas.. Thanks to Braxton and Kambree for sharing! I am SO BUMMED we didn't get pictures with these friends. Thanks again Sara and Tara for putting us up....it was SOO fun to see and catch up with both of you and your cute families again!

PICTURES!

2009-07-17T21:10:00.001-07:00

My Friend Whitni took these pics of the girls a little while back and I am just getting around to posting them but they turned out SOO cute-I love them! Thought I would share them! Thanks Whitni !

She's Here!

2009-05-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hooray! She's finally here!! Brinley Marie Jepson was born on Thursday, May 14 at 1:29 pm. She weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz and 21 inches long. She was a LONG 3 days late, and we were starting to get nervous because Russ had National Boards on Friday and Saturday this last weekend, but she came Thursday just in time--so we didn't have to worry! And when she finally did decide to come she came quick and made for a good story. :) (told in detail below)

THE STORY
Quick Hollywood version-- Crazy couple almost has baby in car--they run into the hospital, wife in wheelchair, yelling "The baby's coming!" I was the "crazy lady in the next room" creating all sorts of commotion and drama--and gave birth to a baby girl 5 minutes later. (for those of you who don't want details--which I am sure is many.)

Long Detailed version--(caution--may be a bit TMI for some--but for those who want it--here it is!)
I woke up at around 8 Thursday morning with mild contractions spacing any where between 5 and 10 minutes apart. This was not unusual at all; I had had these several mornings throughout the week and they usually stopped by the time I ate breakfast... and so I just got up and started to go about the day. Russ was planning on studying at the school that morning with a friend and I told him to go--no big deal.
My mom was coming in around noon that day, and I knew I needed to get organized and clean my house a bit. My mom called at 9 and said she was boarding the plane, and I told her I was having some contractions--about every 5 minutes- but they still weren't that strong. I stayed busy cleaning my house, and by about 10:30 I got in the shower---thinking surely they would stop by the time I got out. They however got a little stronger by the time I got out , but I still wasn't convinced I was in "labor". So I got ready, and by the time I was done drying my hair, I was starting to get a little uncomfortable. ( I was turning off the hair dryer during contractions and pacing a little) So at that point.. it was about 11:40am I decided that maybe i shouldn't be the one to pick my mom up from the airport in 20 minutes. I was okay if I was walking around but wasn't sure I should drive. So I called Lisa(my sis-in-law) and kind of told her what was going on and asked if she would pick up my mom; she said she would and came and got Kenz as well. Right after my mom called and said that she had landed early---I told her I had decided to send Lisa, but I would see her soon. The contractions were still making me uncomfortable enough that I started timing them again, and they were still about 5 minutes apart--with an occasional one that would come at a 3 minute interval instead--but I thought they were still spaced pretty well. But at that point I decided to call Russ and told him I was still contracting and to maybe head home sometime soon. He got home 15 minutes later and by that point --the contractions were taking a lot of my concentration. I told him that we needed to head to the hospital, which was 15 minutes away. We were gathering some things, and my mom and Lisa got to our house, and we told them we were going and we left.
THE GOOD PART---
The ride to the hospital became quite interesting. I had another strong contraction and started feeling some pressure. About 5 minutes into the drive I told Russ I felt like I needed to poop. He blurted "NO POOPING!" We kept driving--hitting every red light possible; I was having contractions ever 3 minutes at this point and about 5 minutes away, I started panicking and told Russ the baby was coming soon! Russ started to speed up and become a bit more aggressive in his driving. We got to the hospital within a few minutes, we parked and Russ asked if I wanted a wheelchair. I started to say No-I could walk---but I got another really hard contraction and instead yelled the baby is coming!! Russ took off running to get a wheelchair and got back in record time--I got in and he quickly wheeled me up to Labor and delivery. He calmly told the nurses at the desk that his wife was having a baby. They looked at us like--no big deal--everyone is having a baby here--but I could feel the next contraction coming and I blurted "No---really the baby's coming now!" They all jumped up at that and showed a room across the hall to wheel into. My water broke as we got through the doorway, and they told me to get on the bed and they would check and see where I was at. I said, "Its coming, its coming!" And the nurse patiently replied,"Let me just check and see whats going on." She quickly checked me and said, "Yep, you're fully dilated and the baby's head is right there. " In my head I said "Told you so". Then I started another contraction and the nurses were trying to get the monitors and computer working in the room(which was hopeless), get a dr. in there, and one was wanting to put an IV in my arm which she quickly decided was worthless because another nurse called out that the head was crowning, which was SO INTENSE. They kept telling me to lay down and push, and I told them I couldn't lay down-- I had to sit. A doctor came in just as the head was coming out and he caught the baby. Within 5 minutes of getting to the hospital, we had our sweet Brinley!! It was CRAZY!!! Talk about an adrenaline rush. :)
Anyway...that's the story. It all happened SO FAST!! Brinley is so sweet, and we love her so much! We feel so blessed and lucky to have her with us now!! We are healthy and recovering from the ordeal, Russ got his Boards all done with. We really do feel so blessed and are so happy to have this all over with!

Kenz loves her so much and has asked a time or two if we would like "to pet her". :)

Russ getting in precious "study time" Friday night.

