Mack's Family Party

We had Mackenzie's family birthday party at our house on Sunday afternoon. Looking at these pictures of her so grown up makes me want to cry! I have loved every day with her thus far, and I will love the days to come, but I MISS her being a baby! It is fun watching her learn and grow and develop into the young lady God has designed her to be though! We had soups for lunch and cake and cupcakes...believe it or not, I didn't decorate cookies for this party. I know...crazy, right?! I spent Friday-Saturday at a Ministry Wives retreat in Edmond, and when I got back on Saturday afternoon I just decided cookies probably weren't a necessity this time. I kept the decorations pretty simple, but Mackenzie liked it so that's all that matters!

The highlight of the party for me was probably watching Mackenzie open her American Girl doll from us. She was very excited! As always when we have celebrations at our house, I am so thankful for the wonderful family and friends we are blessed with!

Happy 8th Birthday, Mackenzie Grace! You are loved!

 

Connie is amazing!

So the cupcakes were a total fail...they look pretty here, but about 5 minutes after this the icing and little candies were dripping all over the place. Oh, well...they tasted good!

We didn't do party games, but we had perler beads!!! Kinley stayed at the party with us while Connie took Katelyn to another birthday party.

Birthday prayer time!

Happy Birthday, Mackenzie & Poppa, Happy Birthday to you!

We got Mack's American Girl Doll (Isabelle) when we were in Dallas in September. Brian had no clue how much it cost until we were checking out at the register! =0)

It was worth it though!

Debbie made this pearl necklace for Mackenzie!

Grandma & Grandpa Baldwin got Mackenzie this baby Furby, which to Brian's dismay she plays with much more than the American Girl doll!

Grandma Baldwin made this super cute blanket for Mack!

Uncle Stephen & Aunt Tamara got Mackenzie this cute jacket from Justice...she looks way too grown up in it!

G-Ma got Mackenzie the Lego Friends horse stable that she has been begging for!

This is too funny...Rex may win the prize for the most exciting gift..."he" got her some Build-a-Bear clothes that she saw the week before. "He" is a great shopper! =0)

We were so happy that Miss Kari came for the party! She got Mackenzie some real make-up and cute headbands! When Mackenzie pulled out make-up wipes she said, "I've been needing these!" It was too funny!

I know it's a long drive, but we are always so thankful and happy to have Poppa, Louise and Grandma Shaw there!

Aunt Amy & Aunt Tamara

Aunt Barbara

Aunt Tomi & Uncle Jason

Sweet Cousins...

Some post-party goofy pics...



Ministry Wives Weekend

The first weekend of October, I went to a Ministry Wives retreat in Edmond at Henderson Hills Baptist Church with Jerri, Cindy, and Jamie. It was so much fun & the Lord really spoke to me. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord & renew a right spirit within me! Restore unto me the joy of your salvation!

 I was a little hesitant about this weekend, mostly because it was the weekend of Mackenzie's birthday, but I really felt like I needed to go. We had dinner & sessions Friday evening and then we got to do a painting, which I was so excited about! However...I wasn't at all happy about how it turned out. It will be displayed in my closet, at best! I am so thankful to serve in ministry with these wonderful ladies. We are going to miss Jerri (and Ted!) so much when they retire in January. I am so thankful for the influence and example they have been in our lives. Daddy took good care of the kids while I was gone. He took them to Cherry Berry on Friday night and then they made him breakfast in bed on Saturday morning! He even managed to make time to plant flowers and clean the house as a big surprise for me when I got home Saturday! He is simply amazing & treats me like a queen! 

When Daddy's in charge of dinner, they eat Cherry Berry!

The girls took good care of their Daddy too!

Spirit Dress Day!

The girls had their first Spirit Dress day at school today. They looked so cute in their Regent shirts that the Easterwood's passed along to us! After missing a Spirit Dress day last year and Mackenzie being distraught over it, I will never again mess up and miss one! It's not very often that they get to go to school in "normal" clothes, so it's a big deal when they do!

Go Regent Rams!

Mackenzie is 8!!!

Happy Birthday, Mackenzie Grace!

8 years old?! Wow! When did that happen?! Mackenzie had school on her birthday, so we made her breakfast in bed that morning. Madison was so excited to get to serve it to her! She even put a princess tiara and a Reeses on there for her! Mackenzie's class was originally supposed to go to Prairie Song on this day, which she was so excited about it. But, because of rain and thunderstorms, the field trip got postponed. When Mackenzie found out a few days before, she cried for an hour and was convinced that it was going to be the worst birthday ever. So, we tried very hard to make sure she didn't end up feeling that way! After school, we went to McDonald's to get ice cream with the Easterwood's, and then we headed to Build-a-Bear. It doesn't matter how many build-a-bear's you have, it's always fun to get another one! We ended the birthday celebrations with a few presents and singing happy birthday and blowing out candles on the cinnamon pretzels we got at the mall! It was an added bonus that G-Ma got to hang out with us since she was in Tulsa this week to help with baby Carver! At the end of the day, Mackenzie gave two thumbs up that it was a Happy birthday, after all! We are looking forward to celebrating Mackenzie's birthday with our family this weekend! 

