Mackenzie's Five and a Half!

It is hard to believe that our Mackenzie is 5 1/2 years old today. Seriously, I don't know where the time has gone, but it has been an absolutely wonderful 5 1/2 years. We have a tradition of having half a cake for celebrating half birthdays. So that is exactly what we did as soon as we got home from school today!
The kids just could not wait! We put 5 and 1/2 candles on the cake. Mackenzie loved her heart shaped ice cream cake. Actually, we all did! :) (Josiah had a pajama day today, just in case you were wondering.)

On a separate note, my momma gave me a Bible of my very own, with my name on it, as soon as I learned to read well as a child. That happened to be when I was in first grade as a 6 year old. That has always meant so very much to me. It is a memory that stands out as I think back to learning to read and those early years. So, now that Mackenzie is reading well, I decided it was time to carry on the tradition! I picked out a purple Bible and had her name put on it in silver script. It is a complete NIV Bible in a small size, just right for her to carry. I wrote a note on the inside cover, which seemed to mean a lot to Mackenzie. David and I sat her down in the living room this afternoon to give it to her. I told her the story of my own childhood, too. She LOVED the Bible. She immediately opened it and searched for Psalms. Then she wanted to find the 23rd Psalm. She memorized the entire 23rd Psalm for school last semester. She received a 100% on that one, which impressed me! Anyways, it was precious to see her curled up on the couch with her new Bible in hand reading the 23rd Psalm!
I do pray that she will read it often and always seek answers within its pages.

The things kids say...

I was completing a Shutterfly photo book (from a vacation we took almost 2 years ago!) on our computer this evening. I did it! I finished it! I just started it this week, though it had been on my mental "to do" list for quite a while. It feels GREAT to be finished. Now...I just need a good sale on photo books so that I can order it! Ha. Anyways. Mackenzie was sitting nearby and I needed input about the background color for a page in the book. I asked her which one she liked better. She told me; I agreed. As I moved on to the next page, Mackenzie announced, "Mom, do you need my appendix on anything else?" It was all I could do not to burst out laughing, which would have totally embarrassed her at this point in her life. She does not like to say or do the wrong thing, and she is very sensitive to what others think about her. Inside, I was falling apart laughing; outwardly, I managed to maintain composure. I thanked her and assured her that I would ask for her opinion on the next page, too. She paused, obviously processing the word I used and the one she used. I think she figured it out, though I never said anything more about it. Appendix...Opinion...hey, they do sound a lot alike!

As I tucked her in tonight I asked some broad questions, just to see what she would say. I try to do this occasionally, usually choosing different questions but always using broad ones. Her answers were so priceless that I am recording them here.

My first question: "Mackenzie, what is one thing you are really happy about today?"
Her response: "I'm really happy that God made you so that you could be my mommy!"
I melted. I don't know what answer I expected, but that was not it. What a compliment!

My second question: "What is one thing you are sad about today?"
Her response: "I'm really sad about all the people in the world who don't know Jesus."
Wow. I, once again, was floored by her answer. I am so thankful that church, school, and home are all working towards the same goals in her precious life. I am awed at her response.

My third question: "What is one thing you are wishing for?"
Her response: "Hmm. To loose some of my teeth!"
So funny. Several of the kids in her class are loosing their baby teeth. A lot of the kids in her class are older than she is. She wants to loose her teeth! Cracks me up. Wonder if she'll be that excited about it when it actually happens? Ha.

I totally enjoyed my time visiting with her tonight.

Earlier in the week, Josiah looked out the van window as we were driving along. He spotted the dirty snow piled on the edge of the roads. He did not miss a beat in saying, "Look at all that rotten snow!"

I cooked cornbread muffins this week. To my amazement, both kids ate and enjoyed them. Last time I made them, one of the kids...I sadly don't remember which one...peeled the paper off the muffin, took a big bite, ran to the trashcan to spit it out, and announced, "Mom! Those muffins are rotten!" I think the child was expecting something sweeter...like blueberry muffins or cupcakes! Every time I eat corn bread I think of that announcement about the muffins being rotten. Kids are so much fun. Their perspective can brighten the gloomiest of days.

Here's to hoping you all have a wonderful day with lots of laughter!

Snowy Day

At bedtime last night the kids piled into Josiah's bed together. They were so cute that I had to grab the camera! (Actually, they both requested that I grab the camera, which I thought was funny!) So, here's the pictures of the two kids together in his room.
We ended up putting them in their separate beds as I'm sure they'll sleep better that way!

We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. How gorgeous! Mackenzie enjoyed the icicles, and I thought it was a cool picture with the icicles at the top.