Happy B-Day (yesterday....lol)

2009-04-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Megan!!!

I know i am posting this a day late...i didn't forget her bday people. Come on now!!!! I meant to put this up yesterday. Oh well. We had a pretty crazy but good day yesterday celebrating her big 27th bday. We actually spent the day tending a bunch of kids for 4-5 hrs. It was all capped off with a great i mean great dinner made by some real good cook (not) she married..lucky her! That means i dont have to cook for another year. Sweet! Happy Birthday again honey.

This is what happens when she is out with the girls all night. I get bored and continue to blog. (Last time this year folks you can count on that). She is going to kill me for putting the 'dreaded' pregnant picture on for others to see. Better do something she wouldn't do. But she is getting close. 1-2 more weeks.

Mckenzie's Easter Fun

2009-04-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

(Russ Blogging) Wow so I must be really really bored to actually sit down and try and figure this all out but i guess i should give megan a break every once and a while especially since she is 38 weeks pregnant and deserves every break possible. j/k she loves the blog thing....I guess i have never really given it the time/thought.

Here is some pictures that are a few weeks old that i thought were pretty cute. This was Mckenzie's easter night coloring eggs, waking up easter morning to her basket and lamb. Yes, i know a lamb rather than a bunny is a little strange!!! She really wanted it so why not!! She takes it everywhere and sleeps with it every night so i guess it was a good find. Here are a few pictures of her in her Easter dress. She is a cuttie and so much fun. We are really excited to be having another liitle girl here this week or next. I never thought i would have 2 girls and no boys. Guess they are just going to have to start golfing wether they like it or not. I definitly have to get them away from all the cinderella, princess dress up, ballerina, rock star ways...no its all good. I love my girls!!!!

I took Mckenzie to our little apartment lake nextdoor to our place and took her fishing. She caught her 1st little fish. It was really funny to watch. Now she wants to go everyday. Good times

TEE Time and TEA Time

2009-03-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is basically the summary of the last month at our house. Mckenzie got a couple birthday gifts from grandparents a month ago....

The first- a little golf set with balls and clubs. (princess pink of course).
The second--a tea set (Disney princess yet again)

She really LOVES to play with both of them! Its cute how serious she takes the advice that Russ gives her. She often corrects me when I'm not holding the club right, or if I don't swing well. Eye-hand coordination has been a little slow coming for this little one--so its fun to watch her actually enjoy something that requires it .

And we've had SO many tea parties over the last few weeks. Most of them have taken place in her "backyard" since water usually gets dumped everywhere at some point. But she has really enjoyed this little game of poring the water into each cup, drinking it all, and starting all over again. And that's where I come in. She knows she can't drink as many cups of water as she likes to poor, so she needs me to help her gulp it down.

A few days ago she was invited to a little Tea Party with a couple of her little girlfriends and she was SO excited. We let them wear their little dress up clothes and shoes, and I have to be honest- they were pretty cute. They got to poor their own water and eat PBJ's and grapes and cookies. It really doesn't get any better does it? It was a lot of fun! Thanks for the good time girls!

SHAMPOO

2009-03-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

We took our first trip ever to Sea World last weekend. (well, I guess Russ had been before as a kid) but for Mckenz and I--it was a true first! It was such a good time! We had to drive down to Austin anyway Friday to meet with a chiropractor about an office, and since Russ has been so busy the last couple weeks with Boards-we decided (or I decided) that we were in need of a little fun family together time. Russ's brother, Bryan and wife Laurie and family were thinking of Sea World as well--so Saturday we all went!

So Sea World is FABULOUS! I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you are 8 months pregnant. (more than I can say for Six Flags which only has rides-which are GREAT if you're not prego). Mckenzie was so happy all day! We loved all the shows, and feeding the sea lions, exhibits, and the little park for kids to play on. Its got a little something for everyone I think. We probably didn't even see half of it. BUT its the same price to buy a season pass as a one day ticket--so we can't wait to go back!!

The Shamu show that we saw at the end of the day was probably our favorite. Mckenzie was exhausted and I could see how heavy her eyes were getting...but she was trying SO hard to not blink so she didn't miss anything. AND Mckenzie INSISTS that Shamu is really called Shampoo. No matter how much we try to tell her, "No, it really is Shamu", we always get a firm, "NO, SHAMPOO!" She won't give in. So SHAMPOO it is- for now...Until we feel like arguing with the 3 year old again.

Feeding the sea lions some tasty little fish.

This is the only family we shot we got. Not the most flattering for me-but hey...not many pictures are at this point in the game.

"Shampoo"

Kenzie on the pirate ship. Really its a dream come true to a 3 year old.

So Happy Together!

2009-03-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

Mckenzie has really "grown up" it seems these last couple months! Its been fun to watch her change and turn into this little girl.
One thing that has certainly changed is her attitude towards her Daddy. Don't get me wrong--we know the girl has always loved her dad-but she has just realized recently that its ok to show it. Rather than running FROM him when he got home and screaming "Mommy, Mommy!" , she now squeals with excitement and runs TO him and yells, "DADDY!" . (Something that I at one time never thought I would see.) It really is so fun to watch them together now! You can see the adoration in her eyes everytime she looks at him and I love the conversations we have during the day of "When's dad coming home?" and "Why does dad like to go to school every day?" Its so cute--I love how much she loves him.

