Mondays with McKenna {2}

As I sit here anxiously waiting to watch 2 new ABC TV shows {and potentially get hooked} I thought it would be a good idea to talk about all things McKenna! AND THERE IS SO MUCH!

Most exciting.  She is walking!  And walking fairly well.  She still stumbles around like a little drunk sorority girl and every now and then she still scoots around on her bottom. But for the most part, walking is her #1 movement of choice! =D  ….sadly I cannot seem to insert the video because I am just not smart enough. But. She is walking!

She can officially point to 4 body parts.  She can put her hands on her head, show us where her nose is, touch her feet, and find her bellybutton.  I think the bellybutton is the most fun because she pulls up her shirt and smiles so big!  Bellybuttons are funny things. S

She is also a HUGE fan of the shape sorter my parents got her for Christmas. And she is getting really good at sorting the shapes into the bucket.  She does better when no one is watching her, but she loves the cheers and claps she gets when the square falls into the bucket because she put it in the right hole.  She also simply loves books.  Sometimes when it is just too quiet, we find her sitting there flipping though a book and it melts my heart.

McKenna is starting to voice her opinions on what she is wearing. It all started a few weekends ago with her game day dress.  She lost her mind when she saw her pants.  And I gave in and put her jeans and tee-shirt back on.  Then after nap, I tried the outfit again and she lost her mind again.  Welp. I made her cry for about 10 minutes and then she realized she just had to deal with it. Hours later, she still hated those pants.  The other day I put her in a romper and she cried and cried over that too.  And lastly, I bought her the cutest pair of brown faux suede fringe booties for her outfit for picture day.  She cries looking at them.  Just cries.  Well, I told Kyle to put her in the dress, cardigan, and booties and just let her cry on Wednesday.  I will be on a work trip so I won’t be there, but I have a feeling she will go to school in her pink and purple running shoes and the outfit will be ruined.  Can’t wait to see how she reacts to her riding boots for family photos in November.

Oh. Another example. McKenna’s day care did a charity event where all the little babes had to dress up like a superhero. Well. You can tell she was not the biggest fan of her superhero costume.  She pretty much looked distressed and/or angry all day about her get up.  Honestly, I am surprised daycare never changed her into one of her spare outfits.  And… Notice how she is wearing her pink and purple running shoes.  Not the shoe cover thing the outfit came with.  Truthfully, I was not going to fight that battle the tears were so intense that morning. I have a feeling the costume may have been itchy.  But I also wonder how Halloween will go and if we will be able to get her dressed in a costume… We shall see.

She is 14 months - almost 15 months - and I cannot believe how much she is growing up.  We picked her up from daycare on Friday and she just looked older.  Both Kyle and I commented on how she just looked different and older.  It is just crazy how fast she is growing up and how quickly she is learning to do things on her own.  Soon we are going to be sending her to Bama Bound and then moving her into her dorm in Tuscaloosa.   

Mondays with McKenna {1}

I have a goal. Every Monday I am going to write about the little lady. OR if not every Monday I will write each Monday when there is some tidbit of exciting news to share. Or goofy story. Or fun video.

McKenna. Ya’ll. She makes my heart smile.

Milestones: well. she is finally crawling (and has been for a few months). She pulls up on pretty much anything and everything. She loves loves loves to walk with assistance – holding her Dad’s hand or pushing one of her many toys around.  She is not walking on her own yet, but we are ready for when she does.  She has mastered the stairs (going up, not down) and how to slide down the slide. She no longer sits in her high chair; she has joined the family at the dinner table. Basically, she is a big girl or something like that. I don’t think she has a favorite toy right now, but she loves all things Little People and she is obsessed with anything that she can stand up and push.  She has a mouthful of teeth and loves to get her teeth brushed.  I think she just loves the apple banana toothpaste, but whatever.

Other Happenings: We recently had a birthday party to attend. It was at Chuck-E-Cheeses. She was pretty much overwhelmed at first and just wanted to be held, but then she warmed up to the whole place and had a ball.  She LOVED the Barney ride and would try to put tokens in on her own to make the ride start over again once it stopped. I am pretty sure she rode that ride about 15 times, many times back to back.  And she learned to climb and slide and had the time of her life. Of course, the Barney ride was at the foot of the slide so she would power crawl over to the ride, pull herself up, and pretty much say, “come on guys, time to ride Barney” …  She chowed down on 2 pieces of pizza and 1 cupcake and got bright blue icing all over Kyle’s polo. This girl can eat. Best part: she napped HARD that day.

Because of Chuck-E-Cheeses we are pretty much living at the park on weekends.  Well, “living at” is a bit of an exaggeration. But, we do spend some time there every Saturday and Sunday. She seriously LOVES to slide and we have thought about buying her a backyard play thing for our deck, but it is more fun to take her to the park and watch her climb and slide around.  And she loves her wagon rides down to the park. …well, she actually loves everything about her wagon. She has a cup holder for her sippy and she loves to “read” her books on the ride. That thing was the best hand me down EVER. 