This week at school, Mackenzie's class made pine cone bird feeders. Today was the perfect day to hang hers in the backyard for the birds to enjoy.

Mackenzie did a great job scattering the extra bird seed all over the snowy ground. I'm sure the birds will be appreciative. ;)

This snow is an icy one, which is perfect for sledding! We all four enjoyed sledding, but I did not take any pictures of it. I was too busy enjoying it, myself! Anyways, along with the icy snow came lots of icicles.

Josiah inspecting the icicles hanging from the swing set.

Up close of Josiah.

Watch out! He's ready with a snow ball!

He just struck a pose by the fence...too cute! :)

Mackenzie swinging in the snow.

My two cutie pies.

David and me.

Josiah and Mackenzie helped David build a huge snowman. I haven't taken the pictures yet because they are not quite finished. It is so cold that we came inside for a break and for lunch and have not made it back out yet! :)

Hope you are all enjoying the snow, too. It was nice to have school canceled on Friday, so we even get a 3 day weekend!

Mackenzie's Haircut: Updated

So...I don't like posting just a picture of myself on the blog, but here it is anyways! For those of you wondering what my haircut looks like...several inches shorter and it flips out naturally, which I love. Kinda gives it some life. :) Hope you have all had a great weekend! :)

Mackenzie and I got our hair cut this week. Both of us got several inches cut off, which feels great as we both have very thick hair! Anyways, my mom and grandmother wanted to see what Mackenzie's hair looks like now...so here are the pictures! :)

(Sorry, no pics of me yet...we went swimming today and I did not put make-up on!) ;) Maybe later in the week....

The Things They Say...

Mackenzie: "Mom, the only kind of spider that I like is Papa Long Legs because I know that kind won't bite me."
I fell apart into a fit of laughter as that is one of the funniest things I have heard in a long time. I think she was embarrassed by having called the spiders by the wrong names. She is a child who likes to be right and do things the right way, you see. I tried to explain that what she said was really cute, and it's okay that she called them something different. I loved it! Anyways, to really get the impact of her statement, you have to know that my dad's name is "Papa Long," so when Mackenzie had heard about Granddaddy Long Legs, she just morphed the two together to create the name Papa Long Legs for the friendly spiders. (I know, I know...they are extremely poisonous but their mouths are too small to actually bite humans, therefore they are harmless.)

As I tucked Mackenzie in tonight, her pajamas were full of static and making really pretty sparks under her covers in the dark room. We called Josiah in to see the "fireworks" and talked about static electricity. Both kids thought it was pretty neat to actually see the sparks. Then David took Josiah to his room to tuck him in. Mackenzie looked at me and said, "Mom, it's so cool that Grannie New got me light up pajamas for Christmas! I didn't even know they made light up pajamas!"

I worked today. While I was at work, Mrs. Susan and Mr. Frank kept Josiah for the morning. When I went to pick Josiah up from their house this afternoon, they were playing in the yard. Josiah LOVES to be outside, and lately it has been too cold for him to be outside. He loved his time outdoors today, and spent a good deal of it playing with sticks. He began to dig, and dig, and dig at the base of a tree in their yard. I asked what he was doing...thinking he might say something like trying to dig up the tree, or dig a hole, or something like that. We got a good laugh at his actual answer. "I'm digging to find my friends, the worms." It was said so seriously and so sweetly that is was hilarious.

My kids have said several really funny and cute and sweet things lately. I fear that I don't record enough of them! For now, at least those 3 moments from our day today are on record, so-to-speak.

Snow Days!

Yeah, that's a real original title since half the country (or more?) is covered in winter weather these days! Ha! Anyways, Josiah was picked up early from "school" yesterday and Mackenzie's school was canceled today due to the snowy/icy weather. We completely enjoyed these two days of snow. Josiah and Mackenzie with the "Christmas" tree in our backyard. This was Thursday evening, while all four of us were outside together.
Mackenzie at the base of the slide.

Josiah eating snow off the ladder rungs as he climbed up to go down the slide. Watching the kids literally fly down the slide in their snowsuits would scare anyone! I'm just thankful we had no injuries, and therefore no trips to the emergency room. He, he. They loved the snowy slide, though. To watch them go down it over and over and over was comical.

Cute pic of Mackenzie in the snow yesterday.

This morning, after David headed on to work, the kids and I bundled up and headed outside. One of the first things they did was to lay down in the driveway and make snow angels. In the above picture they are giving each other "high fives" for the great job making snow angels that they both did! Too cute.