I also love to see the things she notices and her interpretation of the things she notices from our everyday lives. For instance:

Daddy grew so big and tall because he eats the fastest.
Her favorite trees are the "popcorn trees" and the purple trees, but Daddy's favorite trees are the green ones, or "broccoli trees", as she calls them because daddy's favorite vegetable is broccoli. (he always makes a big deal of how much he loves broccoli when we have it so she'll eat it too.)
She's become quite fond of the ponytail, so her hair can be just like mom's. (This one was a little enlightening--I guess I need to actually DO my hair more.)
She is very proud of her "backyard", aka the 4 X 8 pad of cement with jail bars surrounding it. Nonetheless, she asks everyone that walks through our door if they want to see it. :) (so sad)

She is a cheeseball. But I love her.

A Bubblicious Birthday!

2009-03-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Mckenzie is now 3! We had a great time celebrating her this weekend! The last 2 weeks she's been a little down with a cold and her first ever ear infection, but luckily we got it cleared up just in time. It was great to see her having fun again and so happy to celebrate her special day! We went with a bubble gum theme for her party since she hasn't been able to have gum till she turned 3. She's been so excited for gum that we invited her little friends to join in our gum chewing bliss. :) And to put the icing on the cake --grandma and grandpa Jepson were able to be here one last time before their mission to join in on the fun too! Then later that day after that party, Jared's family was able to come up and we celebrated one more time! Its great to have family around to celebrate these special days with!

The kids had a good time wacking the Dubble Bubble pinata, although they were a little unsuccessful at getting anything out, but finally did with a little help. :)

I made a big gumball machine out of felt so the kids could play "Pin the Gumball on the Gumball Machine" . :)

Grandma J and Kenzie

Kenz was soo excited to get this fancy new tutu and fairy wings on that her pants came down in the middle of present opening, and we couldn't go on till we got her appropriately dressed again. :) She sure has nice friends! Thanks everyone for making her birthday so special!

It really has been so fun watching her grow up this last year and I wanted to write some things about her so I don't forget.

Your Favorite Things: Going to the park, playing with your cousins Jacob and Caleb, playing with your friends, being a princess and playing dress-up, cooking us food with your kitchen, laughing, reading books (currently your favorite books are Pinkalicious and Purplicious, and The Three Pigs), taking your omegas and vitamins (strange but true), singing, dancing, being tickled by dad, Little Einsteins, Curious George, Cinderella, going to the Library, playing at the mall, your new carseat (a much bigger deal to you than I ever anticipated), riding the carousel at the mall, your "flowers blanket", balloons, friday night movie nights with mom, riding (more like sitting) on the elephant at Walmart, nursery, playing hungry hippos and candyland, the fact that you are going to be a big sister, going to dad's games, finding money, eating yogurt, pbj's, suckers (or any treat/snack for that matter), and bubblegum!

Your Least Favorite Things: Yucky medicine, getting in shopping carts, when mom leaves you at home, going to Walmart, when we count to three and the result is time out, waking up from naps (there's always many tears), your tears (they always make you more upset when you notice them), being told what to do (its always better if its your own idea), sharing, not getting your way!

Happy Birthday Mckenzie! We feel so blessed to have you with all of your sweetness and kindness, share in your happiness and laughter, and your tears and drama, and to learn from you every day!! You really do brighten our days and can't imagine life without you. We can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Exhausted by "WHY?"

2009-01-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

This week I am feeling a little exhausted. No, not by the mega posting I've been doing, but by my daughter's simple curiosity. She wants to know WHY everything happens. I'm sure many other parents can relate to this as well. Shows and movies are usually a given 20 questions. (we just had to give up on Alice and Wonderland and put that one away for a while--WAY to many questions) :) And when we go anywhere in the car, the questions are innumerable. Its a good thing I think, I am glad that she is curious about the world around her...but man...sometimes its tough to come up with answers to all the questions! Here is a typical conversation...one that we had last night as we were driving to Russ's basketball game at his school.

Kenzie: Mom, why are all these cars going to dad's basketball game?
Me: They're not, they're actually all going different places.
Kenzie: Why are they all driving the same way like us?
Me: Maybe this is the way they go to get home, or maybe this is the way they have to drive to the store.
Kenzie: Ya..they're going to the store. Not dad's game. Why are they going to the store?
Me: uh...I don't know. Maybe they need milk.
Kenzie: And then they are going home? Not to dad's game. But why? Don't they need bread too?
Me: ummmm...I really don't know what they need. Maybe bread too.
Kenzie: Do they want to watch dad play basketball too?
Me: probably not. They don't really know dad.
Kenzie: Why?
Me: Uhhhhhh....because we don't know everyone.
Kenzie: Why?
Me: Because there are lots of people in the world, but we don't know everyone. We just know our friends. Do you like your friends? (looking for a subject change)
Kenzie: Ya -Are my friends coming to dads game?
Me: no
Kenzie: Why?

