Let the Celebrating Begin!

On the Thursday before Mackenzie's birthday, we got to take cookies to ELP to celebrate! She was very proud of the cookies I made, and so excited to share them with her friends! She wore her "Happy Birthday" shirt that Grandma Baldwin got her, and her tiara headband from Aunt Barbara! When we got to school, I asked if Brian could come down and take a few pictures while they ate their cookies...then I decided I really wanted to be there for it, so I came back too! This was a really fun day at ELP for Mackenzie, because not only did she get to celebrate her birthday, but it was Chick-fil-a day and they got to have a picnic outside! The weather was beautiful! Ms. Nancy and Ms. Amy had a pretend birthday cake that they lit candles on, and they turned out the lights & everyone sang Happy Birthday to Mackenzie. It was so sweet, because while they were singing, Mackenzie looked right at me and smiled so sweetly so I could take her picture! She knows how to make her momma happy! Someone commented on how adorable the cookies were and Mackenzie said, "These are my GORGEOUS cookies!" Oh, what a funny girl she is! This was a very fun way to start her birthday celebration!

Ms. Nancy made sure to hold her hair back so it didn't get in a candle!Mackenzie got to pick which cookie she wanted, but for the other boys and girls "You get what you get & you don't get upset!" That is a line Mackenzie has picked up on from ELP and repeated several times at home!The kids really liked the icing...not so much the cookies! It was fun to watch Mackenzie interact in her class! This was about 10 minutes before class was over and I asked if she was ready to go and she said she wanted to stay until it was over...I am so glad she loves ELP! The pretty cookies! So glad my mom taught me to do this...they are a lot of work, but fun & tasty too!

Family Pics

I decided that since Mackenzie is turning 4, and Madison is 18 months old, now would be the perfect time to have updated family pictures taken. This is such a chore...I love taking picture of the girls, but when we all have to coordinate, get ready and stay clean, and look at the camera and smile at the same time, it is STRESSFUL for this momma! A while back, G-Ma found these adorable outfits for the girls, and I just knew they needed their pictures made in them. Then I got a new outfit, that matched perfectly. Poor Brian had to wear the same shirt he wore for our family pictures a year and a half ago when Madison was born. He is such a good sport...he really didn't want to do it, but it was the only black shirt he had, and he wanted to make me happy! We decided it would be a fun story, and something to laugh about for years to come! Believe it or not, the picture above was the very first one the photographer took. She could have stopped right there, and I would have been happy! Who would have thought that we would get such a great picture on the first shot! It was a good thing she took fast pictures...Madison's attention span only lasted about 7 minutes. She did really good for our family photos and for pictures with Mackenzie, but when it came to individual pictures of her, she was done. She wouldn't smile or sit still, and she just wanted to carry the chair around instead of sit in it! Oh, well...I was just glad we got the together shots! Her pictures are still sweet, and capture very clearly what her mood was on this particular morning! Mackenzie did SO good! I was so, so proud of her. She looked right at the camera and smiled, and her pictures couldn't be cuter! I love my family so much! I know I have a fascination with pictures...they capture moments in time that you will never have again. How wonderful to be able to always look back at them and smile!

Our precious little girls! This picture definitely makes my heart smile!

Our 4 Year Old little girl! G-Ma says she looks like she's ready for college in this outfit...I said let's not get carried away! Mackenzie wore her new necklace that Aunt Barbara got her for her birthday! It was just the perfect touch to complete her outfit! God really outdid himself when He created Mackenzie and Madison...I know that probably sounds totally conceited, but they are so beautiful. I know moms are supposed to feel that way about their children, but come on...look at this face! She should be on magazine covers!Madison kind of looks like she's concentrating on something a little too hard here! I was very happy with how well she did...she is just at the age where it is extremely hard to sit still for any length of time at all. Believe it or not, this bow didn't come with this outfit...I have had the bow for a couple years now. It looks like it was made for it!
She looks a lot bigger in this little white chair than she did 6 months ago when we had her 1 year old pictures made

Fall Is In The Air!

Yea! Fall is HERE!!! This was a fun Sunday afternoon at home...we cuddled and watched a movie together on the couch. Well, Mackenzie watched the movie and I took a nap! We are going to have to go shopping soon for some Fall clothes...it was actually chilly today, and we weren't sure what to wear! When we got home from church on Sunday night, we played in the backyard. Sundays are always busy, but this was a pretty relaxing one for us! I am very excited for all that comes along with Fall this year! Cooler weather, Mackenzie's birthday, the pumpkin patch, Halloween, and Thanksgiving...gotta love it!

Madison LOVES to swing!

Love this expression!

Mackenzie is really into pretending she is a baby these days...I kind of like that since she is growing up so fast!It seems like just yesterday that we were afraid she would fall off if she climbed on by herself...now she swings while standing up on the seat!Wish I looked this cute in a sweatsuit!We love playing in the backyard!A new trick...she can swing herself!Man, daddy is strong! They had so much fun with this!One of my favorite daddy pictures ever! On Monday, Mackenzie started dance class at Jenks Dance Academy. She loved that she got to dance to Strawberry Shortcake and Pocahontas music! I already can't wait for her dance recital, and its 7 months away! We did have to buy new ballet shoes, because her little feet have grown! She still knows how to strike a pose! Natural sunlight, natural beauty! The weather has been so wonderful, that we have made several trips to our neighborhood playground recently. The girls love it!

She had to have her monkey!I love these little legs...she looks so cute in her new tennis shoes!I wish this picture wasn't blurry, but I still like it!

This was so cute...daddy showed them how to swing and look up at the sky...they both did it for the longest time! Madison really liked doing it!

This was on Thursday evening, after Mackenzie's birthday party at ELP. We had a very busy week getting ready for her birthday!So stinkin' cute! This is just a sweet picture of Mackenzie asleep in our bed early one morning. Lately, she has been finding her way into our room during the middle of the night. I don't have the heart (or the energy) to put her back in her bed. Besides, I love cuddling with her! While I would love more than 6" to sleep on, it is just too sweet! She even brings her own pillow and blanket with her. She doesn't take naps anymore, so bedtime is usually pretty easy because she is so tired. She usually sleeps until around 7:45 or 8:00 every morning. I am so glad, because I am so not a morning person!