Madison picked Snow White's Palace Pet, "Berry."

Mackenzie picked this pretty purple bunny & we got her a pair of glasses so they could be twins!

Madison picked out this little American Girl doll kitty for Mackenzie. I'm pretty sure she just wanted it for herself, so she figured if she got it for Mackenzie, she could play with it too!

Jonah got an un-birthday present from G-Ma...a red motorcycle! How fun!

One of the things we gave Mackenzie is called My Faith Book. We found it when we were in Dallas for the D6 conference. It's basically like a scrapbook of your spiritual life. Mackenzie has been asking a lot of questions and we know she is close to giving her life to Christ!

Madison also got an un-birthday present...a mosaic art kit, and Mackenzie got some Mr. Sketch markers from G-Ma.

Who needs a cake when you can have cinnamon pretzels?!

That's a big breath...

She got them all!

Mackenzie's 8th Birthday Letter

 

Happy 8th Birthday, Mackenzie!

You are beautiful, inside and out! I am so thankful that God chose me to be your Momma. It has brought such joy to my life every day watching you grow. You are smart, funny, very "type A", creative, friendly, eager to please, and you definitely have a dramatic flare! (I'm going to blame that on G-Ma!) You love doing puzzles, playing games on our phones, coloring, drawing, and most of the time you love playing with your sister. You are a natural leader and your laughter is contagious! You are very inquisitive and you have been asking a lot of questions about Jesus. We know that it won't be long before you trust in Christ and give your life to him and we are so excited for that! Mackenzie, you are becoming more beautiful all the time. You are already a little boy crazy, which is a bit terrifying to us! =0) I sometimes say to you, "Are you always going to love me and be my friend? Even when you're a teenager? And are you always going to sit in my lap?" You always giggle and respond "Yes, Mommy!" I know that you will always love me, but I also know how relationships go through ups and downs over the developmental teenage years. I just hope you always know that you are deeply loved and Daddy and I will always try to make decisions with your best interest in mind. Yes, we will make mistakes and so will you. But you can never, ever do anything to change our love for you!

Mackenzie, thank you for just being you! As you grow older, I wish I could protect you from the crazy lies and unholiness of this world. But I can't. I can only pray that you seek God and follow Him always, and that you find your self worth and value in Him most of all!

EIGHT years old...yes, you are growing up, but that's still little! Keep playing with stuffed animals, Calico Critters, Barbies, and little princesses. Keep watching Disney movies, playing little pet shop in my bed every morning, running naked through the house before baths, and giving me hand hugs in the van while I'm driving.

And always remember...I'm your #1 fan!

Love,

Momma

G-Ma Visits the Regent Library

I volunteer in the Library for Mackenzie's class on the first Wednesday of each month. This month, it fell on the week that G-Ma was in Tulsa to spend a few days with Clint, Abigail & baby Carver, and then a few days with us to help get ready for the garage sale. So, instead of me reading a book to the kids, she got to do it! I don't know who was more excited about this...G-Ma, Mackenzie, or ME! (When I signed up to help in the library, I thought I was just going to be helping kids look for books or using the computer...not reading to the class!) On our way to the school, I got a text that the field trip to Praire Song that was scheduled for the next day (that was Mackenzie's birthday) was being postponed due to severe thunderstorms. I knew right away that Mackenzie would be very upset about this, because she was so looking forward to going on this field trip on her birthday. G-Ma was also planning to go with us, and she wouldn't be able to go when it was rescheduled. Well, the second Mackenzie walked into the library, I knew that she knew...when she saw me, she pretty much burst into tears and was hiding behind a bookshelf so no one would see her crying. It was a bit of a stressful few minutes for me because G-Ma was beginning to read to the class and I couldn't even get Mackenzie to come out from behind the bookshelf. Finally, I convinced her to listen to the story and then we would talk about it. I felt so bad for her...she loved having G-Ma there to read, but she wasn't really able to fully enjoy it because she was so disappointed about the field trip. G-Ma read a booked called "No More Roses for Harry," which the kids loved. When we got home, Mackenzie laid under her bed and cried for 20 minutes. I was sad for her, but it was a learning lesson that life is full of disappointments and we have to learn to accept things even when we don't like them.

Maybe Mackenzie will be a Librarian like her G-Ma one of these days!

G-Ma did an amazing job reading to the kids and talking to them about the book...she set the bar a little too high for me when it's my turn though!

On our way out of the school, Mackenzie showed G-Ma her Windmill picture that is on display. She was trying to smile and be happy, but I'm not kidding you...3 seconds after this picture was taken she was crying again.