As you can see the questions go on and on and on. Like I said I am glad to know that she's curious and thinking about the things around her, but at times I just want to say SHHHH....no more talking. (as if that would even be possible for her..she's very verbal).
So if any of you have any tips on getting through the "why's" let me know. The best thing I have found so far is to sing a song instead since her next favorite thing is singing. But then that goes on forever too.....and the volume usually elevates. :) I'm not sure which is better.

The New Years Party

2009-01-29T13:55:00.001-08:00

Just thought I would put a few pictures of New Years on here as well. It definitely was a rockin New Years party at Jon's this year! Actually-- we let the kids party until about 9 pm when we let them blow the horns and do their little poppers. Then we put them to bed and played some games and hung out the rest of the night.

On to Christmas!

2009-01-28T15:25:00.001-08:00

The holidays were so much fun. It was actually really nice to have the party come to us for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year! All the Schaacks came into town for Christmas this year and it was a ton of fun! Its been a while since our whole family has been together and been able to just hang out. The last couple times we've all gotten together its been for weddings so there hasn't been time to relax and enjoy each other until after the wedding and then the couple is gone. So it was really fun to hang out with and really get to know my two newest sister-in-laws that I got a year or more ago! And of course it was great to hang out with the rest of my family as well! Before Christmas we were able to go to a Mavs game with my brother Steve and his family, and also Jon's family which is always a good time! :) The kids I think were only interested in the snacks we brought--but I guess you can't really expect much less. :)
I always tend to look forward to Christmas eve more than actual Christmas day, I think mostly because that's when my family usually does all of our Christmas activities. This year was no different. My parents and Lindsey flew in at about 3 pm that day and then we had a really yummy ham dinner with all the good stuff to go with it. After dinner we put on a little nativity act which was a first for most of us Schaacks I think. It was fun though-Mckenzie and Jacob made a pretty cute Mary and Joseph and the rest of us filled in as angels and wisemen and donkeys...:) It was actually a little bit funny. Then the kids got to open their Christmas pajamas. Then we had a big slumber party at Jon and Lisa's that night. We all lined up on air mattresses in their front room, and of course my brothers couldn't hold back on dumb jokes, songs, and sounds to keep us laughing for a little while. It was a good time.
It was fun to watch all the kids on Christmas morning. Although they all seemed to want what the other one had. :) Then we had a yummy breakfast, lots of good food. Lisa outdid herself with Santa pancakes for the kids. They were so cute but all the kids were so sidetracked with all their new stuff they didn't hardly even touch them. :) After that we went to the church for a little family basketball game, and then later that night Robbie and Jess flew in!
After Christmas and when everyone else arrived (on Christmas eve and Christmas night) we were able to do a few more cool things. We all were able to go to the Dallas Temple here (thanks to Lindsey for babysitting!). We had planned on doing a session, but traffic was HORRIBLE on the way so we ended up missing the session and opted to do sealings instead which turned out to be really neat and one of the coolest temple trips I've ever had. We were able to see a lady be sealed to her deceased husband and then also we all got to sit and be sealed for another large family. It was really cool!! It just all worked out so well. It was a really good trip.
Also, Steve and Alli were able to bless their sweet baby girl, Cami, while they were here with everyone. It was fun to be able to see that as well. And then of course we all got to pose for a big family picture. :) always a good time. :)

Just a BIT behind--THANKSGIVING

2009-01-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

I debated whether or not to even TRY to get caught up on this blog, and decided it might be fun to reminisce. A few months back we had a really fun Thanksgiving with Russ's side of the family. His parents were in town and Bryan's family came up from Austin to spend a few days. Plus Jared's family is local now also...so it really was a big Jepson party. We started Thanksgiving morning off with a little Turkey Trot that takes place downtown Dallas each year. Unfortunately, because of the little one on the way, I sat this one out with Kenzie and we just cheered on the boys. :) Russ and Bryan both ran the 8 mile and Ben ran the 5K. They all did really well and I was actually really impressed how fast Russ finished considering he only ran about 2 times before to prepare for it. I hate how he can smoke me with such ease, even after I train for months. :) It was good time. The only downer we ran into was that Kenzie ended up with some wet pants, (due to her refusal to go in a porta potty)and you can tell from from the picture she wasn't too happy about it. :)

Later that day we went to Jared and Christy's for a big yummy dinner, and spent most of the day there. My brother Steve was in town for work and so we ran over to Jon and Lisa's house later that night where he was to say hello to him and visit for a little bit. It really was a fun day.

The day after Thanksgiving we all headed to Six Flags! It was really fun since we had never been there before! The kids loved it and actually I think the dads loved it just as much! It got pretty cold toward the evening, but everyone still had a good time. Mckenzie LOVED all the rides and pretty much was smiling all day!

VERDICT

2008-12-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

Ok...the verdict is in!

ITS A GIRL!!

We feel so excited and lucky to get another girl! It will be so fun for Kenzie to have a lil sister to play with! And of course it will be much more cost efficient for us to be able to get a little more use out of all the girly stuff. :) (I know I'm cheap.) Russ will have to take one more round of princesses--so hopefully he won't get too sick of all the pink! He rolls so good with it all though and I know this next little girl will love him just as much as Kenzie! We just feel really blessed to have another baby on the way!

