Crazy Kennebeck Land

I got the inspiration for a post to catch everybody up on what we've been doing from my friend Ashley (Thanks Girl!), and decided this would be MUCH easier than trying to go back and post thing after thing after thing... : )

August

The most important thing that happened to us in August was that we finally told Mackenzie she was going to be a big sister! We told her by giving her a Big Sister bracelet that Nana made for her. We kept this pregnancy very quiet until I was into my second tri-mester because of the miscarriage we had earlier in the year.

Before Mackenzie started 3 yr old preschool in late August we decided to have a before school blow-out. So we went to Little Rock to the zoo and then to Chuck E Cheese. Needless to say all of us were worn out by the time we finished!!

After the before school blow-out came the first day of pre-school. Mackenzie has LOVED school since the first day she started! She could not love her teachers Mrs. Kay and Mrs. Monica any more! That makes it sooo much easier to leave her every day. Brian and I both took her to school on the first day and walked her inside, we had to remind her to kiss us because she was so excited to be there! Made me giggle and made me sad all at the same time!

This last picture is of Mackenzie's "Lil Buddy". Since he "couldn't" go to school with Mackenzie she wanted me to take him to work with me. So knowing my child, I even took a picture to prove he was at work with me.

September

September brought Playhouse Disney in Little Rock. We knew Mackenzie would love it but we had no idea just how much! She was so excited to see all the characters but especially thrilled to see Mickey! Whenever he came out on stage she became enthralled and had to wave at him! As you can also tell from the pics, September also brought an every growing Mommy...

October

In October Brian and I were lucky enough to be able to go watch the Southwest Classic in Dallas at the brand new Cowboy stadium. We had a blast getting to not only see our Hogs play but also beat the Aggies!! It was one of only two football games we were able to go to this year because Dylan was being rough on his Mommy!! Just wait until he's older... we'll give him a hard time for that!!

It's never boring when your 3 1/2 year old believe she has the world's best fashion sense! This day she taught me that a headband really does go with pigtails... And in turn produced one of my fave pics of her!

Since our old house didn't have much of a yard we decided to take Mackenzie to play in the park on Sunday afternoon. Brian and Mackenzie played... I sat at the picnic table feeling just lovely and pregnant (get the sarcasm?) taking pictures of their sweet moments! PRICELESS!!

Being the wonderful pregnant Mommy that I was, not much thought went into Halloween this year... Turned out good since Mackenzie was sick and all she'd asked to be was Ariel for weeks. Lucky for me, we had gotten an Ariel costume for Christmas... talk about easy!

November

Apparently nothing picture worthy happened in November... but there is one VERY BIG thing that did happen to us... We MOVED! We had our house on the market since Feb 09 and were very discouraged that it hadn't sold. We knew when we put it on the market it was part of God's plan for our family, but we also knew with a baby due in February we needed to be settled. One night Brian and I were talking about what we felt God was leading us to do and after much praying decided we'd give the house til the end of November and if it didn't sell we'd take it off the market. We were confident this was the decision God wanted us to make! Well you know how people say God can't do what He's trying to do if you're in His way? Wellllll that is apparently what he was trying to show us! I called our wonderful realtor one day to tell her our plans and guess what... she was showing houses to a couple who had looked previously but never made an offer. Long story short, we had a signed offer on our old house and an a signed offer on our new house by Saturday!! God is Good!!! We knew and still know that God worked all of this out according to His good and perfect will!! The only downside of moving was that we closed the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I was 5 1/2 months pregnant! On top of that not only was I pregnant but having VERY bad Braxton Hix (and had been for a while) so I wasn't allowed to do anything but sit and watch while my wonderful friends and family packed, moved, and helped clean the old house. After all of our help fell thru on moving day I had a little pregnant moment, but God again provided by sending wonderful family and friends to help! I don't think there will ever be a day I don't look back at that situation and thank God for His provision! Still makes me teary eyed to this day!

December

December is crazy in any house, but ESPECIALLY when you are in a new house with boxes everywhere!! Here are some pics of our first days in our new house. Mackenzie's room was the first room we painted... the day after we moved! And of course even if the rest of my house was in boxes I HAD to put up my tree!! (Pregnant Belly and millions of white lights are not a good combination...)

This year we finally decided we should be "good parents" and take Mackenzie to the Christmas parade. I never cared much about it growing up but thought we should at least give Mackenzie the opportunity... Ha! We went with our friends Nathaniel, Mary, and Lottie Doddridge and had a blast!! Let me just add, it's very difficult to find clothes to keep a big ole pregnant girl warm!!