She is a wild thing. When we keep her indoors at our house she likes to “fall off” our bed. Fall off = slide off the side with Dad ready to catch her.  She loves to climb all over her pink chair and climb over the back of it onto the couch and then fall back down onto the pink chair.  And she loves to slide off the couch onto the ground.  Needless to say, I have the worry gene from my Mom’s side of the family so I think she will gray my hair sooner than later.

This little one constantly keeps us on our toes.  But she seriously brings us an insane amount of joy and it has been so so so fun watching her become more and more mobile over the last few weeks. 

Grateful Challenge || 21 || Summer

Labor day marks the end of the summer.  So I thought it would be fitting to talk about summer and why I am grateful for this season.  Summer has its downsides. The heat. The humidity. People walking their dogs again (this is bad because we have bad dogs). I no longer get months to do nothing.

But despite its downsides there are some things about summer that I am just flat out thankful for.

FIRST. Schools out. Which means traffic isn’t quite as bad. It is still bad, but not everyday and frankly just not as bad.  There is something beautiful about a 45 minute commute instead of a 60 minute or longer commute.  There are no school buses clogging my neighborhood that I have to fight with/wait for their pesky stop sign to go down. The scommute to work is simply just easier.

SECOND. Longer nights = family dog walks.  Most nights this is the only 30 minutes that Kyle and I have to catch up on the week. When we get home we are rushing around to get the table set, dinner cooked, and everyone fed.  Then post dog walk we are bathing the baby and then really taking selfish (but needed) me time.  So these strolls (sometimes hot and humid strolls) are our 30 minutes to dish on the day. Plus, it brings me so much joy to watch McKenna sit in the back of her wagon “reading” her book and drinking her milk from her sippy.

THREE. The pool. I am thankful and grateful for days at the pool. Activities at the pool have changed since having a baby and my melanoma diagnosis. But again, it is the family time. Slathering the family in high SPF and packing everything up to go splash in the water. I was worried that M would hate the pool. but she warmed up to it and now we have another fun family activity to do together. And I am forever grateful for anything that gives me family time and activities that make my heart smile.

FOUR. The weather. It may be hot and humid 99% of the time here in Atlanta, but the weather is just great for family activities, grilling out, and fellowshipping with our great neighbors.  As the weather starts to get cold we all turn back into hermits.  We try to maximize the spring – fall weather as much as possible. 

Let’s be honest.  Summer is a great season.  As you get older you find a different appreciation for it.  Had I written this post 10 years ago or so I would be grateful for long days by the pool with my friends, patio drinking, short summer school classes, summer concerts with lawn seats, floating the cahaba, and other shenanigans like that.  But. As summer comes to an end, I can only count down the days till next summer.

Gratitude || 4 || Family Member

I went to a funeral the other day.  A very good friend of mine lost her dad. Suddenly. Unexpectedly. He was 62. When I told her I was so very sorry for her loss and reminded her that I was there for her & told her that if she needed anything to just let me know, she response was simple and short. All she said was: thank you and hug your dad next time you get the chance.

And it made me start to think. I don’t just hug my dad every time I see him. Most times he pulls me in and makes me give him a hug as I am rushing through life.  My dad makes it known every time he sees me (or my brother) that we are loved.  Those hugs are important to him. I need to do better. And just pause. Take a moment to hug him and then go back to rushing around.

I am grateful for my Dad (and many other family members). Yes, he may drive me nuts from time to time, but he is my Dad and he has showed me and taught me many things throughout my life.  He has taught me that family is important. Friends are important. And if you can, you should be there for family and friends in both good times and bad.  He introduced me to all things Alabama.  He (and my mom) have shown me what a respectful, solid, and good marriage looks like.  He was an insanely active participant in my childhood, so I know that I will expect no less from Kyle. My dad has shown me (and continues to show me) that life is not just about me.  That it is important to be generous with your time and to make people a priority if they’re important to you. And that sometimes those times are hard and trying and tiring, but it is the right thing to do and most times those situations are just temporary.  I can think back on different times in my life where my Dad has set a good example for how you should live your life. Caring for an immediate family member, building churches, getting me out of trouble, opening his house to friends and family members pretty much whenever, donating his time and money, and just taking a genuine interest in people and their story – my dad may not find joy in each and every thing, but he understands what it means to be a good person and to live a good life.

With my friend’s dads unexpected passing it made me think. My Dad won’t be around forever. As morbid and sad it is to think that, it is the honest truth. But, I have been so lucky to have my Dad by my side for 31 years and counting.  He is one of my biggest cheerleaders and advocates. Have there been times that I have let him down? Yes, probably too many to count. Have there been times where I tested his patience? Oh heck yes. But his love for me is unwavering (or at least I think it is) and at the end of the day I know I have impressed him and make him proud. And I am forever grateful that my little sassy firecracker has a Grand Bobby who simply adores her and loves her.  And I know she brings him immense joy as well. 

And, I still owe my Dad a hug.  But I guess that will have to wait until we meet him in sunny Florida for a quick, easy vacation.

Writing. I’ve been doing it.

 

This post is nothing exciting. But, I have been writing. Everything is in draft form right now. But… there are a few things queued up.  I started back up the 52 week thankful challenge. So there are a few of those. Plus, I have to gush about little McKenna.

So, if there is anyone out there reading (other than my parents and aunt)… …you will have reading material soon. I promise.