HERE IT GOES....

2008-12-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Ok Friends....here it goes.

This may be old news for some of you family and locals, but new for the rest I think.
We're expecting a 2nd child! I'm 17 weeks along now and can say -now that I think I am past all the nausea/vomiting- that we couldn't be more excited!! I've been afraid to post anything because I didn't want to jinx it or something. :) (silly I know) But I felt the baby's first little kicks on Sunday this week and all seems to be going well now. We will find out if its a little boy or girl in 3 weeks from today and I am getting a little anxious for that. :) Our due date is May 12, which is great timing for Russ and his schooling. He HOPEFULLY will be winding down a little and will be able to help out a little more.
Anyway...just thought we'd let you in on our good news! We are super excited!

( This ultrasound pic was taken at 12 weeks. )

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

The PUMPKIN PATCH

The pumpkin patch is always one of our favorite halloween destinations, and this year didn't prove wrong. Mckenzie took a little more interest in the attractions at the pumpkin patch this year rather than just riding in a wagon looking at hundreds of beautiful, orange pumpkins...which turned out to have both pros and cons.

Pros:

-now we also are spared of looking at hundreds of beautiful, orange pumpkins one by one

-we get to do fun things too like ride on trains pulled by tractors

-no more pulling wagons through dirt, hay, and grass...crowds of people..

Cons:

-now we get to stand in line for 30 minutes to ride the fun train pulled by the tractor.

-much more hay/dirt stuck in pants and shoes

-dealing with the bounce house departure drama

It really was a good time and its fun to see their interests change from year to year and watch them grow!

TRUNK OR TREAT

Its been fun to go to a couple "trunk or treats" and see all Mckenzie's cute friends dressed up. (not the best picture I know, but we were just happy they all stood next to each other long enough to snap a picture).

It was especially fun to see her with her cute cousins Jacob and Caleb this halloween since their costumes all coordinated this year... Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, and Captain Hook!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It was a fun halloween night last night. We went trick-or-treating with our friends Jeremy, Vanessa, Brendan, and Tanner. Their boys sure were cute in their hunting outfits...lucky for us--they were equipped to scare away all the spooky halloween ghosts and goblins!

A Trip to the Zoo

2008-11-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Russ's first weekend home in a LONG time...so we wanted a little bit of a change of scenery. We didn't make it too far though--but we decided that a trip to the zoo would mix things up a bit. We hadn't been for a good 1 and 1/2 years...which makes Kenz barely 1 last we went. It was a beautiful day and we had a really good time. We even splurged an extra couple bucks to ride the train this time around and Mckenzie couldn't have been happier. :)

Nothing like a shot of elephant bums. :)

First Haircut!

2008-11-01T09:05:00.001-07:00

Its been a while since we posted...so we've got a little bit to catch up on. A few weeks ago we took Kenzie to get her first ever haircut. We decided after 2 1/2 years it was definitely time. And Mckenzie was as excited as ever to get one. We were kind of surprised...we didn't even think she knew what a haircut was... but she sure did love it. We took her to a little kids cuts place because I was unsure of how hard this task was going to be..but really the hardest part of it all--was just waiting for her turn. Especially since the kids get to sit in little airplanes while they get their hairuct- it was a little hard for her to sit on the sidelines. Once we got past that part--she was all smiles!

As you can see, she was a little put out that she had to wait.

Here's the before shot.

Utah Highlights!

2008-09-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

BOYS II MEN!!!

It really doesn't get any better than seeing Boys II Men live in concert--not to mention at the Scera Shell!! We went with the Schaack Clan to this and it was soo fun! I wish I had a recorded clip to let you all in on what you missed out on. Kenzie really enjoyed it and was dancing in the isle and with Lindsey most of the time; however this is kind of a silly picture and Kenzie doesn't look as happy as she really was. AND I think her moves were outdone by Papa Schaack's. I am refraining from posting a pretty good pic of him to save him from possible embarrassment. But i'm sure many of you can paint a pretty good picture in your head of what some of his moves might have been! :)

It was really fun to see Eric and Amber there! (and we give credit for this amazing night to you-thanks for letting us know about this concert!!--and then to my dad for making it happen) :)

It's always fun to spend time with family. Kenz had fun playing with all her cousins while we were there! We are so excited that this clan has now moved closer to us!! We think Mckenzie might have more of an influence on all these boys than we thought--who would have thought they would agree to a tea party with her?! ( ice cream incentive goes a long way I guess!)

It was fun to hook up with Grandpa Howard for lunch up in Sugarhouse while we were there! It was really great to see him and its always a good time when he's around!

One night we lit up the little fire pit in my parents back yard and roasted marshmallows and made smores. It had been way too long since I last did that. And the company was fun. Robbie and Jess came, along with Grandma Cook!! It was so fun to spend time with them all and catch up. And we enjoyed a little campfire music with Papa Schaack's guitar! Always fun when my dad starts busting out the guitar or banjo! It doesn't get any better.

My mom and Grandma Cook sitting around the fire. Aren't they cute?