December also brought a milestone birthday in our house... Brian turned the Big 30!! And yes I was able to pull off a surprise party while extremely preggo and in a new house. Couldn't have done it without my wonderful friends and the help of a lying associate pastor... :) I thought I was busted the night of the party when he drove back by and his sister and one of my friends were at my house, but apparently God allowed me to be able to lie for one night!! Ha! As you can tell he was very surprised!

I decided that even thought I was miserable and pregnant I couldn't keep that from making a Gingerbread house with my sweet baby girl... So we did and it was even messier than the year before! Ha! But ohhhh the memories!! And yes... she's wearing a Belle dress!

Christmas was even more fun this year than it has been in the past because Mackenzie not only got more into Santa Clause but more importantly she really began to understand the true meaning of Christmas! Here are some of my fave pics from Christmas this year.

We made cookies for Santa late on Christmas Eve and Santa enjoyed the cookies! (and so did somebody else...) Santa even left Mackenzie a note telling her how good the cookies were!

While we were sitting on the couch waiting for the cookies to cook, we watched "Prep and Landing" one of Mackenzie's favorite Christmas movies. It's such a sweet memory because she wanted to hold both of our hands! :)

Can you tell she just woke up?? Ha!

Playing with her Ariel baby doll and coloring in her Tinkerbell activity pad with Daddy.

Cooking Breakfast at Nana and Pop's house!

January

I'm not sure if these next pics were actually in January but I know I was on vacation for Christmas so its close enough... Ha!

I made Mackenzie a tent in her playroom one morning when Brian was working because Dylan wasn't being nice to Mommy and I needed to lay on the couch. She had a blast playing in her tent while wearing her Belle dress and sitting in her "comfy place".

Because I was REALLY pregnant at the first of the year we weren't able to go watch our beloved Hogs play in the Liberty Bowl, so instead we stayed home and watched it at our house. I ended up taking down the Christmas tree that day and Mackenzie was a BIG help (seriously), she kept taking the lights to Brian to wrap up. But as is the case quite frequently lately she was dressed "interestingly". She was wearing her Sleeping Beauty dress, her sparkly flip flops and her new Minnie golf clubs. Gotta love her sense of style! Ha!

January

One night in January Brian went to put Mackenzie to sleep and I walked by her room and found a site that melted my heart... No words are necessary!

Ever since Mackenzie was a little baby I would go check on her at night (or even naptime) and never know what to expect... How she would be sleeping or where or with what. I walked by one night and laughed hysterically at what I saw... Just Mackenzie and Minnie... everything else was on the floor. So much for the room we'd cleaned up that day!

After looking for January pictures I realized just how miserable and pregnant I must have been because this was about it! Ha!

One other big thing that happened in January, was my baby shower at work. My sweet co-workers threw me a baby shower. We wanted to bring Mackenzie but thought she might be too shy around all the people and not enjoy it. So we opted to let her stay and play with her friends at school. Here is a picture of me at 35 weeks. YES I WAS BIG!! I realized just how big the day I saw this pic... Man we grow 'em big in my house!! Ha!

February

February was a very important month in our house... it was the month Dylan Thomas Kennebeck was born!! We were so excited for him to finally make his appearance!! (Some of us more than others... Ha!) I was measuring ahead during my entire pregnancy and after Mackenzie Donya knew what to expect plus "they" say your 1st baby is your smallest. I was SOOOO grateful when Donya finally told me that Dylan had dropped enough for us to go ahead and induce. (And thank goodness she did!! But more on that later...)

With our good luck Mackenzie came down with strep throat on Tuesday, and I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment the next morning to hopefully schedule my induction. Thankfully Mom took Mackenzie to the doctor and Brian went with me to my appointment. Needless to say she told us we were good to go! So we set up things to go to the hospital that night to start meds to see if I'd go into labor on my own. That night before we went to the hospital we had some last minute family time just the 3 of us. Here are some precious pics! The first two were of the Tuesday before Dylan was born and the last one was the last pic we got of just the 3 of us!

Just the 3 of us!

Well that catches you up all the way until Dylan was born. I hate to make this post any longer than it already is so I'll cut it off there! Lots of fun stuff has happened since Dylan was born! I'll try to get caught up on some of it, and then move on to current stuff. As always life is Crazy in Kennebeck Land!