My First Pedicure

At 18 months of age - Mackenzie enjoys her first pedicure. And she insisted I take a picture of her face as well - she kept saying CHEESE when I pointed the camera at her feet.

Mackenzie's Playhouse

the new addition
knock knock - Who's there?

Thanks to Aunt Kate's good bargain hunting - we added a new Little Tikes addition on to our house this weekend - and Mackenzie could not be happier!! Unfortunatly - we didn't have the camera out yesterday when we got it all set up - Foster kept sticking his head in the windows like it was a stable - and Mackenzie would yell "NO - MINE" at him.

Karting

So it just happened to be PERFECT timing that MarioKart was released for the Wii the same week that I was home from school on my "not so glamourous spring break (w/ severe ankle sprain)" and Jamey had his hernia surgery that week as well. So as we sat doped up pain killers and iceing our injuries - it was quite easy and convenient to play. And so the addiction began......

Unfortunatly - Gracie, Mackenzie & Parker have not figured out how to work the camera well enough to take a pic of all 4 of us playing - as is our fave way to do it. But Mackenzie does enjoy getting in on the fun too, when there is an extra wheel around for her!

If you are looking for one of us and can't get ahold of us - this is probably where we are!

Happy Memorial Day!!

Mackenzie enjoys some Memorial day refreshments.....don't worry - it was not open!! We have had a wonderfully relaxing and fun weekend with friends - retirement party, bridal shower, graduation party, trip to the boat, fish fry and lots of Mario Kart!! An excellant way to welcome the start of summer.

The Potty

So awhile ago, I bought a potty seat for Gracie to use when she is here....and start exposing Mackenzie to the idea as well. Mac took to the potty seat idea like a duck to water! She enjoys sitting on it, but it is WAY more fun to play with! She also enjoys taking it to Daddy and saying "daddy potty now" - unfortunatly, he is a bit big for it.

the Dinner Party

Mackenzie has been getting lots of use and enjoyment out of her personal dining set lately. Anymore, she insists to eat her dinner there as opposed to the high chair. And obviously - Foster & Kitty are pleased as well - since it makes her scraps all the easier for them to scrounge (including her for a private dinner date when necessary)!! But I am sure she prefers it best when the table is filled with her friends. The girls certainly have fun together.....makes me wonder what it will be like when they are teenagers! (Mackenzie - the fearless one; Gracie - the talkative yet timid one; Elisabeth - the mellow and easy going one......Lord knows what they will think of together)

WARNING: Crazy Hippo on the Loose!

A crazy, hungry hippo got loose in the house the other night....be careful - she bites!!

Why is Guinness staying with us you ask?????? (shown here helping to supervise the lawn mowing efforts)

Because Uncle Jon is out of town......getting us a new member of the family!!!!!!! YES - Uncle Jon FINALLY proposed to Karree!!!!! And after some careful consideration on her part (ha ha) - she accepted. Congratulations to them both! We couldn't be happier. :)

(sorry this will interupt the regularly scheduled blogging for tonight!)

FurReal - the "Alley Cat"

Since we seem to be on a stuffed pet kick lately - I shall post the pictures of Mackenzie's newly remodeled FurReal kitten......Thanks to Guinness, pretty kitty has now become the "Alley Cat" version.

Field Trippin' - Doggie Style

So while Mackenzie was busy checking out all the library had to offer (see below) - Foster 2.0 was hanging out with Guermillo & Bernardo.

do you need a HAND?

Since mommy has had a long week at work and is overwhelmed (and underpaid, or so she always says)....I thought I would help out and tell you about my adventures. So a week ago, stuffed Foster and I took a trip to visit Mommy at her school. Foster 2.0 got to ride in her purse, Nana Jane brought me. While Foster 2.0 checked out his monkey friends , I checked out the library that Honorary Grandma Mary runs....Everyone agreed that I am too young to be reading about dating games on the computer - but as mommy always says "when in Rome...."

Hello? Is anyone there? Is this thing working?

Apologies for an incredibly busy past week and lack of updates. Many fun shots coming soon, I promise!

Foster: version 2.0 - "featuring excellent obediance and good behavior" & other random Foster facts....

* For our fun monkey friends here - the stuffed version of Foster makes a blog appearance today. Because knit pets are all the rage now!! :)

(No worries Fos-man - we still love the real you best!)

* Foster asked me to add the he recently created his own account (with a little help from mommy) on Dogbook, the canine version of Facebook. If you are friends with one of us on there - you can check him out too!! We worked quite hard to find the most flattering pictures of him to post on his profile.

* You can check out our furry cousins in Cali here. Maybe Daddy can pop in for a visit while he is out in CA for work this week.

* I suspect a storm is coming in tonight, as our big boy is quite fearful of storms (shh - he doesn't like others to know) and he is currently freaking out at my feet and demanding lots of attention. Or maybe it is just because his ears are burning because I am talking about him.

* Yesterday, Daddy walked Foster down to pick up Mackenzie from day care. When the front door opened and Mackenzie saw Foster was there - she greeted him with squeals of delight, ran over and gave him a HUGE hug & kiss. She was also quite upset when the neighbor's St. Bernard came over to check Foster out - and she kept yelling "NO, NO" as they were doing the obligatory sniff down.

the BIG Vroom's

Mackenzie checks out the adult sized "vroom" version........obviously a step up from Dora! Especially when Daddy lets her help drive!! But Mackenzie picked up real quick and was trying to push the buttons and shift to make it go. 17 months old and TROUBLE already!

G-ma & G-pa's trip to Niagra Falls

So Grandma & Grandpa just returned home from a trip to New York, complete with a visit to

Niagra Falls and a wedding along one of the Finger Lakes (last shot) I thought these pics were fun addition to the blog....especially the picture of Sharon "talking" to a seagull! :)

Frowny Face Belly Button

So last Thursday, Jamey underwent surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. On Friday, as I was unpacking the dressings, etc - and we finally saw the scar, he remarked "I have a frowny face belly button now!" The scar follows along the top of his belly button and does curve downward, like a frown. (I guess I was a little too taken aback by the big red raw scar to think of what it reminded me of) Jamey is recovering well - it is quite painful and he is enjoying his time on the Vicodin. :) Every day does get a little better for him. It is hard for both him and Mackenzie, as she is over the 10 lb weight limit for lifting for him....but she doesn't understand why he won't pick her up when she is asking him to hold her. This weekend, we remarked that we do make quite the gimpy pair currently - lots of tylenol and ice bags being currently used at our house!! Good thing Mackenzie is too little to know how vulnerable we are and take advantage! Picture is not directly related to the post or even current - but it is one of my favorites of her pouty, frowny face @ 3 months old! (funny to note that she is sitting in her Bumbo chair in the pic and she currently LOVES to sit in it when we visit Mat & Sarah - as it is now there for Parker!)