We were able to make it over to Thanksgiving Pointe and the Dinosaur Museum while we were there. It was $2 day and we thought we would get in on the good deal along with the rest of the county. It was really crowded--but still interesting to see as we had never been there. Kenzie was semi-enthused by it...she tends to be a little cautious and timid with stuff like this-but I think she enjoyed hanging out with some of her cousins. I had to post this picture even though its not so cute and Kenzie looks a little challenged. I would like to draw your attention to the kid in the red shirt in the background though--if you haven't already noticed. :) So great- isn't it?! Love kids!

And last but not least we really enjoyed the wonderful weather and beautiful scenery (or not so beautiful). The mountain right above Russ's brother's house caught on fire while we were there and gave them a bit of a scare--but all turned out OK.

We also enjoyed spending time with some friends while we were there! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures--but we were so glad to see you all and catch up!

Dancing Queen

2008-08-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

This is just a funny little video that I tried to post a while ago, but couldn't get it to work. Its not the best quality (I think it turns sideways half way through) But it was taken at the 4th of July celebration and made us laugh. The girl has got some serious moves. She "danced" for at least 30-45 minutes straight, but I won't bore you with all the videos we took. It was almost embarrassing how into it she got. I think its time enroll her in some real dance classes so she can put all this energy to good use! :) Sorry Aunt Lisa...you definitely have your work cut out for you!

America's Favorite Past-Time

2008-07-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to a Rangers baseball game with Russ's brother Jared and his wife Christy who are in town this week house hunting. Its been fun to spend some time with them. We are so excited they are moving here in a couple months! So....while I think those baseball games are fun...I wonder how baseball earned the title of America's "favorite" past-time. Its a pretty slow, uneventful sport for the most part. I usually find myself bored and analyzing how many more outs we need to end the game, through at least a portion of it.

So is it that we are able to eat popcorn, hot dogs, cotton candy, and other bad food and not feel guilty? Or is it really the peanuts and crackerjacks?

I personally love the beloved song that is sung in the 7th inning, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and in our case, the song in the 5th inning, "Deep in the Heart of Texas", which the fans seem to get into maybe even a little bit more. (and we feel proud to say that Mckenzie just about knows all the words to both those songs) :)

But the best part has got to be the part when "the wave" goes around and around the stadium. I started contemplating "the wave" while watching it through Kenzie's eyes. Her look of confusion and excitement made me laugh. Why is it such a thrill to stand up and wave your arms and scream like an idiot over and over again?? We all know its silly, yet a part of us gets a little excited about it everytime.

I am not sure what it is that keeps us going back again and again...in my case most credit is due to my sports finatic husband who loves EVERY sport. But I do admit to being excited to go and having fun, counting the outs left for the game to end and wishing that we could leave early, and feeling a little disappointed at another loss at the end of the game, and then discussing when we would go next.

We LOVE Summer!

2008-07-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that we are deep into summer now..almost ready to enter August! We have definitely been keeping with many fun summer activities.A few weeks ago we went with a few friends to a petting farm. While I thought this would be a great idea, I quickly realized that Mckenzie is all for looking at these furry friends but never really likes to touch them. She has always been like this with dogs-- but for some reason I thought this fear of animals would magically disappear when she was around goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, etc. Not much of a success for us- but it was fun to watch some of her friends get excited over the animals.

We also had a great 4th of July a few weeks ago! We went to a great fireworks show with a bunch of friends. Mckenzie enjoyed staying cool in the water fountains while we waited for the show to start and she definitely enjoyed the pre-show music! She LOVES to dance, especially if she has an audience. I will try to upload some of the videos we got. It was pretty funny. We also went to parade that was a little disappointing-despite my high hopes. It was advertised to be the biggest parade in Texas...and me being the parade lover that I am insisted on making the 25 minute drive to see it....but I'll admit it still didn't really compare to the good old Provo Parade.

Some of our other favorite summer activities include going to the pool, baseball games, playing at the malls, and Kenzie's favorite pick....the library. She LOVES books and really would be happy going there everyday if she could. She could be there for hours wandering and looking/reading all the books.

And our most recent summer adventure has been moving to a new apartment. New management took over our last place which brought a number of changes, including a significant increase in rent....so about a week ago we packed our bags and moved to another apartment about 3 minutes away from our last one. It was nice to be able to sift through some stuff, but its always a lot of work! But I always like change and I admit to liking the feel of carpet beneath my feet rather than hardwood floors. (although the wood definitely made for easy cleanup)

June blues...