Here's Josiah in action making a snow angel in our driveway.
The most memorable thing the three of us did this morning was sledding. Alas, I have no pictures of it as I was right in the middle of it all! We began by sledding down the hill in our front yard. The kids were each on a sled and I was pushing the sled to get it started down the hill. It was fun, but what was even better was sledding down the street! We quickly figured out that we didn't have to stop at the base of our yard. Instead, we could begin in our yard, land in the street which was solid ice with some snow, too, and continue down the huge hill. So, after checking both ways for traffic, I sat down on the sled. Both kids piled in my lap. We then began, slowly at first and then gathering great (and completely out of control) momentum. The three of us, all piled on that one bright red sled, flew down the entire street from our house to the stop sign at the base! We went all different directions, including backwards as I cannot steer the sled! The kids laughed and squealed with delight as we just kept going and going down that hill. Two times of walking all the way back UP that hill was plenty, so we headed inside for a cup of hot chocolate.

Here's Mackenzie enjoying her hot chocolate in her insulated underwear, or cuddle duds, as we call them!

Here's Josiah enjoying (spewing) his hot chocolate in his cuddle duds. I found those on clearance at Target last week, and boy am I glad we had those!

I spent a lot of time trying to get Josiah to pose for a picture outside in the snow. It just didn't happen. He was way too busy just enjoying the snow to stop for pictures. Sigh. So, I laughed when he flopped down on the bar stools after enjoying his hot chocolate and announced, "Cheese." He was posing for a picture! I snapped it, of course! :)

Our Decade in Review

I am copying this idea from several friends...thanks, Cindy T.! :)

David and I totally enjoyed talking about these past ten years. Here are some of the events that came to mind as we talked today.

2000

We spent our summer in Uganda, East Africa.
We spent a week in Oostende, Belgium after traveling through London, England on our way home from Africa.
September 26 officially marked two years of dating.
(Though we had enjoyed time together for 2 yrs 2 mo at that point.)
September 26 David proposed...we were engaged!
December 12 we got married in the faculty library of the McInteer Bible building at H.U.
December 14 we flew to Cancun, Mexico for our wedding in a beach side gazebo.
December 16 David completed his MSE (Master's of Science in Education) at H.U.
(He walked in a different semester's graduation as we were in Mexico!)

2001

July my mom and Mark moved to Knoxville, TN.
September 11 terrorist attacks.
December we spent our first anniversary together in Hawaii!

2002

May 11 I graduated from H.U. with my BSN.
August we moved to our current location.
August I began my first job as an RN.
August David began a Nuclear Medicine Technology Program.
October we closed on our first home. (996 sq ft!)

2003

June I cut my hours back to part time at my stressful first nursing job.
July David finished the Nuc Med Tech program and got a job at the Med Center.
July we spent a week in Leon, Nicaragua on a medical mission.
September we spent 3 weeks traveling in Japan and Okinawa.
October I was hired PRN at Children's Hospital in Ped Pulmo.
December I quit my stressful job completely and continued working in Ped Pulmo.
December 11 we found out we were expecting our first child.
December 12 we were apart for the first time on our anniversary (3rd).
December 13 I was the matron-of-honor in Susan Tripp Martin's wedding.

2004

August 24 Mackenzie Kristen was born at 2:29pm weighing 7 lb 0 oz.

2005

June 26 Evan Long (my brother) and Mia Winn got married.
September 17 we found out we were expecting our second child.
October we (David, Mackenzie, and me) went with my mom and Mark to Cancun, Mexico.

2006

May 24 Josiah Zearl was born at 7:58am weighing 7 lb 5 oz.
October 7 I was matron-of-honor in Julie Newsom Mooney's wedding.

2007

August 20 we sold our first home and bought our second.

2008

February 24 Mackenzie turns 3 1/2 yrs old and begins "school" (MDO) after begging for months.
May we (the four of us) went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on vacation.
May 24 Josiah turns 2 years old.
August 24 Mackenzie turns 4 years old.

2009

January David's Grandpa died at age 93.
May 24 Josiah turns 3 years old.
August 18 Mackenzie started Kindergarten.
August 20 Josiah started "school" (mother's day out) for the first time, 3's class.
August 24 Mackenzie turned 5 years old.
December 12 David and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary.

2010

Is yet to be lived.

As I read back over the many major events that occurred in the past ten years, I am struck by how many of them are so positive. (Maybe I'm just blocking the negative ones from memory-Ha. Just Kidding.) I am grateful for all the happy times and treasured memories made. I look forward to seeing what God has planned for our future. I love the verses found in Jeremiah 29:11-13 "'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'"

I do not know what the next ten years holds for us, but I know Who holds the next ten years (and all eternity, for that matter!) in His hands. And that is sufficient for me. May we always seek and serve Him in everything that we do and with all that we are. May we live each day for Him.

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!