2008-06-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

May Madness brought a case of the June Blues. After one crazy month last month...June has come with its own bit of craziness. For us, June came with fevers, croup, dislocated arms, and a yucky cold. Mckenzie literally laid on our couch for a good 5 days going in and out of consciousness. :) I always feel so bad when she is sick. However, I'll be honest--I really could have done without the middle of the night awakenings....its really been like the newborn stage all over again. And then to top it all--last sunday about 10 minutes before church we (meaning I) inflicted a case of nursemaid's elbow(partially dislocated elblow) on her. She has had this before (self-inflicted that time) and its something that once it happens once, tends to happen quite easily there after. I was trying to do her hair and she was trying to run away..so I pulled her arm trying to get her to come back and well, lets just say the arm came, but she didn't. :) So rather than go to church we took our screaming little girl to the ER where they popped her arm back in and then rewarded her with ice cream and a popsicle. Some of you may ask...why were they taking her to church when she was sick?? In hindsight I say this is a good question. Sunday she woke up with no fever and only a bit of runny nose so I assumed she was getting better, and thought we could just take her to the first hour of church and then one of us would just take her home after that. And she actually had a good day Sunday (minus the arm thing) until that night and the fever spiked again--not to go away again until 3 days later. :) So basically, the whole church thing back-fired on us. Oh well...better luck next time I guess.
Luckily, she is feeling much better now and we are now looking forward to many fun, sunny days spent in the pool and at the park. We welcome summer and good health with open arms.

MAY MADNESS!

2008-06-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

YEAH FOR VISITORS!!

We have had a super fun month with both sets of our family coming to visit. Russ's parents came down to watch the kids for our cruise (thank you so much!!), and then my family came for Jon's dental graduation. (hooray!). We didn't get too many pics this time with Grandma and Grandpa Jepson because we were away most the time, but were able to spend a week with my family and had some really good times.

This restaurant was in Ft. Worth and so we Schaacks definitely had to get our picture taken in front of it. Next time we'll have to try eating there too. :)

Mckenzie loves Grandma and Grandpa Jepson!! She is always trying to sing the new songs she learns from them and talks about her time with them at Ben's house constantly! We just want all of our family to know how much we love them and how much we enjoyed their visits!! We definitely wish we could see them more often!

Children's Museum

2008-06-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

One of the stops we made while my parents were here was to the Children's Museum. The kids LOVED it...there were so many things to do and play with. And as you can see, there were a few things for the big kids to do too. :) When we first got there, we were a little worried because all the displays on the top floor seemed to be broken or really lame...but once we got downstairs it was great!!

The fire truck was probably the favorite kid pick. We'd leave and try and go do something else, but it kept drawing them back in. :)

This was outside the museum where we ate a picnic lunch.It's been so fun to watch Mckenzie and her cousin Jacob grow up together! They are so cute when they are together. They are either screaming fighting over the same toy, or laughing their heads off.

The Schaack's hit the Ft. Worth Stock Yards!

2008-06-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

We went out to Fort Worth to the Stockyards while my family was here. It was really a lot of fun! This is a western district of Ft. Worth that has been preserved and is actually really cool. We walked around the shops, where my dad tried to find some good cowboy boots and a hat (which was unsuccessful--turns out size 15 shoe is hard to come by in cowboy boots).

Then we ate at a great place called J.T. Garcia's. It was really good food and very inexpensive. Its always an experience eating out with the Schaack clan (which is why we probably didn't venture much farther than McDonald's growing up). Mckenzie insisted on dipping her tortilla chips in her water, and I think we spilled another cup of water at some point, but all in all it was a good time.

The last stop was the Rodeo! It was really fun. Its held at an indoor stadium which was actually really cool. After a heart warming prayer to start things off (a rehearsed cowboy version) we enjoyed some bull riding, barrell racing, and calf roping. :) The kids loved it, Kenzie hasn't stopped talking about it since.

THE CRUISE

2008-05-12T18:36:00.001-07:00

We spent Cinco de Mayo in Cozumel Mexico this year! Russ and I were able to land a great deal on a cruise and had a blast. We went with Russ's brother Bryan and his wife Laurie and left the kids in Austin with Grandma and Grandpa Jepson! (Thanks again!! It would not have been the same experience.) Although we missed Mckenzie--it was so nice to have some good R &R, some great food (always too much), and enjoy the sun! The cruise was 5 days and went to Cozumel and Progreso. It was sooo much fun!

Here a couple pictures of some of the highlights.

In Cozumel, we rented scooters to get around the island. Then we found a good little place to go snorkeling that wasn't too crowded. Laurie and I had a little pre-snorkeling anxiety (I don't know what it is about ocean water these days) , but were able to work through it and had so much fun. Here is a picture of Russ and Bryan all geared up in their snorkleing stuff.

Our last stop was in Progreso. There we took a tour to go out to a place call Chichinitza (spelling?) where there are a bunch of old Mayan ruins. This was a 2 hour bus ride (each way) with some somewhat comical tour guides, that went through some towns that reminded me of China actually (which means they were not that nice). It was cool, but it was soo hot and after a few days spent in the sun...we were a bit sunburned and I serisously felt like I was on fire. So I don't think I enjoyed these as much as I could have. But they were very interesting to see and I am glad we went.

AND here is the classic cruise picture. You gotta love it. :)

Potty Drama

2008-05-09T21:28:00.001-07:00

Just a little something I thought I would share......

So we have been doing the potty thing for a few weeks now. Mckenzie is doing pretty well-but still has accidents from time to time. I don't think I am a star toilet trainer, nor her a star trainee, but I would say we have made progress. When we started this Kenzie LOVED to go #1 in the potty, but #2 was a whole other story. This was drama at its best! She screamed and cried, and was absolutely TERRIFIED of letting the little logs drop. :) She does much better now, but I captured this moment during one of these first moments because I could not help but laugh. She was unamused but I did not want to forget how fun these days were. :) So sad, yet so darn funny.

If you look closely, you can see the drool down her stomach. Its just an all around great picture.

Spring Flowers

2008-05-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

This was a few weeks ago but as many of you have noticed I have not been a very efficient blogger lately. :) Texas is beautiful right now with tons of wild flowers blooming everywhere. I love it--all these flowers make me so happy!! :) Kenzie and I, and my friend Kelly and her little Bella set out to take some blue bonnet pics a little while ago and these are a few of the pics we got.

Hurray for the Easter Bunny!

2008-03-30T12:20:00.001-07:00

Its taken me a few days to get pictures on here, but we had a really great Easter last Sunday! Mckenzie actually fell asleep on the way home from church, and since we have early church we waited until after she woke up to show her that the Easter Bunny had come. You can see how happy she was to get the news. ALL SMILES!

You may also notice her bed head. This girl gets some crazy bed head. This was after only an hour or so nap and some of it is at least sort of contained. She just kind of has weird hair. Its not really that curly but its definitely not straight either. She gets random curls in the back...but not in the front...and the sides are yet to grow in. :) You gotta love it.
2 going on 16!

This is the best shot I could get of her in her dress. She refused to take off my shoes (as usual) and her body is all twisted weird because she kind of likes to pose sometimes, but I decided that it wasn't worth fighting her and it was better to just to keep her happy at the moment!

Mommy Mckenzie

2008-03-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would make mention of how funny Mckenzie has been lately. (mostly for my own record keeping) :) She loves to play and take care of her stuffed animals. She has 3 teddy bears--a daddy bear, a mommy bear, and a little baby bear; She also has a mommy minnie mouse and a baby minnie mouse. These stuffed animals are like all HER kids. She plays ring around the rosies with them, feeds them, she is very good about putting them in bed for naps, and yesterday I actually caught her disciplining them all. I seriously was cracking up. She would individually put each of them on "the chair" (this is her timeout) and would stand in front of it so they couldn't get off; and then she would turn and say while shaking her finger "No hitting! No Spitting. OK. Chair. Ok. Oh-? lay on bed. OK." (this is what she has to do if she won't stay on the chair or if she continues to cry/scream). Then she would proceed to take her bear or Minnie to her bed and she would come out and say "stay there!" and she would close the door. Then a minute later she would go back in and get her precious animal and say, "OK. Give hug. OK kiss. Say Sorry. OK. Love you. Be Happy. OK That's better. Oh yes." (she says "oh, yes!" to everything) She went through this process with each one and I seriously was cracking up. I kept trying to emphasize that her animals were much happier after they thought about what they had done wrong, but I don't think she really caught on to what I was trying to teach her about it. So anyway, I got to see first hand what I look like when I am trying to discipline her. :)This is obviously a common occurance in our home as of lately. :)

Happy St. Patricks Day

2008-03-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

I thought it was only fitting for us to reveal our little blog on St. Patty's day, since green seems to be the color of choice today. Althougth I shamefully admit, we are doing nothing else to celebrate this green holiday. Mckenzie and I attempted to make some sweet sugar cookies this morning, but Kenzie's hand had a little mishap with the electric mixer so we really weren't so "lucky" in that category. (for any of you who are concerned....no fingers ended up in the dough..her hand just ended up bending in ways it shouldn't bend...but I believe there are no broken bones; she really was almost more concerned with the fact that we would not be making cookies) So anyway...in case you still can't believe your eyes...its true--we have finally made it into the blogging world! While I know there is no way I can keep up with some of you professional bloggers out there I will definitely try my best. :)

Girls Day In!

2008-03-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

The other day we had one of Mckenzie's friends over and we had such a good time doing "girl" things! There seems to be a lot more boys than girls around these parts, so the girls had such a blast playing dress up, cooking in the kitchen, and putting their babies and teddy bears to sleep, and all that fun stuff. And then to top off the day, just before her friend's mom came it snowed! Now this is nothing for me to get excited about but it is a rare thing down here in the lone star state and I think the first Mckenzie has seen or remembers.

A Fun Run

2008-03-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

I have recently been training for my first marathon which just took place a couple weeks ago! I have to admit I am quite proud of myself for doing it, after having quit a good 5 or 6 times. (just ask Russ, he can vouch for this). But I have to say that I now have even more respect for all you other marathoners now because the training really is so time consuming and a little bit painful at times. But the race was really really fun and I am soo glad that I did it! It really was one of the best experiences of my life. (cheesy I know).

Going Bonkers!

2008-03-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

We had a great time celebrating Mckenzie's 2nd birthday not to long ago! We actually had a combined party with her cousin Jacob (Jon & Lisa's little boy) who is just a couple weeks older than her and we went to this great place called "Going Bonkers". It's a big indoor playland and it was soo fun! Mckenzie has talked about it everyday since and says "Bonkers! Happy birthday to you! That's fun!" and an occasional "Go there?". The best part about it was it was such an easy party. All we had to do was sit back and watch all the kids "go bonkers". :)